The Girls Academy took part in the ‘Our Languages Matter’ NAIDOC event at Newton Moore Senior High School.
Organised by the NMSHS Aboriginal Education Team, the Annual assembly included an assembly and brunch, traditional dance performances in the morning and at recess, and rotating workshops throughout the day on traditional art, language, music, storytelling, and dance.
The Girls Academy has provided school-based programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls.
The Newton Moore Girls Academy was established in 2006.
Girls Academy Development Officer Gayle Narkle said the organisation has engaged in a collaborative effort to close the gap in education.
“At Newton Moore, the Girls Academy works alongside the Aboriginal Education Team to encourage and inspire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys and girls to realise their potential,” she said.
“We aim to improve class attendance, graduation rates, academic and personal achievement, health and well-being, confidence, and cultural connection.
“NAIDOC is an important event for strengthening the boys and girls’ sense of cultural connection and identity, which plays a really beneficial role in their development into the community leaders of the future.”
The Girls Academy staff, 80 per cent of whom are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, delivers its program in more than 30 schools across Western Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
In the first half of 2017, Girls Academy students in Western Australia attended class at a rate 8.29 per cent higher than the average of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students.