Welcome to the last episode of Series 2! Today we’re chatting with Waverley Stanley, an indigenous educationalist and the founder of Yalari Foundation.
If you haven’t heard of Yalari, it’s an education foundation established in 2005 that provides indigenous children from regional, rural and remote communities across Australia the opportunity to receive a full boarding school scholarship for their entire secondary education.
They believe education is the key to generational change and a brighter future for Indigenous Australians and for our nation. They support their students for their entire secondary education and beyond with post-school opportunities. This year they have over 250 students on Yalari scholarships nationally, with an alumni group of 380 studying at universities, working or undertaking further training.
To say Waverley and his wife and co-founder, Llew Mullins are hands on would seem an understatement. They personally interview children across Australia each year for their program, and once on their journey the scholarship awardees are immersed in cultural learnings and camps in their school holidays – that’s 250 kids every year brought together in their year groups for mentoring, guidance and ensuring they have the tools to gain the most from their time at boarding school.
Waverley grew up in the town of Murgon, 300 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, and attended Murgon State School. It was at this school where his Grade 7 teacher, Mrs Rosemary Bishop, recognised Waverley’s potential and felt he deserved a chance for a brighter future. Mrs Bishop was instrumental in Waverley gaining a scholarship to attend Toowoomba Grammar School as a boarder for high school.
He acknowledges his future opportunities and successes were shaped by the education he received. In recognition of this opportunity and the desire for Indigenous generational change, Yalari was born and the Rosemary Bishop Indigenous Education Scholarship program established.
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