Literacy Strategy

There is an enormous gap in the English literacy rates of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia.

The gap is even wider for Indigenous people living in remote and isolated communities. Benchmark testing in schools has found that by Year 7, less than one in five children living in very remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory can read at the accepted minimum standard.
 
Low literacy levels are a common and critical barrier to Indigenous people participating in education, employment and civic life - opportunities that most Australians take for granted. The Indigenous Program and its partners are working to alleviate this literacy disadvantage. 
 
The Foundation uses a three-way approach to building literacy. After consultations with communities and partner organisations, a renewed literacy strategy brings together three streams of learning:
 
Cultural Literacy: connecting people, particularly young people, to their culture and traditional language,
 
Practical literacy: developing the skills needed for daily activities,
 
English literacy:  promoting skills in English reading, writing, speaking and listening.
 
Our programs aimed at improving nutrition, aural health and eye health have boosted the well- being of local children and young people. With their health improved, children are more able to attend school and to fully engage in learning.
 
We have also introduced a variety of programs that directly target literacy education. Several programs provide free books and other culturally appropriate learning materials to community schools and young people. 
 
Other programs include activities that engage young people in reading, music and traditional yarns. These programs aim to build reading and writing skills while embracing and valuing local Aboriginal culture and languages. 

Current projects include a Music and Literacy Project with Katherine Region Group Schools, providing a trainee librarian position at Wugularr Community Resource Centre for a local, Song and Book Projects - developing Indigenous specific resources for school and community and an expanded Indigenous Literacy Project (formerly known as the Australian Readers Challenge).