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IndIgenous LIteracy FoundatIon2013 annual report

readIng opens doors

© National Library of Australia

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contents

About The Indigenous Literacy Foundation 3

What We Do 4

Message From The Chair 5

Message From The Executive Director 6

Our Organisation 7

Our Performance During 2013 9

Program Outcomes 10

Testimonials 14

Financial Overview and Performance 15

“Books are incredibly important for literacy development; they provide a fun, accessible and engaging tool that the children feel comfortable using of their own accord.”ashton Kealy, east arnhem shire, galiwinku, nt

Indigenous Literacy Foundation PO Box 3227, Redfern, NSW 2016 phone 02 9319 2883 fax 02 9319 1884 email info@indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au web indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.auYou can support the work of our Foundation by making a tax-deductible donation.

©Shepherdson College

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about the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Can you imagine not being able to read a newspaper, a road sign or directions on a bottle of medication? Can you imagine a home without books, or a community without a library or bookshop? Sadly, this is a reality faced by many Indigenous adults and children living in remote communities today. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) was set up to advocate for and address literacy in isolated and remote Indigenous communities.

Mission statement

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation aims to improve literacy and hence the lives and opportunities of Indigenous children living in remote and isolated regions.

Who we are

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is a national charity of the Australian Book Industry that aims to raise awareness and funds for literacy in remote communities. The Foundation is independent, not-for-profit and is funded entirely by donations.

History of the project

The Indigenous Literacy Project began in 2004 when our Founder Suzy Wilson launched The Riverbend Readers’ Challenge. In 2006 the Australian Book Industry expanded this initiative with the Australian Readers’ Challenge, engaging the support of 14,000 school children, bookshops, publishers, individuals and organisations Australia-wide. In 2007 the Indigenous Literacy Project was launched in partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) with its major fundraising day the first Wednesday in September. During this period, the FHF managed the programming and receipt of all donations which totalled over $1.5 million. In 2011 the project, with the assistance of The FHF, became an independent Foundation. In the past three years, the Foundation has raised over $2 million and delivered nearly 65,000 books. To date, the Foundation has delivered over 100,000 books to more than 230 remote communities.

the Indigenous Literacy Foundation was honoured to receive theInternational education Initiative award, London Book Fair International publishing Industry excellence awards 2014

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What We do

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation aims to improve literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities.

1. Book supply

We provide remote Indigenous communities and service organisations with access to culturally appropriate books and literacy resources. These new books are gifted to communities with no obligation. ILF provides books to more than 230 communities across Australia.

2. Book Buzz

Our early literacy project aims to provide babies and preschool children in remote communities with a pack of age appropriate board books. Book Buzz is supported in community by local programs that engage the children and their families with the joy of books and reading. This program aims to engage families and community members. In Warburton Book Buzz packs have been translated into Ngaanyatjarra, the first language.

3. community Literacy projects

ILF funds literacy projects that are initiated by the communities themselves. These projects involve books and reading and meet the strict criteria of improving literacy.

In addition, ILF is strongly committed to:

• adVocacy in areas important to increased literacy, such as teacher training and curriculum development in schools.

• eVaLuatIon. ILF believes it is critically important that much needed resources are used appropriately, and that the programs funded by the Foundation are proven to have a positive impact on the literacy levels.

© Karen Williams

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2013 was another busy and successful year for our organisation as we continued to grow the Foundation and meet our goal of providing Indigenous children living in remote communities with wonderful books that open the door to literacy through the joy and magic of stories and reading.

With our new Program Manager on board, we embarked on an ambitious schedule of field visits, including all our Book Buzz sites, our publishing program flourished, we launched a new mentoring program for talented young Indigenous writers thanks to the generosity of Pamela Lofts’ bequest and began to further develop our social media and web presence. At our strategy day at the end of the year, we renewed our commitment to our three primary areas of activity: book supply, publishing and Book Buzz and have budgeted to increase the funding of all these areas in the 2014 year.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to publicly applaud and thank some very key people who have made, and continue to help us make, a real difference. First of all to our passionate, committed and talented Executive Director, Karen Williams, who works so enormously hard to fulfil our ambitious plans. Thanks also to our small but perfectly formed team, Tina Raye, Program Manager and Emily Wiech, Marketing Co-ordinator, who share Karen’s enthusiasm and dedication, and work tirelessly to achieve our goals. Thanks to our wonderful Founder, Suzy Wilson, who continues to inspire us on a daily basis, our truly wonderful ambassadors who have supported us for many years, our very dedicated directors and our wide range of volunteers who so freely give up their valuable time to lend a helping hand.

Then last, but by no means least, an enormous thanks to all our donors, both from within the book industry and the wider community. We rely solely on your generosity and on behalf of the team and Board of The Indigenous Literacy Foundation, we are hugely grateful for your support. Because of you, we are helping to address the appallingly low literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities and by working together, we will continue to do so.

Juliet RogersChair

a Message from the chair

Juliet Rogers with students at Fitzroy Crossing Workshops in Wydham/Kununurra

© Karen Williams © Karen Williams

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It is a real tribute to our supporters that in our third year as a Foundation we have achieved some significant milestones, not only in our program and work with remote communities but also importantly, in our advocacy and fundraising which makes everything we do, possible.

2013 ended with the good news that our Founder, Suzy Wilson, had won the Local Hero Award, for the Queenslander of the Year in recognition for her amazing passion and hard work in starting and setting up the Foundation.

During the past three years, without government or any major philanthropic input, we have independently raised over $2 million dollars. With a small in-house team we have delivered over 65,000 new and culturally appropriate books; published and or funded, in partnerships, over 37 literacy projects or books; and launched three early literacy packs – Book Buzz – in a small number of remote communities. During this period we have also travelled with our fantastic ambassadors and stakeholders to communities as far afield as the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territories, Cherbourg in Queensland and Warburton on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. There we have conducted writing workshops in remote schools and delivered and launched books.

In 2013 we celebrated new and existing friendships with remote communities who travelled to Sydney to write, publish and launch their books. Engaging our city, daily lives and networks from the Sydney Opera House to Taronga Zoo, the National Library to NITV and even though our time with the kids from Tjuntjuntjara, Tiwi College and Yakanarra remote community was brief, it was was incredibly special. Each visit was a time of great learning and cultural exchange.

At the end of the year, our Board met to review our strategic direction focus. As a result, in 2014, we’re aiming to increase our commitment to provide greater access to early literacy resources along with literacy based publishing projects with remote communities. These include, wherever possible, books in first language and year-to-date, we’ve published books in nine languages.

Finally, thanks to the enormous generosity of Pamela Lofts, one of Australia’s best-loved children’s illustrators and artists, our Foundation has committed to a new writing mentorship program for talented young Indigenous children. We aim to deliver that program annually and to nurture a new generation of writers.

Karen WilliamsExecutive Directors

a Message from the executive director

L-R: Anita Heiss, Rhianna, Karen Williams, David Malouf at Sydney Opera House, Indigenous Literacy Day 2013

Karen Williams and Tina Raye on a program visit to Warburton

© Prudence Upton © Suzy Wilson

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our organisationThe Indigenous Literacy Foundation is managed by a Board which includes representatives of the book industry and the Indigenous community. It has three full-time employees, Executive Director (Karen Williams), Coordinator (Emily Wiech) and Program Manager (Tina Raye). The Foundation also employs a Business/Admin Manager part-time. The team is supported by over 15 ambassadors and a range of hard working volunteers.

governance

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee and is managed by a volunteer Board.

role of the Board

The Board meets seven times a year and directly oversees the strategic and fundraising activities of the Foundation. In addition to setting policy and strategic directions for the Foundation’s programming, it approves and monitors the Foundation’s financial budgets and supports and reviews the Executive Director in the management of the company and its programming.

“The kids always love the process when we sit down and read the books at the end. They love hearing their stories read and shared with the group. Sometimes they seem embarrassed, but you can tell they’re secretly thrilled, very proud of their stories.” Andy Griffiths, Ambassador

L-R: Anita Heiss, Josh Pyke, Lachlan Coman, Andy Griffiths, Debra Dank, with students from Tjuntjuntjara, Indigenous Literacy Day at Sydney Opera House, 2013

© Prudence Upton

Volunteers

The Foundation works with the support of volunteers across the country and fundraising committees in NSW and VIC.

our ambassadors

Thérèse Rein, who was our very committed patron for three years, resigned at the end of 2013. We have a dedicated team of volunteer ambassadors who travel out to remote communities, raise significant funds and advocate on our behalf. In 2013 these included Anita Heiss, Samuel Wagan Watson, Sally Morgan, May O’Brien, Leonie Norrington, David Malouf, Geraldine Brooks, Kate Grenville, Andy Griffiths, Alison Lester, Tara June Winch together with musicians Felix Riebl, Josh Pyke, Adam James and Katie Noonan and sportsman Micky O’Loughlin.

© Prudence Upton

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our Board

suzy Wilson, Founder

Martin nakata, director

david gaunt, director

Kristin gill, director

May o’Brien, Hon. director

Suzy Wilson is the owner of Riverbend Books and Teahouse in Bulimba. Before embarking on her career in the Australian Book Industry she was a teacher, an education consultant with Education Queensland and a part time lecturer at QUT. In 2010 Suzy was awarded the Dromkeen Award for her efforts in ‘being a catalyst in changing children’s lives through literature’.

Professor Nakata is the Director of Nura Gili, the Indigenous Centre at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Professor Nakata also holds the title of Chair of Australian Indigenous Education and is the first Torres Strait Islander to receive a PhD in Australia. His current research work focuses on higher education, curriculum areas, the academic preparation of Indigenous students, and Indigenous knowledge and library services.

For the past 35 years David Gaunt has been the co-owner of Gleebooks, the Sydney based independent bookseller. David has held various roles in industry associations, primarily the Australian Booksellers’ Association, of which he is a Life Member, and the Sydney Writers’ Festival on whose Board he sat for the first five years of its operation. In 2011 David was awarded the Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for services to the book industry. David was Chair of the Indigenous Literacy Project 2007-2010.

Kristin Gill is the General Sales Manager for Children’s Books at Penguin Group (Australia) and has worked in the publishing industry - across Trade and Educational - for over twenty years. Prior to this she taught music and English to secondary school students. Kristin has been involved with the growth and development of the Indigenous Literacy Project since 2006.

May was the first Aboriginal teacher in Western Australia and, after 25 years of teaching, took a position in the Western Australian Ministry of Education. In this role she helped devise and implement a variety of Indigenous education initiatives such as assisting in the formation of the National Aboriginal Education Committee. May O’Brien has been awarded The British Empire Medal, the John Curtin Medal and was announced as a Western Australian State Finalist for Senior Australian of the Year in 2011.

Juliet rogers, chairJuliet Rogers has worked in the publishing industry in both New Zealand and Australia. She is now CEO of The Wild Colonial Company. Juliet has always been closely involved with book industry issues. She chaired Booksellers New Zealand for a number of years and was President of the Australian Publishers Association 2006-2009. Juliet is passionate about the power of books and recognises the importance of literacy and access to books in creating equal opportunity for all children in Australia.

nick Bowditch, directorNick Bowditch was the Manager of Small Business Australia and New Zealand for Facebook and joined the ILF Board in 2013. Prior to that, he built up, ran and sold three successful online businesses. He is an author, blogger and sought-after keynote speaker. Recently, Nick discovered his Indigenous heritage and is passionate about providing children in remote communities with the same opportunities that kids in the city have.

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our performance during 2013

• The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) raised $870,000.

• Delivered over 25,000 books to more than 250 remote communities and service organisations across Australia.

• Funded the publication and translations, in parnerships, of eight community literacy projects, including:

- Playgroups (WA)

- Growing Up in Nyirrpi (NT)

- How Does Your Garden Grow? (WA)

- Bangs 2 Jurrukuk (NT)

- Don’t Let Thursday Island Burn (QLD)

- When the Floods Came to Cherbourg (QLD)

- A Yakanarra Day (Wangki Yakanarrajangka) (WA)

- The Yakanarra Dogs (Yakanarrajangka Kunyarrwarnti)

• Conducted literacy workshops and a program visit in three schools on Melville Island (one of the Tiwi Islands): Tiwi College, Milikapti and Pularumpi schools.

• Conducted five field trips visiting communities or remote schools in Warburton and Yakanarra in WA, Manyallaluk and the Tiwi Islands in NT and Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Menindee in north-west NSW.

• Participated in Australia’s premier Indigenous Cultural Festival, GARMA (in the Youth Forum) with our ambassador Alison Lester. In 2014, we will publish Ganbulapula Story (as told by Djalinda Yununpingu).

• Worked with Education Queensland on a new IDREAM Challenge which celebrated cultural differences.

• Funded and worked with core partnerships to deliver community literacy resources in QLD, NSW and Central Australia. These partnerships included Queensland Indigenous Knowledge Centres, Volunteering Queensland, Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, NT Libraries, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, and the Yothu Yindi Foundation.

• Launched Indigenous Literacy Day in September at the Sydney Opera House with over students from Tjuntjuntjara Remote Community School in WA.

• Launched Yakanarra remote community school books with 25 students and elders and teachers from the community at the National Library of Australia.

• Worked with over 30 publishers and key organisations such as the Australian Booksellers Association, to review more than 1,000 books for 2014 book supply.

© Tiwi College

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program outcomes

Book supply: Literacy resources & Buzz Book packs

Over 25,000 new books, including Book Buzz early literacy packs, were delivered and gifted free to over 250 organisations within remote Indigenous communities across Australia.

Introduced a new centralised system of Book Supply ordering and distribution. Managed by UBD, a division of Penguin Australia, only one order out of 23,000 books was returned. An incredible feat.

In 2013 books were gifted to over 12 categories of organisations including childcare centres and playgroups, community organisations, health care departments, libraries, preschools, schools and educational organisations. The majority of books were supplied to NT followed by QLD and WA.

In 2013 we received more testimonials and feedback about the subject, range and quality of the books which provided vital feedback to inform better selection of the books for 2014 book supply.

Book Buzz: early Literacy Book pack project

We visited four Buzz sites and implemented recommendations from the 2012 Evaluation, delivering and trialling a new resource kit. During the site visits, communities and key individuals were consulted for the new Buzz 3 Kits. As a result a Buzz 3 Kit was finalised and two communities in WA consulted to organise translations into their home language which included Walmajarri and Ngaanyatjarra.

In 2013, 244 Buzz kits were delivered as part of book supply to 13 communities including: Milikapiti, Tjuntjuntjara, Mt Isa and Alice Springs.

© Prudence Upton

Book Buzz 3 in Warburton, WA

© Karen Williams

Student reading a book received as part of our Book Supply Program

© Milikapiti School

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community Literacy projects

Working in partnerships, we were proud to fund and publish eight books in 2013. These included:

• pLaygroups written by Anne Shinkfield and Beryl Jennings, ILF with the sponsoship of LotteriesWest, reprinted this invaluable resource on how to set up and run a playgroup. Specifically written for playgroups in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, the book none-the-less offered an invaluable resource for all playgroups and our Foundation distributed it to 86 playgroups in WA and other parts of remote Australia.

• groWIng up In nyIrrpI written by students from a small remote community, 420 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs, the book captures what its like to live in a remote community. Students, teachers and other community members attended the launch at Alice Springs Library in November.

• HoW does your garden groW? inspired by an 11-year-old Melbourne school boy called Lachie Coman, the book features 13 stories written by children from Tjuntjuntjara Remote Community School. This is one of the remotest communities in Australiaand students from the school travelled to Sydney to read and perform at Sydney Opera House on Indigenous Literacy Day.

• tHe yaKanarra dogs (yakanarrajangka Kunyarrwarnti) & a yaKanarra day (Wangki yakanarrajangka) were two books written by the junior and senior students of Yakanarra Community School, developed and illustrated during a visit from Alison Lester and Jane Godwin in 2012. In response to a request our Foundation funded Jessie Moora and Mary Vanbee, to translate the books into Walmajarri. The books were launched at the National Library of Australia in September 2014.

• Bangs 2 JurruKuK written by the senior girls from Tiwi College, the book celebrates the meaning of love, courage and ‘One People’ and was written during an ILF field trip and developed at a Sydney writing workshop run with the support of Allen & Unwin by John Danalis, Dianne ‘Tictac’ Moore and Bronny Burger.

• WHen tHe FLoods caMe to cHerBourg & don’t Let tHursday IsLand Burn were two books written by students at Cherbourg and Thursday Island with Volunteering Queensland’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Natural Disaster Resilience Project. ILF was proud to fund the publication of these books and make them available free for students and community members during 2013. Peter Sansby, Principal at Cherbourg State School said at the launch: “Literacy is the key to the success of our kids and your support helps to make that a reality – no matter how long it takes.”

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© Karen Williams © John Danalis

I dreaM project

For the third year running, ILF was proud to work in partnership with the Indigenous Support Unit, Education Queensland on the literacy online learning project known as the I DREAM. As part of this project, our Foundation supplied over 50 schools with a set of free literacy resources which included: Same but Little Bit diff’rent by Kylie Dunstan, Mirror by Jeannie Baker and Our World – Bardi Jaawi – Life at Ardiyooloon by One Arm Point Remote Community School. I DREAM aimed to engage students in years 4-7 and was based on the theme of celebrating cultural differences (same but little bit different). The winning school entry was Carole Park State School and was judged by our ambassador Anita Heiss.

Nickie Galloway, Principal at Blackwater State School Principal said the IDREAM project was the best thing they had done for their students. “Focusing on literacy… it built upon their confidence, their resilience and team building skills, but the most valuable thing was that it provided the staff with an opportunity to learn from our students.”

Literacy Workshops in remote schools

In August 2013 ILF travelled with three ambassadors and a group of stakeholders to the Tiwi Islands. During the week Andy Griffiths, Leonie Norrington and John Danalis conducted storytelling and writing workshops for over 250 students at Milikapiti, Tiwi College and Pularumpi School on Melville Island.

In November that year a group of senior girls from Tiwi College was invited to Sydney to complete their story at Allen & Unwin publishers and visit key sites from the Sydney Opera House, NITV, Facebook, Taronga Zoo to Monte St Angelo College. The trip was made possible with sponsorship from Hayden Reynolds Foundation.

“I felt nervous at first because I thought it was not good and people won’t like it but it’s deadly and now people love the book,” said Kimberley, author & Student, Tiwi College.

Another student, Natalie said: “I felt proud and happy that our class did something very special for ourselves and representing our school.”

“The book produced is absolute GOLD. Not only Tiwi context – but Tiwi College context! The finished product made everyone at assembly so intrigued and proud when it was read out by the girls. A massive round of applause….” said Ian Smith, Principal, Tiwi College.

Andy Griffiths with students from Pulurumpi CollegeThe girls from Tiwi College visit Sydney to finish writing their book

© Karen Williams

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advocacy and Fundraising

In 2013 the Foundation ran and launched Indigenous Literacy Day, its key day to raise awareness and funds. The event was held at the Sydney Opera House with a range of ambassadors including Andy Griffiths, Josh Pyke, Ursula Yovitch, Anita Heiss, David Malouf and attended by students from over 13 different schools.

On that day and in the lead up to it, a literacy based fundraiser called THE GREAT BOOK SWAP, was held and celebrated by over 20,000 students at schools, universities, libraries and other educational institutions across Australia helping to raise awareness and the foundations funds.

Volunteers and partnerships

Our work is only made possible through the goodwill and generous support of our ambassadors, volunteers who work tirelessly at our head office and to assist with many fundraisers and events, and many partnerships.

Clockwise: Natalie Ahmat from NITV (c) Prudence Upton, Alison Lester taking part in our Get Caught Reading campaign (c) Emily Wiech, David Malouf and student from Tjuntjuntjara (c) Prudence Upton, Josh Pyke, Kate Grenville, Micky O’Loughlin and David Malouf are “caught reading” (c) Anna Zhu.

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remote community testimonials

“I have seen the children’s eyes light up when they realise it is something they can keep. I have seen older children reading to younger ones and providing them with an opening to a wider world. Books are the essence of literacy development and the key to the future for children like ours. I believe we are setting a high expectation for future generation for whom books will be much more a part of their life.

“It is impossible to measure the differences that have been effected with the access to books. We have children now who love reading and will hopefully encourage others. Their writing has improved and I believe along with the im-provement in these skills, their self-esteem and self-respect have increased.“

Helen unwin, principal, yakanarra community school, yakanarra, Wa

“Having books around the house, readily available, definitely encourages people to pick them up, especially the school children. Having durable board books available for the babies and toddlers means the babies naturally pick them up to look at, and this shows the parents that they are interested. With a little guidance those parents gradually learn how to maintain and extend that natural curiosity and start to read to them. Our team here love being able to give these books to families and fully believe that this will have a huge impact on literacy for these children, who now have the same privilege that most Australian children take for granted.”

clare Levy, central australian aboriginal congress, alice springs, nt

“This is a fantastic program: for some services, this is the only way of affording good books – the children really ben-efit. I visited a childcare centre this week that had just received your books - for one child I had to read to read every book that their room had been given from the new delivery. What a joy to share in that experience!”

dembra conlon, tagai tafe, thursday Island, QLd

“In making books readily available for children, they become a natural part of the Youth Centre environment, a place where many children spend time after school. They are more likely to feel comfortable with these books by choosing them autonomously … meaning that children feel more comfortable with a wide array of literature, enhancing their literacy development.” ashton Kealy, east arnhem shire, galiwinku, nt

“Reading to children helps them to hear the sounds that make up our language. This is so important, especially for Tjuntjuntjara children whose second language is English. We LOVE to give children access to books – reading to them, broadening their horizons, opening up the world. We really appreciate the wonderful work that the ILF does in sup-porting Indigenous children learning to read.” Monika Klein, tjuntjuntjara remote community school, Wa

© Karen Williams © National Library of Australia

Warburton Playgroup Young authors at the National Library launch of A Yakanarra Day

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statement of Financial performancefor the year ended 31 december 2013

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation was established three years ago as an independent, not for profit charity of the Australian Book Industry. In three years, we have raised over $2 million. In 2013, we received our first Bequest, the Pamela Lofts Bequest for Literacy & Learning and a strategy was developed to invest the funds to help nurture talented young Indigenous writers on an annual basis.

2013 FInancIaL oVerVIeW

In 2013 the Foundation increased its fundraising by 10%, achieving $784,000 (2012 $769) (due to the ben-efit of $70,000 from the Pamela Lofts Bequest). As a result it netted an operating profit of $24K and equity of $670,000. Significant funding came from individu-als from website and fundraising activities as well as a large proportion of funds from the educational market.

In 2013, the Foundation benefited from the recruitment of a dynamic program manager with invaluable expe-rience with remote communities; consolidation of its book buying and book supply program through UBD in Melbourne; the upgrade of our website marketing, introducing new online donation campaigns; bringing financial expertise inhouse to help analyse how best to spend funds; strategic Board planning to set future goals and ideas to improve our programs and work with communities; the forging of new relationships such as Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

operatIonsOur Foundation worked within best practice guides lines for charities, ensuring that over $540,000 was spent on our programs (25.5% went on administration).

Bequest Pamela Lofts - 9%

Distribution of funds

Sources of income

Programming - 74%

Administration - 26%

Grant - 2%

Interest - 2%

Fundraisers - 3%

Donations - 83%

Booksales - 1%

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Financial Overview

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Financial Overview

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