The Literacy for Life Foundation is inviting community members, local partners and media to attend the official launch of the Kempsey Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaign on Wednesday, 5th August, from 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm.

The event will be held at the Community Centre, Booroongen Djugun (337–371 River Street, Greenhill, Kempsey NSW).

Celebrating the message ‘Reading and writing with our mob’, the launch afternoon will feature a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, cultural dance performance, activities for children and food.

“The idea of the Campaign is mob from the community teaching mob in the community. Our classroom is a warm, caring and welcoming environment. Our facilitators have big hearts and are dedicated to helping our learners with love and respect,” says Literacy for Life Foundation Coordinator, Anna Oliver.

Literacy for Life Foundation is a First Nations organisation supporting adults to improve reading, writing and digital skills through grassroots community-led education. It is estimated that between 40 to 70 percent of First Nations adults have low levels of English language literacy, due to the ongoing failures of the education system.

In Kempsey, the community has jumped behind the initiative, forming a local governance group to oversee the work, raising awareness and collecting information on levels of interest and need, and even completing an intake of the training, with a group of students finishing their classes earlier in July.

Literacy for Life Foundation only works where it is invited, which is a feature of the approach. The organisation took direction for the timing of the launch from the local governance group, which advised that embedding in the community was the initial priority. Having now completed an intake, it’s the perfect opportunity to share the work via an official launch.

“It’s great because it means it won’t just be a launch but a celebration of what has been achieved so far, with people sharing their experiences. One of our learners stated that she is so proud of being taught to send text messages to her family without anyone doing it for her. Hopefully this event encourages everyone to get involved,” says Oliver.

The upcoming part-time classes run over several months, offering First Nations adults a chance to build their basic reading, writing, learning and digital skills. The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) First Nations Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Event: Kempsey Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaign Launch
Date & Time: Wednesday, 5th August, 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm
Location: Community Centre, Booroongen Djugun, 337–371 River Street, Greenhill, Kempsey NSW (Directional and parking signage will be displayed on-site on the day)