This year, four of our Aboriginal students stepped into leadership roles as presenters at the Aboriginal Learners STEM Congress, held at Adelaide Oval. The event brought students from across South Australia together to learn and share knowledge of science and culture.
Across Terms 1 and 2, Rachel (7), Caelan (7), Marlie (7), and Tyson (8) planned and presented a one-hour interactive workshop exploring the science of ochre. Rachel and Marlie spoke on the main stage to 700 students, teachers and STEM leaders, welcoming people back to Day 2. Tyson and Caelan also ran the Spotlight on STEM Yarn with Peter Reeve, who has a background in Physics, Astronomy/Astrophysics, and Atmospheric Physics. They also participated in two workshops run by industry organisations.
For each student, this experience helped them build confidence and strengthen their communication and leadership skills.
Past presenter at the Congress, Victoria, took on a leadership role as a Junior Mentor and presented on the main stage, a wonderful opportunity that showcased her talents.
As part of the Congress, four of our Primary students attended as learners and took part in action-packed workshops over the two days.
A highlight for all students was the performance by Nitro Nat and Dem Mob.
We would like to express our gratitude to Drew Kilner, local Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri educator, for helping source the Orche which we used in our workshop, and Denise and Chloe from the YASTSA team in the department for organising this fantastic opportunity for our young scientists.
