g-oz Because

Because we believe performing arts education is a powerful way to engage young people

g-oz exists to provide high-quality performing arts education and local and interstate opportunities for girls and young women living in some of Australia’s most remote and at-risk communities.

Using a tried and tested engagement model as developed by the Australian School of Performing Arts over the past forty years, we strive to simultaneously contribute to the improvement of the future educational and vocational outcomes of our participants, as well as the enhancement of their physical, social, and emotional well-being.

‘…students who participate in dance, drama, music, and visual arts [show] more positive academic and personal wellbeing outcomes than students who [are] not as involved in the arts.’ – Creative Australia, 2013

When program leaders engender trust and activities are fun, engaging, social and dynamic, the performing arts can serve as an early intervention strategy to prevent absenteeism and to enhance academic and community engagement.

‘All skills have shown improvement over the week. It was wonderful seeing students who usually disengage in the classroom actually joining in and having a positive experience at school.’ – Lornie, Lockhart State School Teacher, reflecting on the g-oz Term 3 Community Program in Lockhart River, 2024

Because there’s no shame in trying

In addition to the overt benefits of attendance and engagement, involvement in performing arts activities also delivers a positive and impactful ‘hidden curriculum’. Engagement in the performing arts is widely recognised as a proven way to improve confidence, resilience and motivation; enhance interpersonal and communication skills; harness passion; and promote purpose.

‘Girls from Oz teaches you not to feel shame and to believe in yourself and that you can make it. I still have a few problems making friends. I was new at school and I’d wait for someone to talk to me, but now I can go and introduce myself. The program at school [has] taught me to have more confidence in myself.’ – Ritzana, Halls Creek g-oz participant, 2018

Youth who participate in performing arts activities with trusted program leaders will, inevitably, take risks and engage in situations that they otherwise might not have been brave enough to previously attempt. Each time participants experience a fear of trying followed by a successful outcome, they will feel emboldened to try again.

The goal of our programs is not necessarily to produce world-class vocalists and performers, but rather to provide a welcoming and safe environment for participants to practice positive risk taking in order to inspire them to be fearless and develop a strong appetite for self-determination, allowing them to make meaningful life choices and chase both their personal and professional dreams.

Because we believe more can be done to improve education outcomes for Indigenous students – particularly girls and young women

‘Globally, about 1 billion girls and women lack the skills they need to succeed in rapidly changing job markets while 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age.’ – UNICEF, ‘Skills4Girls’

g-oz believes early intervention is key to ensuring girls and young women remain engaged in their schooling and in their academic motivation.

School attendance is repeatedly listed as a major concern in the remote communities that we collaborate with: Halls Creek, Lockhart River, Kowanyama and Bidyadanga. As of 2021 Indigenous students make up 5.7% of the total of students in Australia with the national retention rate for Indigenous students from year 7 to year 12 sitting at 59%.

While Indigenous girls are 8% more likely to complete Year 12 than their male counterparts (63% compared to 55% respectively), their Year 12 attainment rate is still 23% lower than that of non-Indigenous Australian students (91% compared with 68%).

The challenges faced by young people in these remote communities are real and significant. Children and young adults are often confronted with feelings of isolation and mental health challenges, family and financial stresses, as well as lack of opportunities in their community to expand their skillset and/or future educational and employment prospects.

While some educational engagement programs are available in these communities, there is a dearth of programs designed specifically for girls. Initiatives that do secure funding and make it to these remote locations are often sport-focused, geared towards the engagement of boys, and/or only made available and accessible to boys and young men.

g-oz exists to provide an alternative. With every additional year of primary school increasing girls’ eventual wages by 10-20%’ (United Nations, 2012, ‘Commission on the Status of Women’), Girls from Oz is committed to contributing to closing the gap and breaking the cycle of disadvantage. Our Community Programs reach students from Prep to Year 12, engaging and re-engaging girls in their studies and in their community, and encouraging them to confidently and strategically consider their future life prospects, and boldly chase their goals with pride and purpose.

Because women are the keepers of culture

Studies indicate that women have a particular propensity to lead improvements in the health and wellbeing of their families and communities, and act as catalysts for social change. Accordingly, investments in programs like g-oz which are designed to help improve the health, education and wellbeing of women and girls are often described as having a significant ‘multiplier effect’, based on the cross-generational benefits that those investments support. Girls and women, who are so often the keepers of culture in family and community settings, are empowered as a result of participating in capacity-building programs, and their propensity to engage as active members of their community is nurtured.

Because we believe that the most effective programs are those that are inclusive, enduring and sustainable

One of our greatest strengths is the consistency of our programs. g-oz has been a reliable aspect of our participants’ educational experience in Halls Creek since 2010, in Lockhart River since 2016, and Kowanyama and Bidyadanga since 2022.

Through evidence-based, considered programme planning; a secure funding model; and respected and reciprocal relationships with the communities we engage with, g-oz has been able to provide enduring and sustainable programs that participants, schools, and community members can rely on and look forward to each term.

In communities that often experience intermittent support from well-meaning initiatives due to poor program planning and unstable funding, g-oz prides itself on the longevity of its programs. We deliver these programs in collaboration with and under the guidance of Traditional Owners, Elders, and community leaders to ensure our presence is wanted and esteemed, and our programs are responsive and relevant.

Because our program outcomes speak for themselves

Girls who participate in g-oz programs have access to new ways of thinking, new experiences and new opportunities. We’re so pleased to be able to present deeply impactful, positive outcomes from our programs and we are excited to see these grow from strength to strength.

Short term, we see a measurable improvement in school attendance rates and engagement in education. This is tracked using quantitative methods such as school attendance records, and qualitative methods such as pre and post program interviews with participants.

Since 2010, more than 300 g-oz participants have travelled on 21 Travel Programs, visiting Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney. Of these girls, 89% are employed or still studying – at their local school, at schools all over the country or in higher education. Long term, we expect that participants bring the skills they have learned back to their communities in an effort to break cross-generational cycles of disadvantage.

Ultimately, g-oz aims to raise the capacity of young women to set and achieve life goals and make meaningful choices – it is about contributing to the growth and nurturing of confident, independent, happy, educated and skilled girls and young women.