Giving Circles 2023

g-oz Travel Programs: 100,000 reasons why

This November will see us run our 19th and 20th Travel Programs. Girls from Halls Creek, Carnarvon and Bidyadanga will travel to Perth and our Lockhart River and Kowanyama girls will visit Brisbane, for a week of singing, dancing and cultural connection.

Along with these activities, we weave in some visits to further education and training settings, and introduce them to a range of professionals who we hope will inspire them. 

Our Giving Circles theme this year is g-oz Travel Programs: 100,000 reasons why and we're aiming to raise $100,000 by June 30 to fund the two Travel Programs. 

Since 2010, over 200 girls have travelled on 18 Travel Programs to five capital cities.

For context, it costs g-oz $20,000 in direct costs to bring one community of 10 girls to a capital city for a week. The Travel Program celebrates the cultural identity of the girls, while providing vital opportunities for them to learn how to thrive when they are away from home. 

Chair, Nicole Muir AM says “We aim to spark imagination in these young women about what they might be when they grow up.  In one week they are exposed to an incredible range of people and experiences that we hope will inspire them to remain engaged at school and strive to be successful. These opportunities aren’t available in their home towns and we know the lasting benefits of eye-opening experiences in this impressionable age group.”

#100000reasonswhy 

Girls from Oz (g-oz) exists to improve educational and employment outcomes for Indigenous girls and young women in remote Australia, by providing high quality performing arts education and travel programs. g-oz was formed by the directors, staff and alumni of the Australian School of Performing Arts (ASPA) and employs a tried and tested arts engagement model, developed over 30 years, to engage and re-enage females living in some of the most at risk communities in Australia. 

g-oz is not audition or talent based, but uses the performing arts as a hook of engagement to increase attendance at school, and ultimately address disadvantage and break the cycle of poverty by expanding learning opportunities, strengthening connections to family, school and country and encouraging growth in confidence and resilience.

Once participants have demonstrated strong engagement in the program, along with regular school attendance, they are invited to participate in our Travel Program to a capital city.  This is a popular, aspirational program, and participants have performance opportunities, as well as the opportunity to engage in educational, vocational and social activities. 

The g-oz program has been designed to improve girls' engagement with schoool and improve the likelihood that they will pursue further study and employment, by exposing them to vocational pathways and opportunities available outside of their own small town.  Our goal is that through this program of engagement, girls and young women will break the cycle of poverty and pursue opportunities in education and vocations. We provide strong outcomes - 84% of participants who participated in our Travel Program are still in education or employed.