25 September 2020 – 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges for all Australians, with the early childhood and primary education sectors particularly affected. Those in Western Sydney have been especially hard hit, with local educators requiring strong support in implementing teaching strategies in their classrooms to ensure no child is left behind.

ALNF has been there every step of the way, answering this need with ongoing tailored support to its partner sites in the Western Sydney area. With the enduring support of the Packer Family Foundation and Crown Resorts Foundation, ALNF’s targeted work with the committed and inspiring educators of Briar Road Preschool and Public School, Oorunga Wandarrah MACS Centre and Waranwarin Early Learning Centre, has produced incredible results, despite the many challenges of COVID-19 to learning environments.

ALNF has successfully adapted its Early Language and Literacy (EL&L) program by embedding the use of digital platforms and technology to ensure that educators in Western Sydney continue to have uninterrupted access to training and mentoring opportunities, supplemented with carefully planned face-to-face support. Zoom training webinars, topical mini-workshops, community Facebook groups and YouTube instructional videos are just some of the e-learning successes that have been rolled out!

This ingenuity in program delivery has also resulted in the wonderful news that four educators at ALNF’s partner sites in Western Sydney have recently completed their training, being awarded their full Certificate IV in Early Language and Literacy this month!

ALNF has also ensured that vital educational and learning resources for both educators and students have continued to be delivered to the area, with over 200 individual resources sent out, and a further 500 children’s books to be supplied in the next few weeks, ensuring that children’s literacy learning can continue throughout these uncertain times.

24 September 2020 – In early 2020 when schools went into lockdown following the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions, the education of students right across the country was suddenly under severe threat. Within this unprecedented context, it was estimated that vulnerable groups, including students and families from refugee backgrounds, would be hardest hit by the sudden closures, with many parents lacking the English language skills required to support their children’s learning needs at home, compounding the numerous economic, health and social challenges that they also had to endure.

Recognising the urgent need for support of this vulnerable student group, during 2020, ALNF has been able to successfully expand its ground-breaking Subtext: Art for Literacy program, with the development of a new, online experience of its Digital Songwriting & Literacy program, made possible by the generous support of the Packer Family Foundation and Crown Resorts Foundation.

This exciting 8-week interactive experience has been piloted in Lurnea Intensive English Centre, with the program enabling students of refugee background to collaborate online with professional musicians and create unique songs expressing their experiences, harnessing the plethora of opportunities made available by digital platforms in this space.

The digital pilot has provided students with the opportunity to continue building their English language and communication skills in the classroom through highly engaging creative music composition, overcoming any potential disruptions to their second language learning experience posed by COVID-19.

And the pilot has been a tremendous success, with students continuing to engage enthusiastically in the Subtext program through the digital platform! Thanks to ALNF’s ability to adapt its program to the changing circumstances, the students have had the added opportunity to practice navigating digital technology to communicate with others, enhancing their digital literacy skills.

In light of its success, the program will be running again in Term 4 with students from Fairfield Intensive English Centre.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Subtext has continued to reach over 200 students of refugee background through its face-to-face and digital channels, ensuring that these young people can continue to benefit from collaborative art experiences that support their creative self-expression and English language skills.

You can learn more about the Subtext program here.

21 September 2020 – CLOSING THE INDIGENOUS LITERACY GAP: ALNF AND DAVID JONES TEAM UP TO MAKE A FASHIONABLE STATEMENT

Today marks the launch of David Jones’ annual, nation-wide ‘Literacy is Freedom’ campaign, aiming to raise awareness of the Indigenous literacy gap and to support ALNF’s life-changing literacy programs with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

2020 marks the fifth year of this invaluable partnership, with the fashion community rallying around the cause. Top designers taking part include Camilla, Aje, P.E. Nation and Levi’s, all releasing limited edition t-shirts with 100% of the profits supporting ALNF’s literacy programs on the ground, right across Australia!

ALNF and David Jones ambassador and legend Adam Goodes will spearhead the campaign with a number of high-profile friends of David Jones also helping to spread the important message that Literacy is Freedom.

ALNF Board Member and David Jones Ambassador, Adam Goodes, said: “The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation empowers whole communities by upskilling and providing qualifications for adults who are then able to provide literacy and numeracy support for their children and for future generations. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are three times less likely to meet the national minimum literacy and numeracy standards. Together with ALNF and David Jones, I’m proud to be helping young people read and write their way to a brighter future.”

Kim Kelly, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ALNF, said: “We are truly honoured to partner with David Jones and their community of designers and ambassadors on such an important initiative. Through our work together, we have been able to continue transforming children’s lives and contributing to the building of strong and thriving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through literacy and education. We thank David Jones for standing with us again to give Indigenous children the chance to dream big.”

Eloise Bishop, David Jones Head of Sustainability and Good Business Journey said, “David Jones is extremely proud to support the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation, an organisation making tangible and lasting change in Australian communities. Being able to read and write is a fundamental human right and we are proud to partner with ALNF and to use David Jones’ platform to highlight the problem and most importantly, be part of the solution. Every dollar raised as part of the ‘Literacy is Freedom’ campaign has a lasting impact on Australian lives and will help us move closer towards closing the Indigenous literacy gap.”

Learn more about ALNF’s vital literacy programs here.

14 September 2020 – In celebration of the 13th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ALNF partnered with Twitter Australia to celebrate Indigenous languages and amplify Indigenous voices across the platform.

In a world first, Twitter Australia’s account was hosted by a number of First Nations peoples, each sharing exclusive voice Tweets in a variety of Indigenous Languages including Erub Mer, Kunggandji, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, and Adnyamathanha. ALNF’s ambassadors joining the action included Electric Fields, Jeremy Donovan, Boori Monty Prior, with a number of additional community members and friends of ALNF also generously sharing languages and stories to mark the occasion.

The aim of the project has been to educate users of the social media platform on the importance of Indigenous Language preservation and revitalisation.

With UN estimates that four out of ten Indigenous Languages are at risk of vanishing, there has never been a more important moment to highlight the tragic loss of thousands of years’ worth of knowledge, culture and tradition that takes place each time an Indigenous Language is lost. As the world’s longest surviving culture, the potential loss of further Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages would be devastating.

Kara Hinesley, Public Policy Director at Twitter Australia and New Zealand, said: “Together with the ALNF, Twitter is proud to utilise our platform to raise awareness of Indigenous languages and make them more accessible in the public conversation”.

ALNF Co-Chair, Professor Tom Calma, has strongly supported the initiative, recognising it as an important opportunity to expose the Australian public to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and culture. “Through sitting on the board at ALNF, I’ve been involved in some fantastic partnerships and this latest initiative with Twitter will help highlight Indigenous languages and cultures across Australia to new audiences”, Professor Calma said.

This latest project is part of ALNF’s ongoing commitment to preserve and revitalise Australia’s Indigenous Languages through its award-winning First Languages Program which aims to see community-driven, sustainable language and literacy teaching and learning flourishing in Australia’s First Languages, supporting their intergenerational transmission.

To learn more about this partnership, please take a look at some of the articles below:

Twitter Australia to be flooded with Indigenous stories and messages – Sydney Morning Herald

The above article also appeared in WA Today, Brisbane Times and The Age

Twitter launches partnership that showcases Indigenous languages – NITV

Twitter takeover to showcase First Nations languages – ProBono

HELPING AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES MANAGE THE ‘DISRUPTED EDUCATION’ CHILDREN ARE ENCOUNTERING

Nearly one in five Australian children don’t meet the international benchmark for reading (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study). This number worryingly increases even further for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children of Refugee background. Through its latest ‘Story Time’ Project, the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) is giving children and families from these communities the opportunity to enjoy the magic of storytelling.

The aim of the Story Time Project is to help inspire families to make their homes as a place where reading is commonplace and a favourite childhood activity. As well as its allies and corporate partners, ALNF’s celebrity ambassadors will be joining the Story Time initiative, and include Buddy and Jesinta Franklin, Adam Goodes and Danzal Baker (aka Baker Boy).

The ambassadors will be recording videos of themselves reading their favourite children’s books. These videos will then be hosted on Instagram TV on the ALNF’S Instagram page as well as alnf.org/storytime and will be accessible for all families.

ALNF recognises that this is a challenging and distressing time for families as school closures across the country have disrupted the education of millions of children. Particularly for those in lower socio-economic communities who risk falling further behind in developing the critical literacy and numeracy skills they need to reach their full potential in life. Within Australia, students from disadvantaged families are five times more likely than their more affluent classmates to perform poorly at school.[1]

Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Kim Kelly, said: “Families around the country have experienced the shock of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on their children’s access to education. Unfortunately, this is an everyday reality for a number of underprivileged communities in Australia. Through our Story Time Project, we want to help create new memories through the magic of story time and bridge the education gap for all families during this strange and difficult time. Most importantly, we’re aiming to bring attention to this reality that some families face.”

The Story Time Project is a part of the ongoing online training, mentoring and support programs from ALNF to support children and their families break the cycle of trans-generational illiteracy, particularly in Indigenous, refugee and marginalised communities.

[1] OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How To Help Them Succeed, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

16 April 2020 – We are thrilled to announce that the ground-breaking ‘Living First Language Platform’ developed by Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation has once again been recognised at an international level, this time at the 2020 Edison Awards, where it has won the GOLD Award in the ‘Social Innovation’ category as well as the ‘Empowerment Platforms’ subcategory.

The ‘Living First Language Platform’ (LFLP) is a highly accessible, cross-platform multi-media app that preserves and revitalises Indigenous First Languages, empowering speakers with best-practice literacy tools to learn to read, write and teach in their mother tongue.

Importantly, this technology aims to halt the loss of these languages by ensuring that First Language revitalisation is community-based, enabling community members to take ownership and drive the process, thereby ensuring long-term sustainability of the outcomes achieved.

The Living First Language Platform was chosen as a winner by a panel of over 3,000 leading business executives from around the world, judging entries comprising the best products, services, and businesses in innovation for the year 2020. “After a thorough review, the Edison Awards Judges recognise the Living First Language Platform as a game-changing innovation standing out among the best new products and services launched in their category,” said Frank Bonafilia, Executive Director of the Edison Awards.

The Edison Awards is one of the world’s most respected Innovation Awards dedicated to recognising and honouring the best in innovation and innovators since 1987.

In addition to this win, the platform has also very recently won at the 2020 UN World Summit Awards in Vienna in the category of “Culture and Tourism”, as well as winning at MIT Solve and its category of ‘Innovation in Connecting People’ at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas in 2019.

Australia shines on the world stage for tech innovation and indigenous language preservation

Australian technology and innovation shone on the world stage today when the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) was announced as global champion at the World Summit Global Congress in Vienna. The Australian charity was selected out of 400 nominees from 110 UN member states and won in the category of “Culture and Tourism”.

ALNF was awarded for its ground-breaking ‘Living First Language Platform’ (LFLP), a highly accessible, cross-platform multi-media app that preserves and revitalises Indigenous First Languages, empowering speakers with best-practice literacy tools to learn to read, write and teach in their mother tongue.

When languages die, we lose more than words. We lose a carrier of culture and the connection we share with ourselves, our traditions and our history. This technology bridges cultural divides, encourages literacy and, most importantly, puts First Languages firmly back in the hands of community members to pass on to the next generation.

The award recognises ALNF’s innovative use of technology to help solve the literacy challenges facing Indigenous communities. LFLP was chosen for meeting the criteria of being a digitally driven solution, able to facilitate transformation to a knowledge society and to assist in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Winners were also chosen for empowering people and communities, making education more personal, relevant, fun and inclusive, digging deep into our cultures, strengthening civic engagement and contributing to an open and transparent society.

ALNF was honoured with the award in front of UN representatives, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ministries and the private sector.

“WSA combines two major perspectives in its initiative – first the commitment on the UN SDGs, and how to use ICTs for development. And second, the development of a global knowledge society. The UN SDGs must be our measurement – in terms of what to look at and where to look. Today we are living in a completely different environment – through the mobile revolution, through the emergence of the algorithmic age – data has become a capital as much as labour, land, money and machinery. Hence, it is more important than ever to evaluate what is excellent content that really offers solutions and impact. Qualitative, local content has become the key and permanent issue. WSA presents innovation that uses ICT for social connectivity. To connect for impact.” WSA Chairman Peter A. Bruck states.

In addition to today’s win, the platform has also won at MIT Solve and its category of ‘Innovation in Connecting People’ at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas in 2019.