South Australian Museum - North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000

Indigenous Youth Program

A highly successful and innovative program for Indigenous students in Years 10 – 12 has been running at the South Australian Museum since 2005 and will be available again in 2011. The program offers culturally appropriate, structured work-place learning opportunities for Aboriginal students undertaking SACE courses.

Program Outline:

Students will have the opportunity to:

• work in collaboration with DECD education officers and the museum's Indigenous staff;
• develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in working with school groups visiting the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery and upon completion of the program, present hands-on artefact activities to visiting school groups in the gallery;
• visit the museum archives, meet the Indigenous staff and investigate how the Aboriginal Family History program is being used by Aboriginal communities today;
• undertake a special investigation into an area of the museum that interests them with a particular focus on careers, or develop a tour and present their findings to the whole group;
• visit the museum store and investigate how the Ara Irititja Project utilises new technologies to assist Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yunkuntjatjara communities to collect and document their history and make it accessible for their families;
• explore the museum's Indigenous collections with Tara Dodd, Indigenous Collection Manager and discover how Indigenous communities use the collections;
• record their learning experiences using video cameras.

Feedback and evaluation of the students' participation and achievements throughout the program will be negotiated with students, teachers and museum staff. Students and museum education staff will complete evaluation forms and each student will receive a museum certificate upon completion of the program. Students negotiate with their teachers for the program outcomes to be included as a component of SACE Stage 1 or 2 Community Studies or Aboriginal Studies.

The program in 2012 will occur during terms 1, 2 and 3 on consecutive Wednesdays in four week blocks.

Term 1 Weeks 3 – 6, Starting: 13 February
Term 2 Weeks 3 – 6, Starting: 7 May
Term 3 Weeks 3 – 6, Starting: 1 August