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Feeling Inspired: St.George Foundation announces 2024 Grant Recipients

 

Three exceptional organisations with longstanding commitments to fostering inclusive education in Australia are set to receive $300,000 each over the next three years after being awarded a St.George Foundation Inspire Grant.

 

This year’s grant recipients – Ganbina, KidsXpress, and the Y NSW – have demonstrated exceptional innovation in supporting better educational outcomes for children and young people experiencing disadvantage and exemplify dedication to transforming and expanding their  impact, ensuring sustained and long-term benefits in their communities.

 

BankSA Foundation, with its aligned mission of providing better education outcomes for children and young people experiencing disadvantage, has also awarded Ngutu College an Inspire Grant of $150,000.

 

With a combined funding total of $1.05 million over the next three years, our 2024 Inspire Grant recipients are the first to be awarded under St.George Foundation’s new social impact strategy. This strategy is designed to enhance inclusive education for children and young people facing significant barriers.

 

Ganbina: Empowering Indigenous Communities

 

Three Indigenous students smiling to camera in school uniform

 

Gabina is one of Australia’s most successful Indigenous school-to-work transition programs, dedicated to mentoring young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged five to twenty-five. Through a comprehensive approach, Ganbina provides learning support, life skills training, career guidance and financial assistance to help Indigenous youth reach their full potential.

 

With a proud 27-year legacy in regional Victoria, Ganbina will extend its Jobs4U2 education, training, and employment programs to Indigenous communities in Queensland’s Gold Coast and Deception Bay regions. With the support of St.George Foundation’s Inspire Grant over the next three years, Ganbina will co-design a tailored approach in collaboration with local community organisations, schools, teachers, families, and students to continue their aim to improve education and employment outcomes for First Nations young people.

 

Ganbina’s holistic model addresses the needs of children and young people while building local capability, ensuring sustained and long-term impact. Notably, Ganbina's policy of maintaining independence from government funding allows for greater innovation and adaptability. 

 

KidsXpress: Enhancing Trauma-Informed Education

 

A group expressive therapy session showing hands playing drums in a circle

 

KidsXpress is committed to transforming the lives of vulnerable children by improving emotional wellbeing, breaking cycles of trauma, and helping all children reach their potential. With over 18 years of experience in expressive therapy and trauma-informed practice, KidsXpress has partnered with Merrylands Public School to deliver a three-year, on-site mental health support program.

 

This School Partnership Program addresses the needs of the school's 590 students, many from refugee and non-English-speaking backgrounds, by providing expressive therapy, teacher development, individual behaviour plans, socioemotional learning, and tailored parenting programs. The program focuses on enhancing student and staff wellbeing, leading to improved educational outcomes. It is also being studied by the Matilda Centre at Sydney University, with the goal of establishing a strong evidence base and scaling the program to reach more schools. This would help alleviate the burden on teachers, who are not mental health professionals, and ensure that primary schools become a key setting for identifying and addressing mental health challenges.

 

The Y NSW: Advancing the Alternative Suspension Program

 

A classroom with an educator at the front and a student sitting at a desk

 

A for purpose organisation delivering cause-driven programs and community services to improve young peoples’ lives, the Y NSW is part of the oldest and largest global youth organisation, the YMCA, with its impact spanning 120 countries.

 

Focusing on the growing issue of school suspensions, the Y NSW is conducting a three-year pilot and evaluation of the Alternative Suspension Program, initially piloted during 2023 with success in two NSW locations. Based on successful models from Canada and Europe, the program uses ‘student time away’ from the school environment to address causes of misbehaviour and foster personal growth.  

 

With the $300,000 grant over three years, this program will be expanded to further refine and test its effectiveness and scalability in Australia, as well as assess the long-term benefits for both students and teachers. Ultimately, the goal of the Alternative Suspension Program is to curate an alternative to current school exclusionary practices and improve school engagement rates and outcomes for young people experiencing vulnerability.

 

The inspiration behind the 2024 Inspire Grants: 

 

The 2024 Inspire Grants, awarded by St.George Foundation and BankSA Foundation, reflect the Foundation’s refreshed social impact strategy to support inclusive education outcomes for children and young people experiencing disadvantage, with the aim to ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their potential.

 

The grant program aims to make a significant impact in several key areas:

 

Participation: Enhancing school attendance and retention, supporting further study or training, and improving access to education for underserved students.

 

Engagement: Boosting engagement or re-engagement with education and learning, increasing motivation and confidence, and nurturing overall wellbeing and cultural identity.

 

Achievement: Supporting the successful completion of school or further study, facilitating transitions to higher levels of education or employment, and improving learning outcomes.

 

Capacity Building: Strengthening parent and carer involvement in their child’s education and enhancing teaching and learning practices to better support student success.

 

Ganbina, KidsXpress and the Y NSW are among 85+ community organisations and social enterprises to receive a share in over $5 million in grant funding from the four philanthropic foundations supported at Westpac Group (Westpac Foundation, St.George Foundation, BankSA Foundation and Bank of Melbourne Foundation) to create jobs, education and wellbeing opportunities for young people in 2024.  

 

Together we are committed to building better futures for all Australians.

 

Doing good is in our DNA.

 

Congratulations to all our 2024 grant recipients. To see the full list visit: https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/our-foundations/2024-grant-announcements/

 

Updated Oct 2024