Lend Lease Becomes a Foundation Donor

Late last year a team of over 30 Lend Lease employees gathered at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) complete with buckets, paintbrushes, gardening gloves and great spirit for their second annual community day at the Centre.

Mark Menhinnitt, Chief Executive Officer for Australia said, “Lend Lease’s partnership with the NCIE is a cornerstone of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The success of the Lend Lease RAP will be realised through collaboration with organisations such as NCIE who can help us to achieve outcomes that we cannot deliver on our own.” 

“This partnership will enable us to achieve our vision of lifting the representation of First Australians in our industry, with NCIE providing opportunities to engage with young Indigenous Australians interested developing their careers, and through guiding our people in having meaningful conversations about creating and nurturing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander success”.

Lend Lease’s three year partnership represents the first untied investment in building the capacity of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence. It will have a direct and positive impact on the Centre and the future generations of young Indigenous Australians who use it. 

Jason Glanville, Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence said “The investment by the corporate community is critical to the NCIE’s future capacity to fulfil our mission and vision. Lend Lease has demonstrated leadership and a commitment to excellence and the opportunities offered to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians by the NCIE.”

Through the partnership, Lend Lease employees will be engaged in volunteering and cultural engagement opportunities at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence over the next three years.

The Lend Lease Community Day finished off with a touch-footy game with young people from rural NSW attending a National Aboriginal and Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA) Careers and Aspirations camp based at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.

ING Direct joins the NCIE in driving positive social impact

ING Direct and the NCIE have formed a community partnership that will enable the NCIE to deliver programs that will encourage young people to realise their potential. Don Koch, ING Direct CEO said upon announcing their new community partners, “We believe there are great opportunities to create positive social change by delivering innovative programs that help to realise the potential of young people in our community.” In addition to the cash investment, ING Direct employees will be engaged in volunteering and two-way learning opportunities.

The initial two year investment through ING Direct’s Community Impact Program will be funding three important initiatives, including:

The NCIE Breakfast Club

With outstanding facilities that include a full commercial sized kitchen, the NCIE is well resourced in its capacity to host a breakfast program that services all of the local schools. The model of the breakfast program is such that it will engage parents, family and community members in the organisation of the program, empowering them to take an active role in a program that has obvious health and education outcomes for their children.

The Aspiration Initiative Residential Camp Program

The Aspiration Initiative (TAI) aims to increase opportunities and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students, helping to ensure they realise their potential at school, university and beyond. One of TAI’s projects is the development of an academic enrichment program, involving a residential component and additional support for cohorts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students.

Youth Mental Health Thought Leadership Conference in 2012

The NCIE will be bringing together thought leaders in the areas of juvenile justice and youth suicide for a conference to be held at the Centre in 2012. Through consultation, key issues impacting on young people and resulting in the appallingly high rate of youth suicide in our Indigenous communities will be identified. The NICE and its large cohort of Pathway Partners will then be able to source or develop programs specifically to combat these issues, with the intended result being an increased sense of self worth and confidence displayed by all 5000 young Indigenous people who come through the NCIE every year. There is much evidence to suggest that increased self confidence is directly linked to positive outcomes with regards to aspiration building and goal setting in young people.

Goodman Foundation Supports Indigenous Excellence

The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence is delighted to announce the support of Goodman and the Goodman Foundation.

Goodman have offered a high level of corporate support to the NCIE for three years, including pro bono support for the scoping and ongoing provision of services for our facilities maintenance plan, a contribution towards the salary of NCIE’s Facilities Manager, and a cash investment that will go directly towards establishing the NCIE Homework Centre.

Later this year, we will launch the Homework Centre, complete with a state of the art computer lab and a supportive and dedicated space for young people to come after school to review and complete their homework with the assistance of educational volunteers. Goodman Foundation’s program investment will provide the funds to allow for a project coordinator, administration, educational resources, healthy after-school snacks and directly promotes the Learning and Innovation Pathway objectives of the NCIE.

Goodman staff have also expressed interest in staff engagement opportunities, volunteering, participation in cultural activities and gym memberships in our state of the art Sports, Arts and Recreation Centre.

The investment of the corporate community, as demonstrated by Goodman, is critical to the NCIE’s future capacity to fulfil our vision and mission and to grow and meet the highest standards of excellence. The NCIE warmly welcomes them to the NCIE Circle of Excellence, and we applaud their leadership and generosity.

About Goodman

Goodman is an integrated commercial and industrial property group that owns, develops and manages real estate including warehouses, large scale logistics facilities business parks and offices globally. The Goodman Foundation was established for the purpose of making contributions to non-profit organisations that support the needs in the community, focusing on positive social change in the regions in which they operation.