The Lyone family have built the COS business around a set of key values centred around community. Regarding Australia as one big community, they believe in doing what’s right by others and looking after everyone’s wellbeing.
This is such a strong foundation for the Lyone’s that they created the Lyone Foundation in 2013 as a means of giving back to the people, just as the wider community supported CEO Dominique and his family on their arrival to Australia in 1967.
In 2017, the Lyone Foundation joined the Muru Group in supporting a program for Indigenous children under five years old in Far North Queensland. With the aim of providing an early education to better these children’s chances of success in school and the workforce, the program has come along in leaps and bounds since then and we are delighted to see strong outcomes reported, thanks to our support.
(Learn more at COS Australian Story)
Circumstantial Disadvantage
Being born into a remote community with limited resources, these children already have diminished life opportunities. Indigenous Australians are up to 20-30% less likely to meet national reading and numeracy standards, and don’t have nearly the same opportunities as I had, growing up in Sydney with parents who were financially equipped to assist me through life.
At the Ngamu and Kankal Playgroup, these children seemed so happy and blissfully unaware of their circumstance. It made me realise how important it is to “Close the Gap” so that these kids could learn and develop the necessary skills to reach the same standard as other children when they begin school.
Close the Gap
Children don’t see skin colour, they just see their friends. In the mixed culture classes provided by the playgroup, the non-judgement and innocence of the children certainly showed us adults a thing or two. But the playgroup is about more than just integrating the children. It also encourages parents and supervisors to interact at every session, closing the gap in their own generation too.
Emboldened simply by the opportunity given to their child, parents and guardians try to continue teaching the playgroup lessons in a home environment. This helps the children’s knowledge to continue to grow. Whether it’s learning the ABC or counting to ten, parents and children work long and hard, fighting for their opportunity and equality.
When this program began, nearly a third of the entire community in this remote town consisted of children under five years old. Janice Walker, the program coordinator and an Indigenous community leader, emphasised that the earlier the children begin learning, the better chance they have of success. Her vision is to help her community and create an equal-opportunity future for Indigenous Australians for generations to come.
Changes so Far
The most notable change is the strengthened connection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the community. Janice speaks of families getting to know each other and building friendships after observing their children doing the same. She also noted that the basic academic development provided by the playgroup has made for an easier transition to school with far better readiness than in previous years.
With a focus on community connection, the playgroup is benefiting several generations at the same time as providing guidance on parenting skills, good health practices, supportive relationships and basic literacy and numeracy skills.
For a small town that’s mostly isolated, the changes are huge. The playgroup is monitored as per national standards for developmental milestones, and for school readiness by the Queensland Department of Education. The group also maintains program attendance records and individual child records and hold regular interviews with the families involved to record anecdotal data, always seeking to improve the program.
More work remains to be done across Australia in closing the gap for health, education, housing and employment. However, this program plays a vital role in supporting the community and helping some of the nation’s most vulnerable people.
We are so proud to be connected with the Muru Group and the Ngamu and Kankal Playgroup, helping to foster equal opportunities for the Indigenous community. For us at the Lyone Foundation, it’s all about giving people the same fair go that was given to Dominique all those years ago, and we’re so proud to see these positive changes.
