Coen The first half of 2021 was a difficult time for Coen. A lingering wet season that forced many community members to remain outside of Coen for an extended period of time, several families experiencing Sorry Business following the passing of loved ones, and the changes in CDP Mutual Obligation Requirements, all culminated to make January to June an especially quiet period in this small, remote community. Community members, however, remain focussed on personal and family growth, and continue to pursue the opportunities available to them. MPower advocates that a “better life begins with a budget”, and Coen members are well aware of this, with budgeting being a favoured activity during January–June. One member, Carol Fyfe, is already planning for Christmas expenses. She worked with MPower staff to create a budget that outlines how much she could save from each pay between May and December, and then opened a new savings account to allocate these funds to. Two other MPower members updated their budgets to ensure they could afford contributions to their children’s new SET accounts. The importance of saving for future expenses is also understood
O-Hub staff assisted families to purchase more than $2,000 worth of books from SET accounts at the CYAAA Scholastic Book Fair.
by a family that is signed up to Homelands, as they continue to grow their balance and readily meet their housing-related expenses. To date, they have contributed $58,000 to their Homelands account. The family’s long-term goal is to be able to fund future renovations of their home. Given its inland position, access to Coen can be severely hampered during the wet season—the Peninsula Development Road is the only road in and out of the community. This affected the take-up of Mayi Market between January and June, with 355 fresh food boxes purchased by the community members of Coen and nearby Port Stewart, which is lower
accounts were opened during the first half of 2021. All new accounts were opened by existing SET donors, who already understand the significant benefits that SET offers, and were for children in early education. SET purchases for the period totalled $29,189 with many of these purchases made at the SET fair for items such as shoes, backpacks and lunchboxes. O-Hub staff also assisted families in accessing their SET funds during the CYAAA Scholastic Book Fair with $2,113 worth of books purchased. As part of the O-Hub’s outreach service to Lockhart River, support was provided to
than previous periods. Regardless, the indispensable role of
SET donors over the phone and email as needed.
the O-Hub as the distribution intermediary for Mayi Market
O-Hub staff have continued to work closely with other
was on display during this time. The O-Hub ensured that community members had access to healthy food even when the local grocery shops were depleted of stock. Education is, as it has always been, a priority for Coen families. The Coen campus of Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) again achieved a solid attendance rate—85.6 per cent on average—during the January to June period, making it the second top attending Indigenous school in Queensland. In June, Coen families celebrated the achievements of all students at CYAAA’s end of Semester 1 award ceremony. In addition to ensuring their children attend school, Coen families are equally
service providers during the period. This included case management sessions with the FRC to discuss the progress of FRC-referred clients and work through any identified issues. Meetings were also held with Apunipima to identify opportunities for further collaboration across upcoming community events and activities. A highlight during January to June was the soft launch event for the Pama Platform in February. Community members attended the information session, signed up to the Platform and enjoyed the community BBQ. The event attracted a diverse range of community members to sign up to Pama, with the youngest being 25 years-old and the oldest being 50 years-old.
committed to ensuring that they are financially prepared to
We look forward to supporting our members through the
meet the ever-increasing costs of education. Three new SET
remainder of 2021 to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Family Empowerment Report // January–June 2021
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