St Barbara has joined Saracen Mineral Holdings in forming a partnership with Shooting Stars to establish the Program in Leonora.
St Barbara will inject $300,000 into the Shooting Stars program over the next three years, which has already seen a substantial impact within the Leonora site.
Shooting Stars is an initiative of Netball WA and Glass Jar Australia, which uses netball as a vehicle to encourage greater engagement and attendance at school of young Aboriginal girls living in WA’s remote communities and regional towns.
The Program has continued to create positive change in the lives of over 350 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls across Western Australia.
Leonora is the eighth Shooting Stars program, the first one based in the Goldfields, 833 kilometers northeast of Perth.
Since opening in August this year, Shooting Star’s Leonora program has targeted over 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from Year’s 4-10.
St Barbara MD and CEO Bob Vassie said he was pleased to join with nearby gold mining company Saracen Mineral Holdings to establish the Shooting Stars program at Leonora.
“St Barbara believes that mining is a positive force for social and economic development for local communities. Shooting Stars stands out as a way to make a positive difference not just to the girls directly involved in the program, but also to their families and the wider Leonora community,” Mr Vassie said.
Shooting Stars Executive Officer Fran Haintz said the funding support from St Barbara has been essential in expanding into the Goldfields region.
“Shooting Stars has received immense support from the Leonora community and it’s fantastic to see young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls within the town given the chance to embrace their educational potential,” Ms Haintz said.
“I would like to thank St Barbara for their support in helping to make Shooting Stars’ Leonora site possible and we look forward to expanding this positive work for years to come.”
An initiative of Netball WA and Glass Jar Australia, Shooting Stars is an educational program that uses netball and other tools as vehicles to achieve its primary vision of increasing school attendance rates for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) girls living in WA’s remote communities and regional towns to 80-90%.
To find out more about the program, including information about making philanthropic donations and corporate partnerships, visit www.shootingstars.com.au