The Polly Farmer Learning Club

The Graham Polly Farmer Foundation

The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation’s first education project, Gumala Mirnuwarni (Coming Together to Learn), was established in Karratha in 1997. After almost two decades, it has been successfully replicated across Australia in 33 communities in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and New South Wales. More than 900 Aboriginal students have graduated from the programs and there are currently around 1100 Aboriginal students participating in one of the Foundation’s 33 programs.

The Follow the Dream/Partnerships for Success program provides after school tuition and individual mentoring support to aspirant Aboriginal high school students. The Foundation has also established primary school Learning Clubs and Maths and Science Centres of Excellence, which accelerate the educational readiness of students to enter the secondary program.

Paraburdoo Primary School - Learning Club

Tuesdays 2.30 to 4pm

Learning Clubs support families and children in primary school years, enhancing school attendance and enabling participating children to gain a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that maximise their educational opportunities. In addition to improving attendance, literacy and numeracy, the program enhances the self-management, social skills and resilience of participating students. The Learning Clubs are after-school programs which celebrate culture and provide tutors which work with students to achieve educational and social outcomes.

Objectives:

The Foundation’s objectives are:

To provide support to Indigenous youth to achieve their potential.
To enhance the skills and potential of young Indigenous people.
To generate positive aspirations in young Indigenous people.
To assist Indigenous youth to relate to the community in general, particularly to other young Australians.

It achieves this through three programs:

Follow the Dream/Partnerships for Success
Maths and Science Centres of Excellence
Learning Clubs