Rotary Club of Port Macquarie Sunrise (Australia) developed a project entitled Books of Change. They identified a need for Aboriginal children and Torres Strait children to be encouraged to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and to ultimately consider entering these professions. Additionally the club also learned that only 1 in 4 Aboriginal children read at an average rate and this was something they wanted to tackle.
The Books of Change project aimed to provide a box of STEM books to 50 schools in their rural and often disadvantaged district. The whole club adopted and worked on this project. The books sent to each school were culturally appropriate and scientifically appropriate to the needs of the students. The books will now be available for students in these schools for years to come. Rotarians are confident that there will be future STEM professionals as a result of this relevant education initiative.