Cape York Girl Academy

Overview

Located in a dedicated and secure area within the Djarragun College campus in Gordonvale, Cape York Girl Academy is Australia’s first boarding high school designed for young Indigenous mothers and their babies to live and learn together. We also have a cohort of young women who are at risk of disengaging with their education.

All students are supported by qualified trauma-informed staff and graduate with an education and the confidence to be future leaders of their community.

Enrolment Info

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Attendance rate CYGA

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Graduated in 2024

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enrolled at CYGA Wangetti campus

Enrolment information

If you are thinking about enrolling, or would like to know more about our academy, please follow the link below.

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Show your support

Donate today and help a young mother take her first step towards breaking the cycle. Your support will empower her to change her world.

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Why it Matters

With no education, dysfunctional relationships, high pregnancy rates, low health and low self-worth, many young Cape York women find themselves stuck in a negative intergenerational cycle.

Every girl has the right to a good education, but 84% of Cape York girls do not finish high school.

If you educate a girl in mind, body and spirit, she will learn to be the catalyst of change and break the cycle of disadvantage for her family.

What we are Doing

Cape York Girl Academy was born through yarning circles and community consultations with Cape York women who asked for a place for girls to finish their schooling, gain work skills, and better themselves and their children.

Since 2016 we have fostered a collective partnership with families and communities, encouraging all student to reach their potential. This includes:

A culturally centered curriculum allowing continued connections to ancestral language and cultural practices.
Uniquely tailored learning pathways towards tertiary education or employment.
Holistic wrap-around case management tailored to individual students and their babies.

A powerful force for change

Many young women on Cape York fall victim to a vicious cycle of social dysfunction, teenage pregnancy and disengagement from education and employment. Cape York Girl Academy gives these girls a chance to recover their education, their culture and become a powerful force for change.