All news from the ILF

"They're absolutely beautiful books," says Erin Murphy, Centre Manager at One Tree Community Services in Kalkarindji, NT. "And the ladies love reading them to the kids."

"Service Week included lots of fun activities and events to raise money for charity. There were pool parties, lunchtime discos, "¦ and the Preps dressed up in costumes that begin with the letter P. Year 5 even had a crazy hair day!" said Elisa. The week was so well embraced that Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School raised an incredible $10,000 for the ILF!

This year, ILF Ambassadors Jessica Mauboy and Gregg Dreise celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' Stories, Languages and Cultures during our annual Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD)! Register today via ilf.org.au/ILD

Woodleigh School Year 5 Teacher, Zara, helped her students host a "˜Year 5 business bomb' to teach them about the responsibilities of running a business and to raise money for Indigenous literacy!

Enterprising Kids is a start-up social enterprise based on the Northern Beaches in Sydney. Their mission is to give kids real-life learning experiences that connect them with their community and teach them the practical life skills they will need in their future. Earlier this month, they held a student-run Book Fair to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation!

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) would not be what it is today without the support of our Lifelong Volunteers. Sonia, Kristin and Janet have been supporting the ILF through volunteering in three fundamental ways for many years.

For the past three years, Robyn Kenny, Principal Consultant with the Port Lincoln Partnership in Port Lincoln, SA, has been ordering books from ILF's Book Supply program. The books have been distributed to many age groups in the Community.

After two years of lockdowns, Sean wanted to escape the city and reconnect with nature by "bike-packing" as far as he could. "And so the idea was conceived! I would cycle from Melbourne's Federation Square to the Sydney Opera House to raise awareness and funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation," he says. Read all about his incredible journey from Melbourne to Sydney to raise over $2000 for the ILF.

Please donate generously to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation this end of financial year and together let's STAND UP for literacy and First Languages. Donations are % tax deductible.

Ordering books from ILF is the favourite time of the working year for Kelly Smith, a Speech Pathologist at Marathon Health in Dubbo, NSW.

Tina Thorburn is the founder of Clay by Tina, a one woman pottery working in the Alpine region of North East Victoria. Tina is also the co-founder of the Melbourne Ceramics Market, along with Daisy Cooper. Paying it forward has always been an important part of her business model.Â

This year's National Reconciliation Week (NWR) theme is "Be Brave. Make Change."Â The theme calls on all Australians to be brave and challenge ourselves and others to tackle issues that prevent reconciliation, to make change in our communities. To fully embrace National Reconciliation Week and its significance, it is important to learn about and acknowledge the history and importance of the days represented in the week.

Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) Lifetime Ambassador Alison Lester has been a valued mentor to many remote Communities, supporting them to create books for publishing. From 2018, along with children's author and publisher Jane Godwin, Alison worked with debut author Marshia Cook and her children, Tamua Nuggett and Cazarus Baker, and debut author Emma Bear on the writing and illustrating of Jarrampa and Purlka ngamagi Kakaji (Big Fat Mummy Goanna).

As the ILF continues to grow and our supporter base expands, we aim to work with organisations that not only care for people but the planet as well. One of our most recent supporters is Enviroplus, a sustainable and natural commercial cleaning product provider investing in plant and enzyme technologies to create solutions that are not harmful to the environment.Â

The ILF are pleased to announce that ILF recently published titles, Jarrampa and Big Fat Mummy Goanna have become commercially available! Both books were launched in Community last year to much fanfare and celebration.Â

In the days of fast fashion and instant gratification, the slow book movement is picking up speed at Ivanhoe Grammar School. At this school, students are biting to have a blind date with an old book.

"If we didn't have ILF, I don't know where we'd get books from," says Niki Emmett, Child Health Nurse on Bathurst Island, NT. Niki is based at the Julanimawu Primary Health Care Centre in Wuurumiyanga. About 1500 people live in this remote Community on Bathurst Island, the biggest in the Tiwi group.