The programTo improve literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities, Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth (a not-for-profit trust) is working on a ‘Literacy Backpacks’ program. The program provides families with a backpack full of appropriate material, including books, magazines, Indigenous newspapers, and occasionally audio books and videos of school texts.
Selected materials are of interest to the student’s entire family. Improving the literacy of a whole family helps parents become positive role models who stimulate their children’s interest in reading.
Will it work?The Literacy Backpack program was successfully pioneered in the United States' Navajo communities over 20 years ago. In the 1970s, the average Native American life expectancy was 12-16 years less than for white Americans. The gap has now been reduced to 3.5-5 years. This should give us hope that education can improve the health and life expectancy of Indigenous Australian children, just like it helped Native Americans.
How can we help?A major strength in the program is the fact that materials are chosen by Indigenous students and their teachers, with the interests of the students’ families in mind.
So we can’t help by collecting materials, but we can raise money to pay for the items that make up each backpack.
Each full backpack costs about $100, and although most of us don’t have that sort of money to contribute ourselves, there are ways we can go about raising it.
On a small scale, we can ask family members, friends and neighbours to pitch in, and jointly sponsor a backpack.
On a larger scale, you might want to get your school or local community involved. Some schools in NSW have come on board and are selling wristbands or organising sleep outs or walk-a-thons.
If you want to raise some money, it never hurts to ask family and friends for suggestions. And
be creative, there are millions of possible ideas!
Donations can be made online at
http://www.ianthorpesfountainforyouth.com.au.
