Stars Foundation’s important work empowering young Indigenous women in the Northern Territory has received a $100,000 boost from The Lott for the second year running.  

Since 2015, Stars Foundation has been working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls to close the gap on important health and education outcomes.

The Foundation aims to support and enable young women to make active choices towards realising their full potential, which creates better environments for Indigenous communities.   

The program has been hugely successful and boasted some impressive results in 2020. Despite the impact of COVID-19, Stars achieved a 98% Year 12 completion rate in 2020 among the senior students in the program.

As of November 2020,  91% of its 2019 graduates had successfully transitioned into work or further study.  

The program’s success and effect on Indigenous communities recently caught the attention of the Federal Government, which invested $10 million over the next three years to ensure the program's expansion across the country.   

The Stars Foundation is overseen by an Indigenous-led board, with the highest level of Indigenous and business leadership represented. This not only allows Stars participants to gain the confidence of communities and families, but also ensures the program reflects First Nations’ priorities and is responsive to community needs and feedback.  

Stars Foundation Chief Executive Officer Andrea Goddard said the $100,000 contribution from The Lott would help more young women participate in its Education Engagement Program.  

"Our approach is to work closely with schools, communities, and families to deliver the best possible outcomes for students,” Ms Goddard said.   

"We use a strengths-based model, specifically tailored to meet the needs of First Nations girls and young women, with the aim of promoting positive education, employment and life outcomes.   

"Our aim is to improve health and education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women. The funding support generously provided to us by The Lott will contribute to the ongoing sustainability of our programs in the Northern Territory."