Page 29 - 2024 The Song Room Year in Review

Bossley Park Public School, NSW
Image: Garry Trinh
The Song Room has been a key partner in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural learning at Bossley Park Public School for many years. We have had the privilege of working alongside talented artists to provide our students with cultural knowledge and language.” Teacher, Bossley Park Public School
Celebrating the Legacy of the
Packer Family Foundation Partnership
In 2024, the Packer Family Foundation reached its milestone of supporting Australian community organisations with $100,000,000 over 10 years – an ambitious, inspirational
and leading philanthropic commitment which will leave a legacy long into the future.
The Song Room was a partner this transformative work for the entire 10 years. This generous collaboration has enabled us to deliver high-impact, culturally enriching programs to some of Western Sydney and Melbourne’s most under-resourced schools. With $700,000 in funding, nearly 5,000 students across 13 schools were reached through our Deadly Arts program, a First Nations-led initiative that combined in-class arts learning, teacher development and deep community engagement.
The impact has been profound. Students who once felt disengaged found pride and purpose through creativity; teachers were empowered to embed Indigenous perspectives into their classrooms; and whole communities came together through events like Weaving Yarns and student-Elder creative collaborations. These programs didn’t just enrich classrooms, they created lasting change.
The Packer Family Foundation’s support helped us grow as an organisation, strengthen
ties with First Nations artists, Elders and educators, and continue to address educational inequity through the arts. As schools continue the work we began together, the legacy of this partnership lives on in every note played, every story shared, and every
child who now sees themselves reflected in their learning. We are deeply
grateful for this decade of vision, commitment, and shared purpose.
Learn more about the impact of this partnership.
The Song Room | 2024 Year in Review
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