EDUCATION

Culture College provides unique tailored educational opportunities for students, teachers, professionals, and executives to learn together through a culturally responsive platform in direct partnership with First Nations Australians from Northeast Arnhem Land, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Our curriculum framework is founded on the Yolŋu worldview of Dalatj Manapanmirri – Yolŋu and Balanda coming together to find balance.

Knowledge is held by the Djalkiri (Yolŋu foundation) grounded to Country, always present and never destroyed, coming to the surface at the right time to teach and guide and returning to Country. Our programs seek to bring a layer of this knowledge to the surface, planting seeds to grow in the hearts of the younger generation. Through the many branches of the knowledge tree, we create opportunities to come together to listen, share, learn and grow in balance and reconciliation in action.

Our educational programs are for visiting students, teachers, professionals and executives in partnership with Yolŋu.

The program are often 7-10 days but can be varied to suit your needs.  We operate on Yolŋu Country through the dry season from April to October, including the school holiday periods.

We provide all planning and preparation for your immersion, with end-to-end logistics including flight bookings, transport, accommodation, catering to risk management.

The tree of knowledge illiterates the relationship between timeless First Nations knowledge held by Country, always present and never destroyed; coming to the surface at the right time to teach and guide and returning back to Country. The arrows represent this is the cycle, with the layers of knowledge deepening over time.

We seek to bring knowledge to the surface through the many branches and roots. The “Yuta Bit Pit” is the initial growth sprouted from fertile ground where young plants emerge. This growth is the younger generation coming through and learning from the wisdom of the Elders.

We are mixing with each other in reconciliation where strength is derived from balance and mutual exchange.

Seeds of Knowledge: Online / Incursion

Learn through First Nations knowledge that connects locally to the Country you live and learn upon, reaching to Northeast Arnhem Land.

• 1-4 days (customisable length)
• Ideal for all groups sizes
• Onsite and Online education elements
• Walking and learning alongside local First Peoples, Yolŋu and Country as your teachers

Emerging shoots: Local Immersion

Connect to your local environment where connection to Country and First Nations knowledge is central to all-knowing. Coming to understand ways to integrate First Nations knowledge into your own everyday lives and live-in alignment with the reciprocal relationships and obligations needed to care for self, your community, and Country.

Program Flow:

• 2-4 days (customisable length)
• Upon local or neighbouring Country to school/organisation in a function centre or outdoor venue
• Walking and learning alongside local First Nation Australians, Yolŋu and Country as first teachers

” I THINK THIS PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE STUDENTS SO WE CAN PUT A HUMAN FACE TO WHAT WE LEARN ABOUT FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE, THEIR LAND AND THEIR CULTURE, SO IT ISN’T JUST INFORMATION IN A TEXTBOOK”
– YEAR 9 STUDENT, SCECGS REDLANDS SYDNEY

New Growth – Teacher/Staff Embedding First Nations Curriculum

You have tremendous potential to be powerful change agents challenging the mainstream paradigm of education and closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge. We will nurture, empower and equip educators and organisational leaders with knowledge and tools to responsively and sustainably embed First Nations perspectives within your classroom, curriculum, workplace, and daily life. We provide a safe and open platform to reflect, unravel and weed out any ingrained values and beliefs passed down over time about First Nation Australian history and culture. Furthermore, building facilitators’ competence, confidence, relationships, and tools to sustainably embed culturally and place-responsive practices within their organisation.

Program Flow:

• 1-3 day program
• Provide support to school and organisational curriculum design and development
• Stand-alone program
• Walking and learning alongside local First Nation Australians, Yolŋu and Country as first teachers

Nurturing Growth –Curriculum Design and Development

The Nurturing Growth program is a middle ground where First Nations and non-Indigenous knowledge can find balance in the mainstream classroom or organisational setting. This program participants pay due respect to Australia’s shared history and recognise First Nations knowledge takes time to learn, process and digest. We seek to equip the younger generation to acknowledge the past, challenge and address the future—Whilst gathering practical ways to embed First Nations perspectives into individuals own lives and communities.

Program Flow:

• Co-development of 6 week course
• Ideal for ongoing education programs
• Walking and learning alongside local First Nation Australians, Yolŋu and Country as first teachers

Midawarr Immersion Experiences

What is Midawarr?

“Midawarr has deep meaning in the Yolŋu worldview. It is deeply connected to land, sea and sky. It is a powerful metaphor to demonstrate harvesting in a particular season and bringing people together to share that harvest. It is the most powerful word that describes bringing people together to share knowledge, talk about new ideas and make change through the wisdom and knowledge of both worlds. Midawarr can be embraced by Balanda as a way forward, opening up deeper understandings of Yolŋu culture and how it can be applied within their own daily lives. Midawarr fits in well with the moiety system, intertwining the Raki (string) from the Midawarr season to become strong. When the bond is strong – so is the foundation. Flowers are blooming – The spirit of the people is blooming. New beginnings! Getting people together and bringing a new beginning to our Country. Bulpul (flower) is used for a child coming out and blooming. Bulpul comes after the Bit Pit (new seed) during the time of the Midawarr season.”

-Marcus Mungul Lacey, Culture College Director and Lead Educator

Midawarr Immersion – Gulkula, Gumatj Country

We gather Yolŋu and Balanda together to mix cultures and share stories to find balance – Dalatj Manapanmirri. Yolŋu knowledge is shared through a rotation of engaging, experiential, and insightful workshops. Participants deepen their understandings each day through deep listening and cultural sharing to empower momentum towards reconciliation that spreads outwards like a ripple in the water when students return home.

The Midawarr Immersion is held at the meeting place of Gulkula, a site of significance to the Gumatj clan, resting high on the escarpment overlooking Cape Arnhem and the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Gukula is well-known for holding the annual Yothu Yindi Garma Festival, one of Australia’s most prominent First Nations events. The Midawarr immersion can caters for whole-year levels of 120 – 200+ people and can operate between March to November, including the school holiday periods.

The program flow involves a rich diversity of morning, afternoon, and night workshops that the students rotate through in their specified clan group. Each group is supported by Culture College Yolŋu educators and mentors who guide and nurture each individual’s cultural learning journey.

Midawarr Immersion – Homelands

The homeland experience is a unique opportunity to slow down, connect and learn alongside Yolŋu and Country. For an intimate group of 20-25 people. Travel to the ancestral homelands of the Yolŋu families we walk alongside.  Approximately 3 to 4 hours 4×4 drive from Nhulunbuy.

‘ THIS EXPERIENCE HAS GIVEN ME A GREATER APPRECIATION FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND ENCOURAGED ME TO BELIEVE THAT GENUINE RECONCILIATION CAN HAPPEN IF WE ESTABLISH A FIRM FOUNDATION OF UNDERSTANDING OTHERS AND MAKING SURE ABORIGINAL VOICES CONTINUE TO BE HEARD .’
– YEAR 9 STUDENT, SCECGS REDLANDS SYDNEY

“Culture College understands and acknowledges you have entrusted us with that which is most valuable to you – your child. We want to let you know how seriously we take that responsibility and how excited we are about the opportunity to immerse them in the culture of the First Peoples. We draw from extensive resources and have spent countless hours planning our programs with integrity to make them as exciting and enriching as possible.”

‘ I HAVE LEARNED AND GROWN INTO A BETTER PERSON AND AM NOW
ABLE TO SEE THE WORD WITH A MORE OPEN MIND.’
– YEAR 9 STUDENT, SCECGS REDLANDS SYDNEY

Our mentors have a unique role placed as the bridge at the cultural interface between non-Indigenous and Indigenous ways of being. Our mentors will be draw on their own story, self-awareness, knowledge, skills and experiences to support the participants to connect through deep listening, respect, reciprocity, and humility as they are the next generation of custodians.

Our mentors hold the required qualifications to care for you within this remote cross-cultural setting; including Wilderness First Aid certification. All drivers involved in transportation will hold relevant mini bus license or coach licenses and adhere to strict protocols for student transportation safety.