For Nevaeh – a shy young Erub and Kulkalgal girl from Weipa – making sacrifices to get a quality education will help her dreams become a reality.
“I would like to study to be eligible for university to become a medical officer so I can heal people,” she says.
Nevaeh attends Clayfield College, an independent boarding school located in Brisbane’s inner-northern.
Her education at Clayfield College is supported by Rork Projects’ wa initiative – an initiative launched in 2019 to enact positive future change through the education and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
wa (pronounced wah) means yes in the Torres Strait language of Kala Lagaw Ya and in Torres Strait Creole.
In late 2019, Rork Projects donated $20,000 from the wa initiative to Yalari – a not-for-profit organisation offering secondary education scholarships to Indigenous children at leading Australian boarding schools.
Overcoming the distance and isolation from her community and family is huge challenge, but its one that Nevaeh has risen to.
“I know I can do my best with the opportunity you have given me – thank you for your support as I work hard to get to university,” she said.
Neveah has stepped outside her comfort zone by joining a cheer club outside of school. (Neveah says she was so nervous before the trial training session, but then could not stop smiling on the way back to the boarding house.)
Recently, the girls competed in Eutopia Cheer and Dance series in Brisbane – and were awarded Grand Champions (Pictured above) .This is a magnificent effort as none of the girls had been involved in cheer leading before.
Rork Project Co Owners John Paul Janke and Brian O’Rourke believe that through supporting education – Indigenous communities, families and students can say ‘yes’ to having a positive future which leads to better outcomes for their families, community and for our nation.
“We know how much a good education can be the building blocks to all sorts of opportunities and we want Indigenous children to learn, dream, achieve and succeed through quality education.”