Two students from the newly established Clontarf Foundation Academy to help Aboriginal students in Port Macquarie attended the opening celebration of Greater Bank’s new local branch on Friday to kick off an ongoing program of visits to learn about business and managing money.
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Clontarf Foundation has established a local Academy in Port Macquarie (Hastings Secondary College) thanks to new funding from Greater Bank through its Greater Charitable Foundation.
As well as providing funding, Greater Charitable Foundation creates opportunities for Greater Bank staff to volunteer to further help charity partners such as Clontarf.
Recently appointed Greater Bank branch manager, Sue Buttsworth, will be hosting visits to the branch by students to give them an understanding of business environments. She will also run financial literacy workshops for students.
Operations officer Vincent Scott (attending the opening) works with director Charlie Maher to currently help around 25 local students such as Jack Jones (Year 7) and Tyson Watt (Year 8) from Hastings Secondary College, Port Macquarie Campus.
Clontarf Foundation uses mentoring to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men.
Since opening its first Academy for 25 boys in 2000, the Foundation has grown to cater for about 4,700 boys in 84 schools across Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, NSW and Queensland.
Mr Scott says average school attendance of enrolled students is already up from 50 percent to 70 per cent in the couple of months since the Academy started in Port Macquarie.