Adult literacy and socio-cultural learning at Pina Pina Jarrinjaku (Yuendumu learning centre)

Author: Ros Bauer
Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation

Edition: Volume 58, Number 1, April 2018

Introduction: The Whole of Community Engagement (WCE) initiative commenced in July 2014, led by the Office of Pro Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership at Charles Darwin University (CDU). WCE aimed to build the aspiration, expectation and capacity of six remote and very remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory to participate and achieve in higher education. Using a place-based, Indigenous-led, community development approach, the initiative developed a model that could be applied by other Australian universities and agencies through engaging closely within Indigenous communities and promoting local level management, leadership, decision-making, research and action. The WCE included participatory action research and developmental evaluation approaches. Campus-based and remote Indigenous community-based staff worked together to identify educational needs, priorities and activities from the ground-up. Some of the main messages communities emphasised were that:

  • Aboriginal leadership and governance in remote education are essential
  • Education and higher education are a priority for many Indigenous people
  • Aboriginal cultural knowledge is foundational to other learning
  • Education should be ‘both-ways’
  • Education was viewed holistically by Indigenous participants and includes wellbeing, spirituality and livelihood
  • English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) is central to progress

 

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 58:1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.