Bridging the Gap Foundation has launched a new Workplace Giving Program aiming to support initiatives that create health, education and employment equity in Australia.
The program is in response to the heightened interest from Australians looking to support Indigenous programs. By signing up to the foundation’s Workplace Giving Program, employees can specify a set pre-tax amount each pay cycle to donate. Every dollar donated will go towards supporting health and education initiatives in Indigenous communities and building a strong Indigenous workforce in Australia.
Contributions will go directly towards supporting three initiatives.
The first initiative is the Indigenous Children’s Hearing for Learning Program by Menzies School of Health Research. Indigenous children experience some of the highest rates of otitis media (middle ear infections) in the world. This leads to hearing impairment, compromised early learning, poor school performance, higher rates of unemployment and even incarceration. Menzies School of Health Research is addressing this problem through research and early prevention strategies.
The foundation also supports the Indigenous Secondary Schooling Scholarships Program in partnership with education provider SEDA. A lower school completion rate for Indigenous students directly impacts employment opportunities and contributes to high rates of incarceration. The foundation’s scholarship program, in partnership with applied learning provides young Indigenous Australians with a fully funded position in a SEDA program. This provides recipients with a pathways-focused senior secondary education tailored to their own goals and aspirations.
Lastly, the foundation’s workplace giving progrm will also support the Indigenous Traineeships Program. Traineeships offer Indigenous school graduates structured and supported pathways to employment through on-the-job training and opportunities to complete nationally accredited qualifications in diverse, multicultural work environments. Bridging the Gap Foundation works with a range of partners to create career development opportunities, including Menzies School of Health Research.
Charles Darwin University was the first organisation to offer a Bridging the Gap Foundation Workplace Giving Program to its staff.
“CDU is strongly committed to the aims of the Bridging the Gap Foundation to create health, education and employment equity in Australia. The CDYou staff giving program is a means by which University staff can support the Bridging the Gap Foundation and contribute to initiatives that addresses the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’ health and education outcomes,” said Professor Mike Wilson, Interim Vice-Chancellor, Provost and Vice-President of Charles Darwin University.
“Every contribution, no matter how big or small makes a difference,” said Richard Ryan AO, Chairman, Bridging the Gap Foundation. “Even a small amount per month can enable us to create scholarships, traineeships, and improve hearing health which make a real and substantial difference to Aboriginal people’s lives,” he said.