The vast distances some First Nations children need to travel just to attend school each term can prohibit them from an education.
But now children from Yalari, which provides full boarding school scholarships to First Nations children, will enjoy the benefits of a joint $50,000 sponsorship deal between Corporate Travel Management (CTM) and Virgin Australia.
Yalari is a not-for-profit organisation which works with 248 First Nations students from regional and remote communities to offer scholarships at some of Australia’s leading boarding schools.
Yalari founding director Waverley Stanley said their scholarships also provided students with a robust support network for educational, personal, and cultural purposes, allowing access to dedicated Student Support Officers.
“Travel is an imperative and important part of our children’s lives, with some needing to catch three flights just to get to school each term,” Ms Stanley said.
“Their safety and comfort are our priority, so I’m grateful for our new working partnership with CTM, and proud of the joint support of CTM and Virgin.”
CTM CEO Australia and New Zealand Greg McCarthy said CTM recognised its responsibility to give back to the First Nations community by investing in their future.
“With a strong business focus in training and education, supporting a scholarship program to provide greater opportunities for schooling felt like the perfect alignment,” Mr McCarthy said.
“Partnering with our valued supplier, Virgin Australia, makes the program even more rewarding.”
Virgin Australia Chief People Officer Lisa Burquest said they were committed to supporting equitable opportunities and outcomes for First Nations peoples, and was pleased to be partnering with CTM to sponsor this scholarship program as part of their reconciliation efforts together.
