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The AIME 2010 Annual Report is now available via our website: www.aimementoring.com!
Copyright © Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience Indigenous Corporation 2011 www.aimementoring.com
Contents !
1 Welcome to Your AIME Beat Message from the CEO
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3 The Power of More Than One with Jeff McMullen
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6 AIME National Hoodie Day, July 21 Will You Walk With Us?
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8 Around the Grounds What’s Happening at AIME Sites?
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10 Another Story of Indigenous Success
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11 Success in the Press Spreading the Word
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14 New Positions on Offer with The AIME Institute
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15 In the Next Edition
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Welcome to your AIME Beat Welcome to the inaugural National Edition of The AIME Beat – a publication we will be producing each month to share AIME stories locally and nationally, as well as being an arena to discuss Indigenous success outside of AIME. We want this publication to profile the most striking common thread throughout the AIME journey over the last six to seven years. And that has been everybody’s ability to rise to a challenge. It’s been awe-inspiring to watch people’s capacity to step up to challenges, smash through obstacles, and achieve greatness. To lead off the broader discussion, AIME Board Director and journalist Jeff McMullen has put pen to paper, kicking off his article in the Launch Edition of The AIME Beat with the sentence, “Young people get far too little credit for changing our world for the better.” And then he lays down some very humbling words around our work at AIME. It would only be with ego-laden blinkers on that we would be able to take on Jeff’s comments and think that in fact we are the answer; that we alone are making this change. All we do at AIME is help people be better. We help raise the bar and set the standards, but apart from that I can tell you that we have done very little other than be in the right place at the right time And what a time it is. A time where an Indigenous child born in Australia can see a future that for the first time in post-colonisation history has some hope. My grandfather was denied an education, yet I was welcomed with open arms into Australia’s oldest university. The tide has turned. A time where non-Indigenous university students are flocking to engage with Indigenous Australia through AIME – not out of pity, but because they want a richer sense of what it means to be Australian. The story is the same for Google, Commonwealth Bank, Virgin Australia, Accor, Foxtel and other partners that are connecting with us. Not to mention the universities: their vision and leadership to back a young team and invest in the development of Australia’s future leaders with AIME has been nothing short of remarkable. People say that we are on the cusp of something huge. That we have never seen a time in Australian history where Indigenous Australia was seen as an important part of our Australian identity. I believe that we are not at the start of something monumental, but as a nation we are in it. Over the last seven years I have seen the first ever Indigenous school captains sprout up at heaps of AIME schools, I’ve seen the fire and belief in these kids eyes, and now I’m seeing AIME kids finish school at the same rate as every Australian child. Beyond AIME there is so much Indigenous talent out there: Indigenous doctors and surgeons, business people, producers and dancers, artists and actors, writers, singers, teachers and more.
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We are in one of most significant periods of Australian history. We just haven’t told the story yet. We hope The AIME Beat will help share this story. Jack Manning Bancroft AIME CEO
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The Power of More Than One Young people get far too little credit for changing our world for the better. Their fresh thinking, energy and spirit of collaboration stands in contrast to the cynicism, self-interest and adversarial politics that holds us back from social equality in Australia. I am thinking of Alicia Johnson, the first Indigenous School Captain at Dulwich Hill High, who this year won a place at Sydney University, the first in her family to enter higher education. Leon Oriti, a Noongar, left Perth to study at the University of NSW but is also a powerful motivator at the Engineering Aid Australia Indigenous summer schools that create a pathway for kids who have never dreamed of tertiary education. I remind myself that my mother’s childhood Aboriginal playmates in the Hunter Valley were not allowed to go to school. In my own lifetime I know many denied the right to go to high school and many communities where there are no high schools. Yet it is these young Indigenous students today who are shattering a stereotype that is as much a trap as racism, poverty, violence and welfare dependency. Look into the eyes of any of the young leaders at AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) and you will see the gleam. They know that they are part of the most hopeful education movement this country has seen in decades. !!!!
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The media tells us often that just 47% of Indigenous students will complete high school. Schooling in remote communities is always described in catastrophic terms. The message sent to young Indigenous people is relentlessly negative: poor school attendance, under-achievement, alcohol and other drug problems, alienation, unemployment, culminating in early chronic illness and a shorter life expectancy. AIME is creating a strikingly different reality by building a growing cohort of young Australians who know how to work and learn together. With 1,250 undergraduates mentoring that same number of Indigenous high school kids at ten university sites, this program is tackling some of the most disadvantaged schools up and down eastern Australia. These are some of the 150,000 Indigenous kids in an education system that for too long has sold them short. At AIME they team up with university undergraduates just a little older than themselves. Every one of the mentors understands the challenges and the distractions students face in high school because they have been through it all. So they know the way ahead. The mentors are often getting to know an Indigenous family for the first time which makes this a two way learning process. What future employer would not value a young person who committed some of their university years to the greatest educational challenge facing our generation? How much stronger and better prepared these future graduates will be no matter where they choose to direct their talents. The Indigenous kids, from Year 7 to Year 12, get a mix of one-on-one tutoring, group life-skills and powerful motivation. This is the power of more than one. Jack Manning Bancroft, AIME’s CEO, flourishes the evidence and exudes a deep conviction that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids are themselves the largely untapped resource for the education revolution. We all know that learning is influenced by the home environment, the quality of teaching and the state of the community that kids are living in, but we tend to load up parents and teachers with our higher expectations. The truth is that kid’s peers are at least as influential and often more so than authority figures. The results are extraordinary. More than 80% of AIME’s students complete Year 12 and many will enter university like Alicia Johnson. “Thank you to the AIME team, says Alicia’s mother, Priscilla, “for keeping the education of our children up front and centre. We are no longer invisible or in the too hard basket.” Young people like Alicia Johnson and Leon Oriti display a growing confidence, an attentiveness to learning and a strong pride in their culture. They know who they are and where they want to go.
“AIME is creating a strikingly different
reality by building a growing cohort of
young Australians who know how to work and
learn together.”
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This positive, peer-driven approach is in marked contrast to the neo-conservative alternative of threatening Indigenous kids and their families with welfare cuts if they skip school or drop out. There are many reasons why children disappear from school. There may be little demand from the home that the children attend or little belief that a gubba school will change anything much for these kids. At times it is the school culture that is at fault, lowering expectations of what Indigenous students can achieve or making little effort to understand how they view the world. This institutionalised disinterest or neglect is being tackled by Indigenous education reformers led by Dr Chris Sarra and the Stronger, Smarter Institute. For kids who are running away from the classroom, we have to look to other strengths in our community. One of the best chances of turning them around is to work with young people and then to start gathering mates. For all kids, even for the brightest and most attentive students, the power of their peers can make or break them. One of AIME’s most ardent admirers who hails its importance as a national program, is Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW. “AIME students are attending classes at school and proving that they are more attentive. That is why we are taking the program to other universities. It is not only these individual students who are going to benefit. Our nation will benefit when we value and believe in each and every one of these young people.” Jeff McMullen AIME Board Director !!!!!!!!!!!!
This article appeared in the April launch edition of Tracker, a monthly publication backed by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
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AIME National Hoodie Day On Thursday 21 July this year, a host of organisations and individuals from around the country will be walking with us as part of AIME National Hoodie Day. Among them are Google, Virgin Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Accor, Allens Arthur Robinson, Foxtel, NSW Cricket, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury Bulldogs and more. AIME is committed to the belief that Indigenous can mean success. And we want to share that with you. Thursday 21 July is a chance for you, or your organisation, to don a Blue AIME Hoodie, join the conversation, and spread the AIME message of Indigenous success. Every limited edition Blue AIME Hoodie sold will see AIME support more Indigenous kids to finish school at the same rate as every Australian child. To get involved in this year's event simply head to:
www.nationalhoodieday.com
“AIME National Hoodie Day is a chance to
share this success, and for us all to think of how strong Australia will be with the
powerful Indigenous voice that will come through when these kids are helping run the
nation. Last year we saw 100% Year 12 completions for our kids, and then 38% of
them heading into university. They are stepping up and leading the way.”
Jack Manning Bancroft, AIME CEO
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Around the Grounds In 2011, we’re working at ten sites across the east coast of Australia, including:
• Sydney City (University of Sydney)
• Wollongong (University of Wollongong)
• North West Sydney (Macquarie University)
• North Coast (Southern Cross University)
• South East Melbourne (Monash University)
• Melbourne North (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology)
• Brisbane City (Queensland University of Technology)
• Sunshine Coast (University of the Sunshine Coast)
• East Sydney (University of Technology, Sydney)
• Gold Coast (Bond University and Southern Cross University)
Each month, we’ll bring you the latest from five of these sites. We hope that you enjoy Around the Grounds.
East Sydney (University of Technology, Sydney) On a Thursday night in April, Program Manager Belinda Huntriss offered University of Technology, Sydney students a chance they never had – and they grabbed it. The impact was obvious: measured by the pin-drop silence as Belinda told her own story. When she finished two hours later, a cloud of students descended, shooting questions. In its first year, the East Sydney site is shaping up to be a strong AIME site.
North West Sydney (Macquarie University) Seasoned Program Manager Nathan Lovett, together with Program Manager Assistant Yanis Bates, are running the North West Sydney Program at maximum capacity. The first Year 9 and 10 was combined and saw pairs spilling out into the hallway to participate in the ‘Get To Know You’ workshop. The crescendo of voices and laughter left no question: the session was a huge success.
North Coast (Southern Cross University) The North Coast Program kicked off solidly, with Bishop Druitt College, Coffs Harbour Senior College, Orara High School, Toormina High School and Woolgoolga High School joining the Program. “It’s great to see how positive and proactive the schools are,” says Program Manager Briony Burchell. “As more schools jump on board, others are following their lead. It’s creating this positive energy to be part of the Program.”
“Thank you for everything, you have
made a huge impact on my life. Made me proud of who I am - makes me
think about life, obstacles and just
everything differently.”
2010 AIME Mentee
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South East Melbourne (Monash University) Within the first few weeks of Mentor recruitment, new Program Manager Kyle Vander Kuyp had Monash maxing with 650 Mentor signups. As a former Olympian athlete, Kyle looks at AIME sessions as the training ground for Indigenous success. “Every session is important; every session means something; every session is leading to something,” says Kyle. “Watching all these young kids from different schools talking to one another, I can see that this is going to be a great social thing for them, and a real learning space.”
Sunshine Coast (University of the Sunshine Coast) The fire is catching in the Sunshine Coast, with USC students rushing to be part of the Program. “Half an hour after pitching to a sociology lecture, I returned to my office to find notes plastering my door and a queue of people eager to know how they can be a part of AIME,” says Program Manager Monique Proud. Eight schools have signed up to be part of the Program, including Beerwah State High School, Burnside State High School, Caloundra City Private School, Chancellor State College, Maroochydore State High School, Meridan State College, Mountain Creek State High School, Nambour State High School and Sunshine Beach State High School.
“Absolutely the most
positive and worthwhile
commitment that can be made during your
time at uni.”
2010 AIME Mentor
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! 10
Another Story of Success When Jirra Harvey isn’t running sessions with AIME kids in her role as Melbourne North Program Manager, you can often find her hovering over an art workbench, adding the final touches to her designs. In her life outside of AIME, Jirra is a practicing artist – and if you watched the annual Dreamtime at the G AFL match on May 21, you will have seen her work. Jirra made a spectacular mark on the AFL’s Indigenous round, transforming the iconic yellow sash on the Tiger’s jersey with her own Dreamtime design. Jirra was commissioned to design the sash for Richmond players, who donned the specially themed jersey during the match. Inspired by Victorian landmarks, Jirra’s design mixes Indigenous football themes with imagery symbolising the identity of the People of the Kulin Nation. Jirra is a Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri woman who was born and raised in Melbourne, on the land of the Kulin Nation. “The river is representative of the Murray, which has always been integral to my people’s survival and spirituality, and the Yarra, which is equally important to the People of the Kulin Nation, and can be seen from the MCG,” Jirra says. “The footballs on either side of the river mimic the shape of shields used by Aboriginal warriors.” Jirra says her contemporary Aboriginal design sends a strong message of cultural respect. “Aboriginal football players are not only great athletes, but are often seen as local heroes and community ambassadors. For our young people who look up to these men, AFL stars are seen as contemporary warriors,” she said. Above image: Michael Klein, Herald Sun Image top right: afl.com.au Image bottom right: richmondfc.com.au
“While Aboriginal art is diverse in style, our
work tends to symbolise one thing –
and that is cultural pride.”
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Success in the Press !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! Over the past few months, we’ve seen Indigenous success hitting the press in a big way. With the AIME Program kicking off across all ten sites, this kind of success is being replicated up and down the east coast as young people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, step up to build an Australia they can be proud of. An Australia we can all be proud of. The above story featured in the launch edition of Tracker, the new monthly publication backed by the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC). Turn the page to catch our articles in the April edition of Reconciliation Australia’s tri-annual publication, Reconciliation News and the March edition of Campus Review, Australia’s only dedicated higher education publication written for the sector by an independent voice. Watch this space!
“Black or white, what you all do makes me
proud to be Australian.”
2010 AIME Mentor
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Insider Info on the Next Edition
Join us as we count down to AIME National Hoodie Day on 21 July 2011. Make sure you’ve got your Blue AIME Hoodie and join the journey.
Watch this space as AIME Learning Centres (ALCs) start to kick off across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
There’s plenty more to come as our mid-year Staff Camp approaches in late June.
Stay connected with us at www.aimementoring.com and on Facebook. !!!!!!!!!!
www.aimementoring.com
If you would like to receive The AIME Beat direct, please click here to become an AIME Friend !
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" AIME is an awesome way to get involved in a massive Australian social
issue. For 17 hours you have the chance to give a child the hope and inspiration that they are able to get through school and be successful, even if no one else thinks they can, they are the only ones
that need to believe. " 2010 AIME Mentor
