NIDC becomes National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE)

Local Indigenous Leader Sol Bellear  will be a Director of the new centre. A newsletter will soon be distributed to provide more information about the change and the ongoing development of the Centre.

The information was contained in a 23 April 2009 media release from Hill & Knowlton and accompanying email  to encourage nominations for the Centre's Youth Advisory Committee, nominations for which close on Friday May 29th 2009.  The media release provides the following information about the new Centre:

The NCIE, due to open later this year in Redfern, Sydney, will become the first multi-use complex to offer world class sport, education, art and cultural programs for young Indigenous people. Fostering talent and encouraging excellence, the NCIE will provide young people the foundations they need to succeed in their future endeavours.

The NCIE is a unique initiative that will give young Indigenous people the opportunity to live their aspirations in the areas of sport, arts, culture and education. Creating an environment of learning and opportunity, the NCIE will be a centre of excellence that will cultivate talent and encourage personal development for our nation’s best and brightest Indigenous stars.

Located in Sydney’s central Redfern – NCIE facilities include:

• Sport and fitness centre comprising of a multi-purpose sports court
• Arts & crafts, computer and other activity rooms
• Intensive literacy tutorial centre for 60 primary school students
• Sports playing field
• Outdoor 25-metre heated swimming pool
• campus accommodation catering for short stays for 130 people
• Kitchen, dining & conference facilities
• Community and commercial office accommodation

The full text of the media release can be found at - Young People Urged to Raise their Voices

The change echos an earlier media report Redfern complex to help Aborigines shoot for the stars in the Sun Herald last December which was downplayed by the YMCA as not being an acurate depiction of the proposed centre.