Simon Martin and Cathy Langman represented CGI and the CSR committee in June 2022 and visited the Narang Bir-rong Aboriginal Corporation. They learned more about the program that is supporting Aboriginal children and proudly donated 34 pre-loved laptops that will enable digital learning and provide a vital communication platform.
These devices will enable children in the NBAC's network to participate in digital learning as well as provide a vital communication channel between children and the NBAC team.
Simon Martin, Director Consulting Services, said:
“It was my great pleasure to spend some time with the inspirational team at Narang Bir-rong Aboriginal Corporation (NBAC) and hear first-hand about their phenomenal programs that are helping Aboriginal children in our community maintain connections with their culture every day."
"As a parent with kids in high school myself, when I first heard about the work that NBAC had undertaken to bridge the #digitaldivide during the height of the pandemic, it struck a chord with me when I considered how on earth a high school student in 2022 could participate in the education system without access to a computer.”
The CEO of Narang Bir-rong, Heidi Bradshaw said, “Our Education Device Donation Scheme commenced during the July 2021 lockdowns and saw tremendous community support once the issues that our children and young people were facing came to the forefront of the community’s attention. Thanks to the generosity from each of our donors, we have been able to offer every child and young person in our service a device.
Most of these children and young people have never owned a device before. The donations have made a huge difference to lives of these children and their ability to access education and improved their confidence in participating in it.
This amazing donation from CGI has enabled us to continue providing devices to our children and young people as we see new families enter our programs and continued needs of our existing clients. Additionally, we have been able to pay forward the generosity of this donation and pass on devices to other organisations who work directly with Aboriginal community, to extend the support of our community even further.
The digital divide is real. Aboriginal children already suffer a disadvantage with educational outcomes which means they are still, horrifyingly well behind state averages and for those who do not have access to electronic devices, this divide can only increase even further. Whilst we are all working our hardest to close the gap on these outcomes for Aboriginal children and communities, we are so grateful to CGI for helping to make a difference in the lives of our kids.”
