As Premier Partner of Shooting Stars, the Gold Industry Group is proud to provide opportunities for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls to succeed in life both on and off the court, with participants and staff developing leadership skills.
Leadership Camp
Primary school participants from all eight Shooting Stars sites attended a Junior Leadership Camp held in Yawuru Country (Broome) last month. With the support from the WA Police Community Crime Prevention Fund, the Junior Leadership Camp brought together participants from the eight sites who had demonstrated exemplary behaviour, leadership potential and improved school attendance.
Shooting Stars Executive Officer Fran Haintz said the camp is one of the biggest events on their calendar.
“Being a leader starts now and our camp works to inspire our young participants to start their leadership journey today,” said Ms Haintz.
After being inspired from the Junior Leadership Camp, Shooting Stars leaders Kayla Derich, Colleen Edwards, Cherokee Ford, Shontae Jetta and Caitlin Ugle from Narrogin were eager to further develop their leadership skills and put their hands up to run for school council.
In the community
Willamena Beaman, a Wongi/Yamitji woman, has returned to her local community of Leonora to join the Shooting Stars team as a mature aged Trainee Assistant Coordinator.
In her mid-thirties and having worked across various community, local government and corporate sectors, Willamena was drawn to the opportunity to move back to Leonora and give back to her local community.
“I love the fact that I’m a role model for the girls of Leonora and someone relatable they can look up to,” said Ms Beaman.
“I see a lot of the girls in Leonora not attending school regularly, whether it’s due to personal issues or perhaps a lack of responsibility and I really want to support these girls and be that person that creates a safe space for them at school,” she added.
Shooting Stars provides career pathways for Aboriginal women in their local communities, allowing Aboriginal women to lead and support the ongoing development towards thriving and sustainable communities.
New recruits
New trainees welcomed to the Shooting Stars family recently included Year 12 students, DJ Calwyn from Halls Creek, and Latisha Ranger from Carnarvon.
DJ has participated in the Shooting Stars program for five years and attributes her growth in confidence and goal setting skills to the program and its staff. Latisha has participated in the Shooting Stars program for four years and strongly believes that the support the program gave her has helped to keep her in school.
Further education
Assistant trainee, Raeona Weaver, from Derby has been with Shooting Stars since 2019 and recently completed her Certificate III in Sport and Recreation. Her traineeship was completed in a full-time capacity with on the job training and support provided by Shooting Stars and North West Regional TAFE. Kimberley Regional Manager, Kirsten Howard also mentored Raeona throughout the duration of her traineeship.
Similarly, Waylene Merry, who graduated the Shooting Stars program in 2019, is now a part of the Mullewa team, as she works towards completing her Certificate III in Sport and Recreation.
We are excited to see what our Shooting Stars will achieve next!
About our partnership
The Gold Industry Group is proud to be the Premier Partner of Shooting Stars, and the Principal Partner of both Netball WA and West Coast Fever, thanks to the support from members Gold Fields, Northern Star Resources Limited, Saracen Mineral Holdings, Newcrest Mining, St Barbara Limited, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Newmont, Gold Road Resources, Ramelius Resources and The Perth Mint.
Learn more about our partnership with netball in Western Australia.