United Way Australia

🌟✨ Happy Indigenous Literacy Day 2024! ✨🌟 Today, we celebrate the rich tapestry of Indigenous cultures and languages across Australia. At United Way Australia via Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Australia, we are deeply committed to supporting and uplifting Indigenous voices through the power of reading and storytelling. 📚🎉 On this special day, we honour the stories that shape our diverse heritage and support initiatives that foster literacy and cultural preservation.   Here are some of our books that are currently a part of our Imagination Library, reaching thousands of children across Australia every month! Together, we can ensure that every child has access to the stories and knowledge that connect them to their roots and inspire their future. #IndigenousLiteracyDay #ImaginationLibraryAU

Low Literacy and teenage crime. The recently published excellent coverage in The Australian by Natasha Bita about 'low literacy driving teenagers to a life of crime' is keeping a focus on the importance of literacy development with our children. With the latest #NAPLAN results showing a disturbing downward trend in levels of children's literacy, the need for early intervention becomes critical. United Way Australia has been tackling the issue of early years literacy development since introducing Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Australian families 11 years ago. The program is targeted at children aged 0 to 5, when the majority of brain development occurs and language and communication skills are developed, well before they start formal schooling. It helps to equip them to love books and become readers and better learners. We are seeing some great results. Last year alone we saw over 40,000 children access the program and over 363K age-appropriate books and parental support material distributed to the homes of children all across the country. We're currently undertaking a PhD in partnership with Macquarie University on the impact of the #ImaginationLibrary and the results on the first paper that has been now published in the international Journal of Research in Childhood Education, demonstrates the efficacy of the program. https://lnkd.in/g37dw_DY A strong foundation in #literacy not only fosters a love of school but also equips children with the skills needed to succeed academically and socially. We believe The Imagination Library program can help change the life trajectory of many young people, steering them away from negative influences and reducing the likelihood of them turning to crime as they get older #shapethefuture #loveofreading #earlychildhoodliteracy #readytosucceed

Congratulations Naran McClung 👏. We have loved following your journey and happy to see that you have completed the ride 🚴♂️. Enjoy a well deserved rest and a nice wine 🍷 ! Many thanks for fundraising for United Way and the Imagination Library - many children will benefit from what you have done. To support Naran please make a donation - https://lnkd.in/gc8Ky6My #champion #congratulations

What an incredible day for 18 lucky students from Marsden High School who had an unforgettable experience during their industry visit, thanks to our amazing hosts! 🙌 We kicked off the day at Optus, where students heard about AI and how it is impacting future careers and received invaluable advice from inspiring mentors who shared their career journeys. 🤝 The adventure continued at Macquarie Technology Group’s Data Centre where students were able to tour the facility, learn about cutting-edge data security, and hear from mentors about careers in the Tech space.🔒💻 A huge thank you to Corri Byrne, Craig, and all the mentors for making this possible! And a special shoutout to Antony Lustica from Marsden High School for working behind the scenes to coordinate the students. 🙏 #mentoring #careeradvice #tech #stem

What an amazing challenge Naran is taking on. All the best for 'top 10 tomorrow' And many thanks for choosing to fundraise for United Way Australia - supporting early childhood literacy. See the link in Naran's post to make a donation. #champion #thankyou #allthebest

What a great morning we had at T. Rowe Price! A team of 6 lovely volunteers came together to create special activity packs for children in our community. 🙌 Each bag was filled with: 📚 A wonderful book from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library  🖍️ Pencils, watercolours, a sketch pad, and a colouring book These thoughtfully packed bags will be distributed to our community partners who work closely with children who could use an extra smile. A huge thank you to Stephanie Williams and the T. Rowe Price mentors for making this possible. Your efforts are not just about giving gifts but about sparking a love for reading and creativity in these young hearts. 💖 #TRPrice #volunteering #

United Way Australia’s Statistician and Senior Impact Analyst, Claire Galea, received an overwhelming positive response from the hundreds of delegates at the recent Society for Scientific Study of Reading 31st annual conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Claire’s presentation showcased the findings from her research, as part of her PhD work with Macquarie University on The Impact of Shared Book Reading on Children and Families, based on a worldwide study of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The research involved over 86,200 respondents to surveys seeking to provide rigorous evidence of the efficacy of the Imagination Library program. It looked at the home literacy environment, caregiver’s and children’s interactions and attitudes towards shared book reading as well as children’s emerging literacy skills.  Further analysis included tracking changes in caregiver’s and children’s interactions and attitudes from enrolment to 12 months on the program within each country covered by the program. Needless to say, the results and outcomes were remarkable and clearly demonstrated that the program continues to make a positive impact in children’s early years literacy development. Congratulations Claire on your outstanding work in providing this valuable evidence in support of the Imagination Library. Contact us to find out more about this research at info@unitedway.com.au #ClaireGalea #UnitedWayAustralia #Imaginationlibraryaus #Literacy #AustralianChildren

A Big UWA welcome to our new Head of Programs - Growth & Impact, Grace Pestonji! 👋 Grace brings over 15 years of experience in marketing, partnership development, and project management, specifically within the NFP and creative industries. Here at UWA, she will spearhead revenue growth through innovative partnerships and events, oversee strategic marketing initiatives, and strengthen our corporate collaborations. As a mother of two young boys, she is committed to supporting and nurturing children so that they can thrive and reach their full potential. 🫶 Join us in welcoming Grace to the team! We are excited to see the incredible impact she will bring.

What a fabulous day Optus put on yesterday for 27 Year 9 students from South Sydney High School! The focus of the day was to learn more about AI and to gain insight on careers in the tech field. The best feedback was "this was hands down the best thing we have done this year." Corri Byrne (Mr Optus) and your team were a real hit! 🙌 They loved exploring AI and how it is going to impact their lives more and more. Your panelists had great messages for the students which will help them as they start making decisions about life after school: ✔ Follow your passion ✔ Be open to opportunities - try lots of things, say 'Yes' ✔ You don't have to be perfect ✈ Travel #thankyou #readytosucceed #yes #OPTUS #UWA

All of us at United Way Australia wish Naran the very best for the ride he is taking on - what an amazing experience you are taking part in. And thank you so much for fundraising to support United Way Australia. Many children will benefit from the generosity of you and your supporters. Naran McClung, you are an absolute champion!