Digital Literacy Foundation Boosts Hawkesbury Mentoring Program With NAB

The Digital Literacy Foundation has successfully secured $35,000 in funding for their Disaster Recovery Digital Mentoring program from the NAB Foundation.

The program targets four remotely located Hawkesbury Community Hubs, with the aim to help residents in the most remote areas of the region increase their use of emergency apps and online essential services.

The NAB Foundation has also just opened a new round of funding and has encouraged more community groups to apply for money to help prepare for, or recover from, natural disasters.

The NAB Foundation’s Community Grants program has provided funding of up to $10,000 for each community-led project that successfully applied for a grant under three categories including ‘readiness’, ‘recover’ and ‘future-proofing’.

NAB Group Executive Personal Banking, Rachel Slade said as Australians faced more frequent natural disasters, there was a growing need to help communities become more resilient.

“It is great to see the NAB Foundation’s fifth round of funding going towards a range of community projects, from turtle rehabilitation to improving digital literacy and enhancing community kitchens,” Ms Slade said.

“The NAB Foundation’s Community Grants program has created financial support that is available all year round, allowing local communities to strengthen their resilience and enhance their recovery efforts, which can take several years after a disaster has occurred.”

In addition to the core funding, four of the 55 grant recipients were chosen by a poll of NAB colleagues to receive an additional $25,000 boost.

The recipients chosen in this round were:

• The Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (QLD);
• The Digital Literacy Foundation (NSW);
• FareShare Australia (QLD); and
• Yea Community Service Group (VIC).

Executive Chair of the Digital Literacy Foundation, Dr Anne Wiggins said the money would be used to support a Disaster Recovery Digital Mentoring program.

“The grant of $35,000 provides us with so much more capacity to sustainably deliver, beyond the pilot stage, our Disaster Recovery Digital Mentoring program at four remotely located Hawkesbury Community Hubs,” Dr Wiggins said.

“Our work building digital inclusion in regional and remote communities that have been affected by natural disasters is more critical than ever.

“This program enables residents in the most remote areas of the Hawkesbury region, who have been particularly affected by bushfires and floods, to learn to use devices they would otherwise not be able to access or afford.

“As a direct result, people in these communities will increase their use of emergency apps and online essential services, which will, in turn, increase their resilience, and support their disaster preparedness and recovery.”

Submissions for the next round of funding are open and will remain so until August 31.

Community groups can apply via www.nab.com.au/nabfoundation.

Since 2021, the NAB Foundation Community Grants program has been part of NAB Ready Together, an initiative that helps customers, colleagues and their communities withstand natural disasters. More than 250 projects across Australia have so far benefitted from almost $3 million worth of community grants.

• Topics:

• Science and Technology
• Natural Disasters
• Community Groups