Health and Wellbeing
Helping young athletes shoot for the stars THE GOLD INDUSTRY GROUP IS CONTINUING TO SUPPORT AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH ITS MEMBERS OPERATE AFTER RENEWING ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH NETBALL WA, WEST COAST FEVER AND THE SHOOTING STARS PROGRAM.
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he Gold Industry Group will continue their support of Shooting Stars, empowering Aboriginal girls and women for a further three years, as a Major Partner of the program. An initiative of Netball WA and Glass Jar Australia, Shooting Stars uses netball and other rewards to encourage Indigenous girls to attend school and engage in their education, while promoting their health and wellbeing. The aim of Shooting Stars is to increase attendance rates at school, whilst creating pathways to employment. In conjunction with an increase in attendance, individual improvement in academic engagement and class behaviour can also be observed qualitatively through yarning circles, case studies and anecdotal evidence. These numbers reflect real change in these students’ attitude towards their school and education. Supporting Shooting Stars since 2019, the Gold Industry Group was instrumental to the expansion into the Goldfields region enabling the program to launch in Laverton, empowering 26 participants across years 4 – 12. The last three years have also seen Shooting Stars exponentially expand its impact, now supporting over 1000 participants made possible by the Gold Industry Group’s contribution, allowing for the growth of the program’s organisational capacity. Gold Industry Group chairperson
The aim of Shooting Stars is to increase attendance rates at school, whilst creating pathways to employment.
Kelly Carter expressed her excitement in continuing the partnership, and pride in the outcomes of the program. “The impact of the Shooting Stars program on the remote communities in which the gold industry operates and beyond is immense, and we are excited and proud to be continuing our partnership and supporting the leaders and participants in Western Australia and South Australia for a further three years,” Carter said. “We look forward to supporting the further development of this life-changing program as the team continues to grow – the opportunities are endless.” Shooting Stars executive officer Fran Haintz said she was delighted to have the Gold Industry Group continue the partnership. “The Gold Industry Group’s support over the last three years has been extremely impactful,” Haintz said.
“From supporting the expansion in the Goldfields region, to funding our Heart of Gold Award recognising participants who display Shooting Stars values and allowing our participants and leaders to connect with organisations that operate within their communities. “We’re very proud that the partnership will continue for another three years, and I look forward to the further opportunities we will be able to provide to empower our participants across Western Australia and now South Australia.” The Gold Industry Group has also renewed its golden partnership with Netball WA and West Coast Fever, extending its landmark agreement for another three years and continuing its support across the sport through to the end of 2024. The partnership remains the first of its kind in Australia to channel investment into women’s sport at all levels,
SAFETOWORK.COM.AU 38 MAR-APR 2022
