Shooting Stars
Empowered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women.
About Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is an engagement initiative delivered in partnership with schools and local communities across Western Australia and South Australia.
The program goes beyond improving school attendance and engagement, aiming to build confidence, strengthen cultural identity, promote wellbeing and nurture positive relationships.
Piloted in Halls Creek in 2014, Shooting Stars now operates in more than 20 host schools and communities and is mostly staffed by local Aboriginal women, who help create a culturally safe and supportive environment for participants to thrive.
Shooting Stars Executive Officer Helen Ockerby said the organisation aims to create culturally safe and supportive environments for program facilitators and participants.
“We have a strong emphasis on employing local Aboriginal young women into our program so that we’re seeing local people with relationship that are place based and strong in their local leadership and governance style,” Helen said.
“Culture is extremely important in the work we do. It’s identity and it’s connection.
“If we can change the lives of a young woman or girl in our communities, our program is definitely a vehicle to help do that.”
MinRes’ partnership
After years of ad-hoc and in-kind support, in 2022 Mineral Resources (MinRes) and Shooting Stars formally joined forces with MinRes helping to fund delivery of the Deadly Minds Matter enrichment program.
This initiative provides participants with opportunities to develop positive social and emotional wellbeing skills, and develop preventative mental health strategies.
In December 2025, Shooting Stars and MinRes announced a renewed partnership with expanded support to bolster operational funding across all Shooting Stars sites.
MinRes Manager Communities and Stakeholder Engagement Daniel Barker reflected on how the partnership has become embedded within the organisation.
“Over the past eight years, we’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact the program has on nurturing ambition and leadership among young Aboriginal women,” Daniel said.
In addition to formal financial contributions, MinRes provides in-kind support to various Shooting Stars activities including community events in Port Hedland, has expanded its internal NextGen Scholarship program to Shooting Stars alumni and offers immersive visits to its locations to inspire future careers.
“Throughout the life of our formal partnership and previously, we’ve been proud to grow our relationship beyond just financial support, providing more opportunities to Shooting Stars participants and staff,” Daniel added.
Learn more about Shooting Stars.
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