Media releases: 23 October 2015
Thirty-five grants to support education and employment initiatives
Bendigo 23 October, 2015: ANZ and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) today announced 35 community groups from across regional Australia will share more than $275,000 as part of the 2015 ANZ Seeds of Renewal grants program.
Now in its thirteenth year, ANZ Seeds of Renewal aims to help build thriving communities by supporting education and employment projects. In 2015, 138 groups applied.
This year, technology company Lenovo also donated $30,000 of IT equipment giving applicants the chance to apply for laptops or tablets instead of a cash grant.
ANZ Regional Business Banking General Manager Christine Linden said: “Strong rural communities rely on smart, skilled community members. By focusing on education and employment projects, particularly for young people, these grants will help to build the foundations for rural communities to grow.
“We continue to be impressed with the ingenuity and passion that local groups have for building sturdier, more vibrant rural communities. This year’s applications, which included initiatives such as computer training for indigenous women in Tambellup and Kojonup in Western Australia and agricultural workshops for land holders in Queensland’s Mary Valley, continue that tradition. We are delighted to help bring these projects to fruition.”
In addition to these grants, the program will award an extra $25,000 to support the economic recovery of Winton, Queensland. The town has struggled since one of its key tourist attractions, the Waltzing Matilda Museum, was destroyed by fire. Details of these projects are still being finalised and will be announced in the coming weeks.
FRRR Chairman the Rt Hon Ian Sinclair AC said: “The projects funded this year will continue to build skills and capacity in regional communities, which are essential to developing sustainable economies.
“Rural and regional communities are adept at solving their own challenges, because they know what suits their capacity and local culture. Small grants, like those awarded through this program, are vital funding injections into communities where fund-raising is really challenging. This year nearly 60 per cent of applications came from towns with fewer than 5,000 people, which shows small communities highly value this kind of support.”
Since 2001, the ANZ Seeds of Renewal program has distributed more than $4 million in grants to 750 projects.
Grant recipients
|
Organisation |
Project |
Location |
Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New South Wales | |||
|
Into IT Sapphire Coast (Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre Limited) |
Significantly Boosting the Nascent Tech Sector in Far South Coast NSW Purchase equipment for monthly coding nights in Eden, encouraging community members to experiment and build skills capacity in the ICT and Knowledge Service field, providing increased career options and industry seeding. |
Bega |
$10,000 |
|
Cooma UC Inc |
Distance with Assistance – Degree Expansion at the CUC Enable entryway to ‘Distance with Assistance’ degrees currently being offered, by delivering a university preparation pathway course for locals, reducing distance barriers to education. |
Cooma |
$8,740 |
|
SteppinOut4Youth Inc |
SteppinUp and SteppinOut Skills Connection Program Provide job attainment training for 10 disengaged youth, providing them with work placement and mentoring through local businesses, supporting increased employment. |
Leeton |
$8,350 |
|
Moree Secondary College P&C Association |
Healthy Bodies, Guru Gardeners Trial a dietician-led nutrition education program, increasing students’ capacity to better manage and improve their health. |
Moree |
$5,890 |
|
North Haven Public School P&C |
Robo Tech Purchase additional robotics and computer equipment to cater for growing participation in the school’s Robotics Club, leading to increased engagement in, and enthusiasm for, STEM education. |
North Haven |
$7,700 |
|
Scotts Head Community Group |
Trading Skills for Life Delivering Certificate II in Construction to disadvantaged Aboriginal youth, boosting skills capacity and potential employment pathways, as well as enhancing community infrastructure. |
Scotts Head |
$10,000 |
|
Bruie Plains Landcare Group |
Building Resilient Farms, Farmers and Regional Communities Delivery of a 16 day Holistic Grazing Management Course for landholders, restoring natural landscape and biodiversity as a result of practical, field-based instruction. |
Trundle |
$8,480 |
|
Young Neighbourhood Centre Inc |
My Life, My Dreams Running a lifeskills program for disadvantaged women, enhancing self-esteem, confidence and employability capacity. |
Young |
$9,950 |
|
Northern Territory | |||
|
Waltja Tjutangku Playapayi Corp |
Tjuguringanyi (Joining Together) Purchasing communications resources to promote the benefits of boarding school to community members, increasing the uptake of high school education. |
Mount Liebig |
$12,033 |
|
Queensland | |||
|
Community Services Tablelands Inc |
Rural Operations, Leadership and Education (ROLE) Program Run a 10 week training and ag-focused work placement for 10 disadvantaged and/or disengaged youth, increasing work readiness, work experience and employment prospects. |
Atherton |
$10,000 |
|
Tablelands Rape & Incest Crisis Centre |
Safe Hands – Early Childhood Protective Behaviours Education Develop and deliver Protective Behaviour Education training for early childhood educators and children, increasing reporting of sexual assault, and sexual assault prevention. |
Atherton |
$10,000 |
|
Burdekin Shire Youth Council (Burdekin Shire Council) |
Don’t Need Drinks to Dance Run alcohol and drug free dance workshops and a community youth dance, increasing education around the harmful effects of substance abuse. |
Ayr |
$7,500 |
|
Cooyar State School P&C Association |
Get Reading, Get Active Purchase reading resources to provide students with increased access to quality reading materials, improving literacy levels. |
Cooyar |
$7,866 |
|
Central Highlands Science Centre Inc |
Super Science Workshops – School Holidays Science Education Program for Country Kids Develop and deliver 16 Super Science school holiday workshops across four towns, increasing knowledge and enthusiasm for science in primary school students. |
Emerald, Capella, Springwater and Blackwater
|
$10,000 |
|
Mary Valley Country Harvest Cooperative |
Mary Valley Summer School for Farmers Deliver 16 workshops over two days, improving agricultural practices for new and existing landholders in the Mary Valley. |
Kadanga |
$4,450 |
|
Maranoa Regional Landcare Association Inc |
Holistic Management Implementation Mastery Run Holistic Land Management training, improving local water cycle and drought/flood mitigation knowledge. |
Roma |
$7,350 |
|
South Australia | |||
|
Volunteering SA and NT Inc |
Oodnadatta Arts and Crafts Collective Conduct research with, and deliver training to, isolated aboriginal women to develop a social enterprise, increasing employment, community participation and skills development. |
Oodnadatta |
$10,000 |
|
Paddle Steamer Ruby Board of Management (Wentworth Shire Council) |
Cruise into Training to Renew your Employment Provide General Purpose Hands training for eight volunteers, increasing tourism skills capacity and viability of community owned tourist attraction, as well as increasing economic activity in the town. |
Wentworth |
$8,840 |
|
Tasmania | |||
|
Exeter High School Association Inc |
Bridging the Gap Between School and Industry – From Food to Fibre Purchase a minibus to support the school’s agriculture program, exposing students to employer expectations, employment potential and networks, and on the job practical experience. |
Exeter |
$10,000 |
|
Zeehan Neighbourhood Centre Inc |
Can you Dig It? Design, construct and plant a community vegetable garden, supporting skills sharing and healthier eating behaviours. |
Zeehan |
$5,599 |
|
Victoria | |||
|
Living Culture Together Network (Multicultural Arts Victoria Inc) |
Culture through Curriculum Develop an innovative new Year 7 teaching unit using indigenous pedagogy framework, aimed at decreasing disengagement and early school leavers. |
Benalla |
$10,000 |
|
Wycheproof Community Resource Centre |
Buloke Youth Health Expo Develop and run a youth health expo that brings together 200 youth, increasing education around health and safe lifestyle choices and improving communication skills. |
Birchip |
$5,000.00 |
|
Advocacy and Rights Centre Limited |
Legal Literacy for New and Emerging Communities Purchase a projector, screen, computer and translation software, supporting more effective delivery of community legal education sessions to a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community. |
Cobram |
$7,767 |
|
Bendigo Community Health Services Limited |
Time to Save your Bacon – Hope and Assistance Local Tradies Host seven ‘Save Your Bacon Brekkys’ for tradies, increasing education and awareness about mental illness and suicide prevention. |
Dunolly, Maryborough, Serpentine and Pyramid Hill
|
$6,747 |
|
Just Brass (TTF the Salvation Army Victoria Property Trust) |
Just Brass Bellarine Peninsula Purchase musical instruments, stands, books and bags for a disadvantaged primary students’ music program, increasing student focus, sense of belonging, strengthened socialisation, and greater classroom performance. |
Portarlington |
$7,000 |
|
Robinvale District Health Service |
Keeping Kids Connected – Community Garden Design and construct a community garden at the local P-12 College, strengthening curriculum development, engaging students and delivering accredited Certificate training. |
Robinvale |
$5,000 |
|
Western Australia | |||
|
Green Skills Inc |
Gondwana Youth Arts Exchange Engage science, ecology and arts focused practitioners in a practical education program for 15 at-risk students, expanding local opportunities to engage in education. |
Denmark |
$8,400 |
|
Great Southern Institute of Technology |
Healthy Computing Cover teacher fees, travel, and computer hire to deliver practical onsite computer training for 20 women in two Aboriginal communities, enabling access to online health information, personal empowerment and skills sharing within the communities. |
Kojonup and Tambellup |
$7,738 |
|
FORM Building a State of Creativity Inc |
West End Markets – Stall Holder Development Program Support six business based workshops for creative micro and market businesses, increasing their capacity and strengthening non-mining employment opportunities. |
Port Hedland |
$9,600 |
|
Creating a Better Yuna Inc |
Yuna Get Smart Purchase audio visual equipment for new community centre, increasing access to quality training delivery mechanisms, attracting a wider variety of presenters and participants and ensuring digital content access. |
Yuna |
$10,000 |
Lenovo grant recipients
|
Organisation |
Project |
Location |
Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New South Wales | |||
|
Alstonville Community Preschool Inc |
Connecting to Community Provide the new preschool which opens next year with IT equipment to enable digital education for the 40 children attending the school. |
Alstonville |
$5,545 |
|
Western Riverina Arts Inc |
The Leeton Laptop Orchestra Provide a digital music workshop for five young people with an interest in electronic music techniques, culminating in a public performance. The project will be repeated in at least three other communities, increasing digital music making education opportunities for young musicians in the region. |
Leeton |
$6,745 |
|
Mullaley Public School Parents and Citizens Association |
MPS Smart Purchase five laptops for 12 Grade 2 and 3 students so they can have access to and experience technology and improve their learning. They will also be used in the after-school program. |
Mullaley |
$6,745 |
|
Queensland | |||
|
Desert Uplands Build-Up & Development Strategy Committee Inc |
Catch a Lenovo in the Desert Upgrade outdated equipment and assist remote land managers with weed control and soil erosion prevention. |
Barcaldine |
$4,047 |
|
Victoria | |||
|
Nhill Neighbourhood House Learning Centre Inc |
Paw-Po – Community Enterprise Self-paced online learning modules on English and business skills for 30-50 culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) learners to improve migrant and refugee training opportunities and pathways to employment for students. |
Nhill |
$6,745 |
