JVT is supporting NRL Cowboys House as they strive to make quality secondary education accessible to First Nations students from remote communities.
JVT has committed three years of funding to improve evaluation methods to ensure NRL Cowboys House is achieving its intended impact, which is to provide unique, culturally safe wrap-around support, services and accommodation for young Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islanders from remote north Queensland, while they attend high school in Townsville.
During Phase 1 of the funding, Cowboys have collaborated with Seer Data & Analytics to review each department within NRL Cowboys House to understand objectives, goals, activities, and current data collection/use. The resulting report and recommendations will identify gaps and opportunities for improving processes, systems, and team capabilities, training, and resourcing.
Supporting country Queensland
We know that students in rural, regional and remote Queensland face challenges accessing quality secondary education due to distance and the costs involved in travel and accommodation.
NRL Cowboys House is removing distance as a barrier for First Nations students from remote north Queensland communities. As well as providing as home away from home for, they offer vital wrap-around support for these young people that helps them achieve great steps forward in their education, aspirations and wellbeing.
The John Villiers Trust is keen to support this work and see the gap closed on access to learning for country Queensland kids and youth.
The evaluation project is co-funded by JVT and Hand Heart Pocket. By pooling funding, we can achieve more and NRL Cowboys House is able to invest more heavily in this evaluation and in building the capability of their team.
NRL Cowboys House were already doing the work but didn’t have the opportunity to look at how to formalise and put a process around it. Working with Seer Data & Analytics is getting them further ahead and more deeply involved in the data and driving a much greater impact than they could achieve alone.
The aim is to:
Cowboys Community Foundation and NRL Cowboys House strongly align with JVT’s priorities in that they:
The final project report will provide evidence to current and potential funders who may wish to replicate or adopt the model of care and support in other locations.