During the West Kimberley Language Gathering, Living Languages trainers Fiona and Sophie, along with guest trainer and Miriwoong teacher Che Kelly, conducted a hands-on workshop on immersion strategies for Language teaching and learning. This interactive workshop showcased how these strategies can be integrated into everyday life to help strengthen and maintain Language.
Last week, Living Languages trainers Fiona and Sophie travelled to Broome to attend the West Kimberley Language Gathering, organised and held at Nyamba Buru Yawuru. This event brought together Indigenous Language groups of the Nyulnyulan Language classification, government representatives, Indigenous Language experts, linguists, educators, and community leaders to discuss the preservation, revitalisation, and promotion of Indigenous Languages in the region.
The Language Leadership workshop commenced in the second week of May, held on beautiful Larrakia Country. This year, Living Languages collaborated with ARDS Aboriginal Corporation and the Ngukurr Language Centre to bring Yolngu and Ngalakgan speakers, from across Arnhem land, together in Darwin. With the focus of the week being to connect with Elders, create pathways and receive training for Language work.
Let’s teach Lingo!
You can use iPads in so many ways to support the growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages in the classroom and on country. Enthusiastic Aboriginal Language teachers came to our iPad workshop from many communities including: Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, Worimi and Yaygirr, with Living Languages’ own trainer Desiree Johnson from the Marra mob, NT.
Living Languages Board Members and Staff met to update our Strategic Plan over three days at Tranby College in Sydney. Board drove or flew in from around the country, we were especially grateful To Aunty Louise Manas who came a long way from Kubin on Moa Island and Aunty Myree Sam from Saibai, via Cairns.
It is with a heavy heart that we farewell long time trainer and Program Coordinator Amy Parncutt, whose last day with us was on Friday 1st March.
Amy first joined Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity, as we were called then, as a volunteer in 2015, before becoming a Trainer in 2016. She has been part of more than 100 face-to-face and online workshops over her 8 years with the organisation, and has supported countless people in their journey to reclaim and strengthen their languages. With a background in linguistics, Amy shines when it comes to sharing linguistic knowledge, but always in a way that respects people’s deep and abiding connection to their Language, and the knowledge they already hold.
Earlier in March the Living Languages Trainers Mandy and Desiree hosted their first Sharing Circle for 2024!
This time they were joined by our amazing Program Coordinator Amy Parncutt as our guest presenter. It was a very informative and interactive session on linguistics and sounds in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. A big thank you and farewell to Amy, our Trainers will be wishing you all the best for the future, and you will be sadly missed by the Living Languages team and Sharing Circle participants!
Living Languages Trainer, Mandy Davis started online training sessions with Birri Gubba woman Marie Dennis in February last year. Marie grew up knowing only single words in Birri Gubba and had limited resources; a Birri Gubba word list and a handful of other resources passed on to her, from family members. Her ambition was to learn the pronunciation of words and understand the grammar to make sentences, so she could be able to teach her family members, and use more Birri Gubba language in song, dance, and ceremonies.
The Living Languages team, in partnership with AIATSIS, had the pleasure to offer another Paper & Talk workshop in October!
We brought people from 7 language groups to Canberra to search and retrieve their language materials from the archives at AIATSIS and National Library Australia. The groups also received training to help them to interpret those materials and use them in their language work. It was a massive two weeks for Mob to search the archives, followed by a very special on-Country trip with our Ngunnawal hosts.
In celebration of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, Living Languages partnered up with Muurrbay Aboriginal Language & Culture Co-operative & deadly Dunghutti artist Frank McLeod to create a new resource for language learning and teaching!
The resource can be used by all Mobs from all around Australia, made up of 52 picture cards and 2 posters with a how to guide – this resource can be used as we’ve suggested, or you can decide how it can be best used for your needs; a versatile tool to assist in the language learning journey.
The Living Languages team had the pleasure to present two workshops on sharing language immersion teaching ideas and techniques at Puliima Indigenous Language & Technology Conference in Darwin. Our trainers were joined by our wonderful team of guest trainers to bring these immersion techniques to many participants from communities from all around Australia.
In June our trainers Amy, Mandy and Desiree travelled to Yawuru Country in Broome, WA, to deliver a workshop for the Catholic Education Aboriginal Teacher Assistants for the Kimberley Region. They then travelled on to Miriwoong country in Kununurra, to deliver a four-day workshop for the Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language Centre mob.
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