Our Purpose
To empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the Goulburn Valley with the education, training, and life skills needed to reach their full potential.
Our goal is to close our doors by 2047, as our Agents of Change lead their communities toward true social and economic equality. By then, our purpose will be fulfilled.
Shepparton is a regional city in Victoria, Australia. It is home to the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the state, outside of Melbourne. It is estimated that approximately one in 10 residents are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.
In the late 1990s until the early 2000s it was also estimated that 8 in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were unemployed.
Decades of government intervention and billions of dollars were thrown at improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander socio-economic outcomes, which more often than not did not work.
In 1997, a group of local Aboriginal leaders came together and decided that something different had to be done.
It soon became clear that the key reason for the high unemployment rate in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community was their poor results in the education system.
The majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had dropped out of school in early secondary school. Governments would then typically intervene by placing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in government-funded jobs.
But it was a Catch-22, because without the required skills and education, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were set up for failure.
Our Vision
Within two generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have cultural, economic and social equality and are empowered to live, love, learn and leave a legacy.
Today, it’s the same story.
Despite targeted recruitment efforts and Reconciliation Action Plans, businesses across Australia struggle to fill positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Ganbina’s founders recognised that lasting change required ensuring young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people successfully transitioned from education to employment.
Committing to support two generations, they laid the foundation for the vision and purpose that still drives Ganbina today.
More about us
Focus on readiness for work, not work placement.
Meet our people, our leaders, our change makers.
