Jan22686 Feb22538 Australian CEO Excellence Awards 2024 | 10 Australia’s Indigenous children and youth are to this day impacted by the lingering effects of intergenerational disadvantage, and among other statistics, this is reflected in unemployment rates and welfare dependency. Many of these troubles begin with education, wherein Indigenous children lack the support and resources needed to achieve in line with their potential. Ganbina aims to disrupt this unfortunate cycle, taking a holistic approach to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth in their transition through school and into the working world. Ganbina is an Aboriginal run and led charity committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth throughout their education and transitioning into work. Its methods emphasise building modern, in-demand skillsets and addressing problems at their roots, such as by providing accelerated learning programmes to bring academically undeveloped students up to speed. The charity aims to tackle generational suffering in meaningful and longlasting ways, helping these disadvantaged communities gain a foothold in Australia’s employment market. CEO Anthony Cavanagh is a Taungurung person from Victoria. Having lived the firsthand effects of Indigenous people’s suffering, he turned his 20 years of experience in community services to Ganbina in 2013. His unique passion for the plight of Australia’s disadvantaged children and youth forms the heart of the company and reflects the altruism central to the company’s mission. “My own childhood included family violence, abandonment, and homelessness as a teenager. I truly believe the reason I did not end up either in jail or dead during that very difficult period of my life was because I stayed in school and graduated. What I endured as a young person helped me to understand what disadvantage looks like and how education is the key for Indigenous people to overcome generational disadvantage.” Through accelerated learning, one-to-one mentorship, annual education scholarships, its employment academy, and more, Ganbina offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth valuable opportunities to learn, grown, and receive pivotal educational support from age 5 all the way to 25. Team members dedicate their time to helping with CVs, running employment workshops and interview practice, and they help younger children achieve an appropriate level of development for their age range. Its impressive run of Social Ventures Australia reports provides clear insight into the effectiveness of these programmes. “There’s hope for the kids,” says Anthony, “when I first came to Ganbina, the model showed me that we’re creating hope and a positive vision for Indigenous children and youth.” His focus is on steering the organisation from the front, emphasising an authentic, forward-thinking attitude in all staff members, accepting and learning from “what we can’t change from the past.” A background working in community services has prepared Anthony to share his experiences of this past meaningfully and apply them to ensure that Ganbina is helping in the right places and in the right ways. “I had an alcoholic father, and I left that scenario with my mum escaping him with me, my brother and my sister. However, a few years later she started taking drugs. One day, she left home and never came back. Throughout those difficult years, I managed to complete my education and graduate from high school. After that, I went to work, and my first professional services job came with an opportunity to work in government welfare at a boys’ home in the late 80s.” Over the course of Anthony’s role as CEO, he has overseen profound expansion and digital transformation, modernising the charity’s offering and tackling the persistent issue of securing long-term funding. “In the early stages of my time at Ganbina, I found out that a lot of our long-term financial supporters were going to end their relationship with us. These funders provided 40% of our budget and without replacing that money we would have had to shut the doors. Since then, I’ve been able to create more financial stability for our organisation.” As the charity navigates a competitive industry, Ganbina is thankful for its donors and corporate partners. Though it lacks government funding, Anthony expects to improve its competitive edge through digital transformation and the passion behind its shared vision to provide empowerment through programmes for Indigenous children and youth. Under his leadership, it has achieved greater financial stability, improved community visibility, and it intends to expand further and grow into even greater maturity. The charity actively seeks partners and donors to drive that growth, and both Anthony and we at APAC Insider encourage readers to check out its website for themselves and see the transformed Australia of Ganbina’s vision. Contact Details Contact: Anthony Cavanagh Company: Ganbina Web Address: www.ganbina.com.au Youth Mentoring CEO of the Year: Anthony Cavanagh Jul24269
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