Community

RACV partnering with Yalari to provide education opportunities for Indigenous children

Two young Indigenous boys smiling

Tom Hounslow

Posted February 20, 2023

RACV has partnered with Yalari to help Indigenous children from regional and remote communities access scholarships to attend some of Australia's leading boarding schools.

Since 2005, Yalari has been helping educate and empower Indigenous children across Australia by providing opportunities for a quality education and achieve positive outcomes.

The partnership between RACV and Yalari brings a new and exciting chapter, not only for the students Yalari support, but for the scope of the organisation as well.

“The partnership between RACV and Yalari is so exciting and the generosity of in-kind and financial support is overwhelming,” says Yalari Managing Director, Llew Mullins.

Through Yalari and the Rosemary Bishop Indigenous Education Scholarship program, Indigenous Australian students can access full-paid scholarships to attend some of Australia’s leading boarding schools including Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, Scotch College in South Australia, Kambala in New South Wales, Methodist Ladies College in Western Australia, and The Southport School in Queensland.

At these leading schools, Indigenous students will be able to have more than just an outstanding education, but experience a world of extracurricular opportunities and life-changing experiences.

By offering regional and remote Indigenous Australians a pathway to access top-tier schools, Yalari provide opportunities for Indigenous families to make valuable contributions to the wider community and implement generational change for students and their families.

“Every Australian should have access to quality education – despite their location – and educational support from organisations like Yalari make a positive difference in young people’s lives,” says RACV Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Neil Taylor.

“We look forward to supporting Yalari to deliver quality education that will provide students with the tools they need for a brighter future for themselves and their communities.”

A large group of school children sitting in front of their school bus

Students will be able to access a world of study and extracurricular opportunities. Photo: Supplied

Learning through education: the story of Yalari

Though Yalari was formally established in 2005, the origin story of the organisation began much earlier.

Waverley Stanley grew up in the north-Queensland town of Murgon, some 300 kilometres from Brisbane where he attended Murgon State School. Recognised as having incredible potential, Stanley’s year-seven teacher helped him acquire a scholarship to attend Toowoomba Grammar School for the duration of his secondary education.

After experiencing such a remarkable opportunity, Waverley discovered his future and the opportunities that laid before him were unparalleled to the life he would have had.

Years later, Stanley recognised the value of his education and desired to provide other children with the same opportunities that he was so fortunate to experience. In 2005 with his wife Llew Mullins, the pair formed a desire to help the Indigenous community through generational change, and established Yalari.

The Rosemary Bishop Indigenous Education Scholarship program which Yalari facilitate, was named after Stanley’s year-seven teacher.

In 2022, Yalari supported 250 students across Australia nationally, while also celebrating an alumni group of more than 440 currently studying at universities, working, or undertaking further educational opportunities.

 

Two young Indigenous girls wearing their school blazers and smiling

The Rosemary Bishop Indigenous Education Scholarship is open to regional and remote Indigenous Australians. Image: Supplied.

Working together for a better future

RACV’s partnership will help Yalari deliver educational programs, workshops for students, awards, professional development opportunities, and driving lessons and tests for year 12 students.

“We have already experienced the genuine hospitality of RACV at the Royal Pines Resort in early January when our Senior School Leaders and Alumni were welcomed as they supported our new Yalari students at our Orientation Camp at The Southport School on the Gold Coast in Queensland,”
says Mullins.

RACV employees will have the chance to get involved in the partnership through various volunteering opportunities.