News

Mildura Camp shapes next generation of Koori leaders

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 07:36:00

  A pilot program that aims to inspire and mentor Koori teenagers to pursue a university education has brought 60 young people to the Mildura region from across New South Wales and Victoria for the school holidays.

The Aspiration Initiative (TAI) academic enrichment program was launched in NSW, Victoria and WA in 2011 by the Aurora Project. The Program identifies students in Year 8, providing them with intensive and continouous educational support for 5 ½ years, through to their entry to university. There are currently 30 students in Victoria participating in the pilot program.

Students attend three academic camps a year during the school holidays as well as receiving ongoing mentoring.  Around 30 students (5 from Miildura) attend each camp, supported by Aboriginal mentors  and Elders.  All mentors are university students or graduates – they are role models for the next generation.
TAI’S Victorian co-ordinator Adam Ridgeway said program aims to support the students and their aspirations.
“Throughout the selection process we did not focus on high achievers, but rather on students who showed the potential in Year 8 to possibly go through to university.  If they choose to go, the vast majority of these students will be the first in their family to go to university.,” Mr Ridgeway said.
“Each camp students participate in sessions aimed at advancing academic skills, reinforcing their sense of identity, developing their interpersonal and leadership skills, and building a supportive peer network.  We emphasise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community values so rather than seeking to elevate individuals and create elites, we hope to establish roles and relationships within and beyond our TAI cohorts, to reach those around our students.  Our vision is to create a ripple effect of high expectations that will extend from the home, through the school and eventually into Indigenous education policy and delivery.”
This holiday saw the Victorian cohort come together for their 9th camp – a joint camp with the NSW cohort in Mildura.  The week included visits to internationally-renown heritage sites in the region, including Mungo National Park and the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, as well as the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers.
Mr Ridgeway said  that connection to cultural protocols, stories and place are integral to the Program’s curriculum.
The heavy rain meant plans for camping along the Murray river in swags had to be abandoned, with the students seeking temporary accomodation at the Mallee District Aboriginal Services Fire Station Building in Orange Avenue.
MDAS Manager of Housing and Community Services, Ada Peterson, said the Program had a focus on connecting the students with their Indigenous heritage.
“The theme of the camp this time is ‘protection’ so our smoking ceremony to welcome the visitors had extra significance,” Ms Peterson said.
“You are ‘smoked’ to welcome you onto country – but also make sure you are in good health and the spirits are with you while you are here,” she said.
Ms Peterson, whose daughter Hope Kuchel is among the students on the program, said she was convinced TAI was having a positive impact.
“I can really see the difference in the three years Hope has been in the program,” Ms Peterson said.
“In the first year she wasn’t sure what it was all about, in the second year she could see where it was trying to help her to go, and this year she has changed her mind and her attitude.
“She is definitely focussed on going to university and getting a degree and I’m really proud and excited for her about that.
“I only wish there had been something like this when I was a kid, to provide that support that gives kids the confidence that they can go to university.”