The Batchelor Institute along with the Pertame (Southern Arrernte) Language School will host First Nations language experts from the USA in Alice Springs to run a language revival training aimed at creating new fluent speakers of endangered Indigenous languages. This training will facilitate international cultural connections and knowledge sharing between Native American and Indigenous Australian communities seeking to keep their languages strong.
This workshop will provide hands-on training on how to implement a language learning model designed specifically for communities with small numbers of speakers and limited resources. The Master-Apprentice method was developed by small language communities in California and has proven to be the most effective method for endangered language communities with the least resources. This training will focus on best practices for growing new speakers of Indigenous languages using the Master-Apprentice model.
Who:
First Nations Language Experts from the Global Indigenous Language Caucus (GILC) running the training:
Richard A. Grounds, Ph.D. (Yuchi/Seminole), Chairperson GILC
Julian Lang (Karuk), Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS)
Halay Turning Heart (Yuchi Seminole), Yuchi Language Project, Oklahoma, USA
Jiles Turning Heart (Lakota), Videography/Audio/Internet resources
Bobbie Chew Bigby (Cherokee), Second Language Acquisition
This training is open free of charge to any Indigenous Australian language groups who are seeking to create new fluent speakers in their language. We are looking for a master-apprentice team to attend the workshop - that is language fluent speakers and apprentice learners who are committed to becoming speakers. Our fluent speakers are usually elders and apprentices are usually young people, but this is not always the case.
This workshop will have a limit of 35 attendees. We will prioritise endangered language groups that have few fluent speakers left and strong elder-learner teams. Put in your expression of interest below, and we will advise the successful applicants by the 16th of March.
If you prefer to register over the phone, give Vanessa a call on 0421 478 262 and we will get your details through a conversation. It is ok if you don't have all the answers to the following questions. Just answer what you can.
When:
This training will take place from Tuesday the 28th of April to Friday the 1st of May. The training will start at 9am and finish at 4pm over the 4 days.
Where:
Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
Function Room next to the Irrarnte Cafe, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education at the Desert Peoples Centre Campus.
Cost:
We are offering this training free of charge for Indigenous language groups. We will provide catering during the workshop. However, we are operating on a small budget and are asking that language groups find their own funds for any required travel, accomodation or wages. We are happy to help with preparing funding applications to your local organisations to assist you to find money to attend this workshop if needed.
If you have any questions about the training, please feel free to call Vanessa on 0421 478 262 or email at
vanessa.farrelly@batchelor.edu.au. If you have questions in regards to the content of the training, contact Richard Grounds on
richard-grounds@utulsa.edu.