In 2018, Saracen Mineral Holdings Ltd (Saracen) began its partnership with Shooting Stars. In 2021 Saracen merged with Northern Star Resources Ltd (Northern Star). Northern Star remains committed to empowering Aboriginal girls and women in the Leonora community, in line with its Sustainability Vision.
The Leonora and Saracen partnership was instrumental to Shooting Stars expanding its reach with the program’s first site in the Goldfields region at Leonora District High School.
Since then, Shooting Stars has empowered up to 36 participants annually from Years 4 to 10. Through the partnership, Shooting Stars has been able to effect genuine change in the lives of its participants through the program including three of its Leonora participants recently receiving scholarships to St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls.
In 2020, Leonora Shooting Stars participants averaged a 72% school attendance rate with a third of these participants sitting above 85%, compared to the overall student average of 64.4%.
“Shooting Stars has a strong reputation for inspiring Aboriginal girls across regional Western Australia, and we are genuinely excited about commencing this Leonora-based partnership via our Thunderbox Mine” Dr Guy Singleton, Group Manager – Government Relations and Social Performance.
Shooting Stars Executive Officer, Fran Haintz said she was delighted to have Northern Star continue the partnership originally held with Saracen.
“The positive impact this partnership has had so far is incredible and I look forward to the future opportunities we can provide to our Leonora participants thanks to the support of Northern Star,” said Haintz.
