CEO Spring Message

There is no doubt that 2020 will go down as one of the more challenging years in many of our lives. On the flip side, we have seen remarkable examples of indomitable community spirit and adaptability. It was sobering to hear a principal in Victoria say, ‘In 40 years as an educator I’ve never experienced a term at school without the kids’. Yet educators around the country have shown enormous flexibility and outstanding commitment to their students, through their efforts to modify planned curriculum activities to suit a remote learning environment. In some cases Educators have driven to student’s homes to drop off books and other learning materials, and developed their own skills and confidence in using multiple technology platforms and software tools so that they can continue provide engaging learning experiences for their students. Perhaps none more so than in the communities Ardoch works in.

As most students in Victoria return to the physical classroom this month we know that educators will be focused on assessing where students are at, and what support they need to provide to enable students who may have fallen behind to gain ground with their learning. The Ardoch team have been focused on adapting a number of our programs to be delivered in a virtual setting, and collaboration with third party providers of educational support programs to enable access to these learning opportunities for our education partners, details of which you’ll read in this newsletter.

We are excited by the opportunities that this has given us to adapt and innovate. In the coming weeks we will be engaging with our education partners to learn more about what needs they see emerging for 2021 and beyond, so that we can be there to continue to support by adapting and scaling our programs.
As always, none of this would be possible without the support of all our funders and supporters: philanthropic trusts and foundations, corporate partners, individual donors and volunteers. On behalf of the education partners we work with and the children and young people that participate in our programs, we thank you for your generosity and ongoing commitment.

Kylee Bates
Chief Executive Officer