KARI Aboriginal Resources Inc.

2012 KARI School Scholarships Program

At the end of 2011 KARI received over 65 applications from 15 high schools to participate in the 2012 KARI School Scholarship Program. Sixty successful students in Years 11 and 12 were selected and notified of their successful application just before Christmas - what an excellent gift! The Community Programs team is currently conducting their initial welcome visits to the successful students and their schools and are looking forward to a productive and busy year. Congratulations to all of our successful applicants!

Racing to the Top

Racing to the Top is due to begin again at Lomandra School, Campbelltown. This program has been sponsored by KARI for a number of years and is coordinated by the award winning team at Koori Communications. Racing to the Top uses the hands on experience of building high performance 2 Stroke model racing cars to mentor and train Aboriginal Youth. The program has shown evidence of building resilience in Aboriginal youth, keeping youth engaged in school and building their confidence and skills. KARI will be running another program later in the year - Watch the 'Upcoming Events' page!

The 2012 KARI/NSW Police Aboriginal Debutante Ball

The Debutante Ball is a new partnership program between KARI and the NSW Police Force. This program provides up to 15 young Aboriginal Women, aged 16 to 25, the opportunity to engage in an event which time has long forgotten. The premise of the Debutante Ball is that young women are given the chance to learn proper etiquette, dances such as the Pride of Erin and the Viennese Waltz and participate in workshops that teach self-respect and self-appreciation. Each young lady is partnered with an officer from the NSW Police Force (Green Valley and Liverpool LAC's respectively) for the duration of the program. The young ladies' hard work is then rewarded when the participants, escorted by NSW Police Officers are formally presented to their families, friends, community and society at the Debutante Ball organised in partnership by KARI and the NSW Police.

* Please note that participation in this event is boundary specific. To avoid disappointment please contact KARI to be sure that you can participate. Applications will open soon. If you would like to make an enquiry into this program please contact Lauren Drayton on (02) 8782 0300.

Vacation Care - Week 1 Monday 9th January - Thursday 12th January 2012

Monday 9th January - Bents Basin Trip

On Monday 9th January our group travelled to Bents Basin and met with Aunty Pamela, a Discovery Ranger with National Parks & Wildlife Services. The first exciting moment of the day was to see an Echidna enjoying the sunshine and going for a wander into some branches on the ground nearby. The children then learnt the new skill of pond-dipping and found out the Basin is very healthy with lots of interesting creatures being caught and released. This was also an excellent way to get our feet wet and cool down. Aunty Pamela then taught the children how to do clay modelling and they made either models of what they had caught while pond-dipping or something culturally important to them. The children also did some Indigenous Art, drawing and painting on boomerangs. After a sausage sizzle for lunch it was time to head home with everything they had made.

Tuesday 10th January - Fast Lane Go Karting, Minto

Fast Lane Go Karting at Minto had their track taken by storm by our KARI vacation care group! The karts were whizzing past at incredible speeds as our 8 drivers raced against the clock. Our speed racers were rewarded with hot dogs and slushies as a refreshing end to the day.

Wednesday 11th January - Aboriginal Heritage Museum, Berry Island, Nutcote Cottage

The Home of Author May Gibbs

Our three stop trip to North Sydney began with a visit to The Aboriginal Heritage Museum. There, our vacation care group got the opportunity to look at artefacts and learn about the Aboriginal way of life before and after colonisation. Berry Island's Bushwalk was extremely popular with each child eager to trek through the bushland and learn something about our rich natural history. Our final stop was to the home of Gumnut Babies author May Gibbs. Here the children got a chance to walk through her home 'Nutcote Cottage' and see where May and her husband lived throughout the years her stories were written, published and made classics. Overall this jam packed day was a great success!

Thursday 12th January - Bunnings Warehouse DIY Workshop

Thursday 12th January a group of 11 children went to Bunnings at Villawood to participate in a D.I.Y. Workshop. The group first had to choose and decorate PVC pipes of all shapes and sizes, which would become pots for their plants. Once the artistic side had been completed we had a quick trip to McDonalds for some lunch while the paint was drying. After heading back into the workshop it was time to get dirty by putting the potting mix & plants into the pots. After a quick spray of glitter to finish it off everyone was ready to head home. This proved to be a very hands-on experience and all the children involved were extremely proud to show off their creations to their parents. Great work!