CEFA news
Coober Pedy becomes CEFA's latest and most remote education foundation community
Coober Pedy establishes local education foundation under CEFA to improve access to tertiary education and vocation for local youth
With the continuing drought resulting in many rural communities experiencing greater hardship, the challenges for students from these areas in accessing tertiary education and vocation have escalated. The greatest barrier to entry being the cost. For 14 years the Country Education Foundation of Australia, a national not for profit organisation, has been helping rural communities around the country establish local education foundations that provide grants to youth from the area to pursue their post high school education and vocation goals.
The Country Education Foundation has a rapidly increasing number of local education foundations across rural Australia where a community committee fundraises to provide grants to local youth. “These grants greatly assist with the transition after high school, which for many means leaving their local community for a time and relocating quite some distance away,” said Jocellin Jansson, Executive Director of the Country Education Foundation of Australia.
Under the leadership of Steve Staines, Coober Pedy is adopting the Country Education Foundation of Australia’s model to bring greater opportunities to local youth. Other committee members include Damien Clark, Kevin Woon, Carrie Rainsford and Mark Bell.
The committee is passionate and enthusiastic about increasing the number of opportunities that local youth have. ‘To help the local Coober Pedy Education Foundation get started, the Country Education Foundation has committed up to $10,000 over the first three years’ say Ms Jansson. ‘We do this by matching locally received donations and already SAPEX has given $1,000 to get the ball rolling which means with our $1,000 donation match, there is already $2,000 there for grants to your local youth. Students seeking grants will need to apply to the local Education Foundation in Coober Pedy.
The grants are to assist students when they are leaving high school so they can be from Years 10, 11 or 12. ‘The selection process is not academically based and we don’t mind what a young person is wanting to do by way of job or further study’ say Jocellin, ‘we are simply interested in providing support and encouragement to young people from rural communities that have a dream but need a hand to make it a reality. Around Australia we have people working as Jackeroos, Plumbers, Hairdressers, studying to be Doctors, Teachers and Musicians. We are here to help young people success in their chosen field.
For more information, please contact Steve Staines in Coober Pedy on 0407 897 808. there to provide assistance and encouragement to not limited to an apprenticeship, diploma or certificate at TAFE, university, jackarooing, etc. For more information, contact Jocellin Jansson at the Country Education Foundation on 0427 595 050 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
