Training with Living Languages

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.

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.

In December Amy and one of our newest trainers, Desiree, travelled to Kabi Kabi Country in Caboolture, QLD, for a workshop with the language teachers at Caboolture State High School.

In November Living Languages travelled to Adelaide on Kaurna land to take part in the 2-day Warra: Indigenous Languages Youth Forum. The Forum was hosted by First Languages Australia and aimed to bring tomorrow’s leaders together, to build networks, gain skills and inspire young people to take on vital community language roles.

Over five wonderful days in May, Living Languages joined our partner, Nyamba Buru Yawuru (NBY) in Broome, to run the 2022 Language Leadership Workshop.

May 24th-28th seen our NSW PD Youth Workshop happen. We had five participants from all around NSW travel to Nambucca Heads to take part.

The QLD Youth Professional Development Workshop was held in Cairns from 17-20 May 2021.

In February Living Languages did weekly online sessions with Far West Language Centre. These sessions focussed on unpacking the Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program (MALLP).

In this article, Alice Gaby (Monash University) discusses the importance and impact of the Paper & Talk workshop we ran in collaboration with AIATSIS in 2019 in Canberra to assist community researchers in their search through the archives for language materials.

Emma and Andrew wrapped up our first ever workshop at Maningrida College in Central Arnhem Land on 13 February, where they've been working with the amazing language team responsible for developing materials for the school's unique multilingual program.

At the end of October, Living Languages had our second workshop at Minjilang, helping out with the Minjilang Language and Culture project. Emma had already visited once earlier in the year, and was happy to return and introduce Ebony to the team revitalising the Iwaidja Language, supported by ARDS Aboriginal Corporation.

Andrew from Living Languages and Roko from Nyamba Buru Yawuru have just spent 3 days in South Arnhem Land running a workshop with Jocelyn, Betty, Chiyo and Rosemary from the Banatjarl Strongbala Wimun Grup, responsible for passing on the highly endangered Jawoyn language and culture to the next generation of speakers, based at Barunga School, NT.

Over the first two weeks in September, we worked with representatives from five language groups who gathered at AIATSIS, in Canberra, to explore the archives, research historical records and repatriate important material back to their communities.

May 2019 saw our first ever Professional Development Workshop for Youth. Living Languages/RNLD has previously had six Professional Development Workshops but none for a specific age group. For 2019's PD Workshop, we targeted youth doing any type of language work, from around the country, aged 18-30. Participants came from various places and language groups from around Australia, to participate in a 4-day workshop in Melbourne.