The former Australian of the Year and Sydney Swans footballer has come on board as Ambassador and Board Member
of the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation, tackling illiteracy in Indigenous and marginalised communities across
the nation.

Today, focus is on the state of education in Australia with the launch of National Literacy and Numeracy Week,
and Adam Goodes’ new partnership with charity, the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation (ALNF). Goodes
has thrown his support behind the foundation as both Ambassador and Board Member, with a drive and passion
to make literacy and education a reality for all Australian children. He states, “I am looking forward to working with
the team at ALNF. I have seen first-hand how the foundation works and I am looking forward to empowering more
community members to help educate their nieces, nephews and children, now and for future generations.”

ALNF Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kim Kelly, is thrilled to have the support of such an eminent Australian,
and hopes that Goodes’ involvement will shine a light on the persistent literacy gap that exists, particularly
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. “It is unacceptable that Indigenous children and children from lowsocioeconomic
backgrounds are continually left behind when it comes to literacy. Being able to read and write is a
basic human right, and a key factor in future health, wellbeing and economic stability.”

ALNF has specialised literacy programs to overcome the many health, developmental and social hurdles faced by
vulnerable children. ALNF’s programs make education engaging, giving teachers, parents and community
members the tools they need to break the cycle of transgenerational illiteracy.

Together, Adam Goodes and ALNF will continue to work on the ground transforming disadvantaged communities,
but more needs to be done to urgently change the national literacy landscape:

• Only 1 out of 5 Indigenous children living in very remote NT communities are able to read at the national
minimum standard (NAPLAN, 2016).
• Students from poor families are five times more likely than their wealthier classmates to perform poorly
at school (OECD, 2016).
• 1 in 3 Australians have literacy skills low enough to make them vulnerable to unemployment and social
exclusion (OECD, 2013).

ABOUT
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF), established in 1999, is a registered national charity
dedicated to raising language, literacy and numeracy standards in Australia. ALNF raises funds to develop,
implement and sustain innovative programs with proven, tangible results, working on over 300 sites across the
nation.
ALNF’s programs address a wide range of learning needs, with a particular focus on Indigenous, refugee and
marginalised communities. ALNF believes that literacy is freedom- literacy allows individuals to access education,
participate meaningfully in our society and to have a voice. It is a basic human right.
Brian Johnson