Shooting Stars celebrates its fifth birthday this month by reflecting on the organisation’s progress and key achievements since its inception in 2015.
1. Establishing Glass Jar Australia and setting the strategic plan
In 2015 the first strategic plan was drafted for Shooting Stars and the first meeting for the Glass Jar Australia Board was held in June 2016. Today the Board features a number of highly regarded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, sitting at 66% representation. Empowering Aboriginal women is at the core of Shooting Stars, which is echoed through our organisational structure with it not only being driven on the ground by Aboriginal women but guided by Aboriginal leaders on the board.
2. 85% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and growth of the team
A key outcome in the strategic plan developed for 2016 – 2021 was to maintain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce across all programs to greater than 50%. Within the first 12 months Shooting Stars surpassed this outcome and currently sits at 85%. The organisation was able to achieve this and continues to maintain it through the development of employment pathways for its participants through traineeships. Empowering young girls and women is the foundation of Shooting Stars and giving local Aboriginal women the opportunity to grow professionally in their own communities is integral to Shooting Stars.
3. Establishing the Shooting Stars program across eight sites
Five years ago, Shooting Stars launched its original pilot site in Halls Creek and within 12 months the organisation had established five sites across Western Australia. From there, Shooting Stars effectively established an additional site per year, bringing us to eight sites across the state.
Shooting Star’s success sits both with its positive results in its participants’ school attendance and its partnership between the local schools and communities of its sites. Community collaboration is key for Shooting Stars with each site having a local steering committee, consisting of key players and local leaders, to ensure each program is localised and best combats the barriers specific to that area.
4. Shooting Stars research arm established
In 2016, Shooting Stars launched its ‘Yarning with the Stars Project’ which provides evidence from both participants and community around issues specific to that site, as well as the effectiveness of the Shooting Stars program in overcoming those issues. Yarning circles have since become the corner stone of our strategy development. Through yarning we have been able to identify certain barriers for our participants and create programs such as the Seven Sisters and Leadership Camps to help our participants develop skills in needed areas.
Yarning circles help keep the program accountable to the community, ensuring it is site specific and that moving forward the organisation is achieving its goals through evidence-based research.
5. Funding Diversification
The Shooting Stars program initially launched with just one funding source. As the program developed and the positive impacts became evident, the organisation was able to successfully secure over 30 partners and associate partners. Empowering Aboriginal girls and women and improving the lives of each of our participants is the lifeblood of Shooting Stars. In achieving this, a number of companies have given their support demonstrating the program’s success and allowing Shooting Stars to extend its impact to more participants.
Shooting Stars Executive Officer, Fran Haintz said it has been a pleasure to head up Shooting Stars since its inception.
“Shooting Stars has achieved so much in such a short amount of time and I think that’s a testament to the importance of the work we do.” said Haintz.
“An organisation is only as strong as its people and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our site staff, board members, office staff, partners and associate partners over the last five years who have helped Shooting Stars to empower Aboriginal young girls and women.”
“It’s been an incredible five years watching Shooting Stars’ journey and I am excited for what the next five years have in store for us. As our Research Manager Dr Rose Whitau always says, ‘there’s nothing stronger in the world than an educated woman with love in her heart!’”
