Coen

OPPORTUNITIES

• CYAAA • Cape York Employment • Cape York Leaders Program • Homelands • Mayi Market • MPower • O-Hub • Pama Language Centre • Pama Platform • Student Education Trust (SET) • Wise Buys

A rainbow arches over the streets of Coen before the wet season begins.

Coen residents finished the year in high spirits after enjoying a successful series of community-led events throughout July–December. NAIDOC Week celebrations saw Coen community members participating in the NAIDOC Touch Competition, the NAIDOC Ball, dance performances and therapeutic wellbeing craft sessions. In December, Cape York Employment proudly sponsored the Coen Community Day. Coen Sports Oval was full of Christmas cheer as community members young and old made art, baked damper, played league tag and enjoyed a visit from Santa as part of the Community Day. During December, Coen experienced significant downpours that inundated the main access roads. Due to the road closures, delivery trucks were unable to access the community and deliver stock to the local stores. Community members were then left with bare shelves in the wake of the downpours. Fortunately, Mayi Market had prepared for the wet conditions. Prior to the closures, Mayi Market delivered frozen packs of meat, vegetables and berries. When the roads flooded and the local shops sold out, Mayi Market filled an immediate need for quality food in the community. Coen partners were proactive about finances. They took the initiative to assess their situations and reach their financial goals. During July–December, MPower Coen recorded 291 total members, two of which were new. During this period, 56 members attended the O-Hub for MPower support, most of whom used self-service. Five partners received coaching to identify solutions to their nominated financial problems. Wise Buys, an MPower service, was used by one member to purchase two bed frames and two mattresses. During December, there were 16 Coen Pama Platform members, 24 per cent of which used the app to create resumes. Coen SET accounts reached a total balance of $312,014 at the end of December. More than half of the SET accounts were active during the July–December period. This is the highest among all communities. During this period, contributors paid $35,624 into these accounts. A total of $13,847 was spent on school-related expenses.

Six SET beneficiaries accessed their trust accounts to attend the annual Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) Band Camp. During September, thirty attendees worked with professional musicians, composers and directors to grow their musical talents at a week-long intensive.

Coen families are building up savings for their land. Homelands accounts received $4,425 from contributors between July–December, with a total of $67,650 contributed to date.

During December, the Namok family were among those who celebrated a successful year of learning. They accessed SET to pay for a graduation dress for their daughter. SET accounts were also accessed for the CYAAA Scholastic Book Fair to purchase books and stationery.

Coen CYE and O-Hub have now moved into one office to provide a comprehensive and seamless service to mutual clients. This was warmly welcomed by Coen O-Hub members, like Cindy Thomson, who expressed her gratitude for the help provided by O-Hub and the change of location. During November, CYE Coen held a First Aid Training Course for job seekers, with training provided by the Queensland Ambulance Service.