Hope Vale

OPPORTUNITIES

• CYAAA • Cape York Leaders Program • Homelands • Mayi Market • MPower • O-Hub • Pama Language Centre • Pama Platform • Student Education Trust (SET) • Wise Buys

Supplied: Leearna Burke Photography

Hope Vale CYAAA Barefoot Ballerinas semester of online ballet lessons culminated in an adorable end-of-year performance.

In November, the Hope Vale CYAAA Barefoot Ballerinas warmed the hearts of the nation. Comments and likes flooded the school’s Facebook page shortly after they shared images of the dancers standing in their pink tutus arm-in-arm on a red dirt road. After a semester of online ballet lessons, the dance group performed an adorable endof-year performance for parents, teachers and peers. Well done to the school staff and students for making the most of online learning resources during pandemic restrictions. Between July–December, there were 818 Hope Vale MPower members. Of members who completed a follow up assessment during the period, 38 per cent reported an improvement in their financial knowledge and 35 per cent showed an improvement in their ability to deal with unexpected financial emergencies. O-Hub received six new members, with an average age of 29—the youngest across the communities. Hope Vale community members are actively seeking financial support. Across 27 members, 81 financial counselling sessions were held between July–December. With the help of financial counsellors, members addressed overdue debts, deceased estates, superannuation and historical tax returns. The community experienced the highest take-up of Pama members across all locations. Hope Vale recorded 46 new members, adding to a total of 92 members. Hope Vale members completed 24 online budgets by the end of December, the most budgets across all communities. Between July–December, SET contributors added $40,396 to trust accounts. There is now a total balance of $612,479 in contributions received, ready to be turned into educational opportunities. Through Pama Language Centre, graded activity sheets for Lillian Bowen’s AR children’s book, Biniirr Bama Yuwalin (Ironwood Family at the Beach), were also completed. At the close of 2021, a number of Hope Vale SET recipients celebrated the successful completion of their schooling years. Many students accessed their SET accounts to pay for graduation related expenses. In September, students from Coen and Hope Vale performed ‘E=mc² – The Musical’. The production featured a range of music styles as well as a song sung in the local Guugu Yimithirr Indigenous language. The show was enjoyed by many local community members in Hope Vale and those who watch online from right across Australia. During July–December, Homelands members paid $5,210 to home loans and council rates. To date, a total of $12,420 worth of payments have been made. One Hope Vale family have been actively contributing to their Homelands, with a total of $7,025 contributed between July–December.