Australia's leading performing arts training organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, NAISDA Dance College (NAISDA) is calling upon industry leaders and creatives to consider how better education outcomes can be achieved for First Nations people through stronger connection to culture, as the CEO speaks at SXSW Sydney on Wednesday 18 October.
With a rich history of nurturing and shaping the lives and careers of First Nations performers for almost 50 years, the college is excited to bring its unique and successful tertiary learning approach to SXSW Sydney alongside a series of other leading networking events and panel presentations showcasing the best in innovation, technology and creativity.
"We are delighted to be a part of the inaugural SXSW Sydney and share our unique understanding as Australia's only arts training organisation specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students," said NAISDA CEO Kim Walker.
Mr Walker is set to speak at SXSW Sydney on how NAISDA's radically different learning approach which draws on over 60,000 years' connection to culture and Country, can achieve extraordinary results and outcomes.
The College's nationally-accredited courses put culture at the core of its framework of arts education excellence.
This has resulted in a multitude of positive benefits, course achievement, student careers and entrepreneurship in the arts sector including the creation of Bangarra Dance Theatre and Karul Projects, both of which were established and developed by NAISDA graduates.
Mr Walker continued, "As a leader in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, NAISDA has been shaped by the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and communities, and has successfully built a supportive and culturally strong environment that allows our students to achieve their goals."
"We also pride ourselves on a completion rate that is double the national average in accredited vocational education and training."
Dr Nerida Blair, NAISDA's Board Director and Chair of the NAISDA Board of Studies, said, "At NAISDA, many leading voices have created a curriculum which privileges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowings. This means dance and performance are pure expressions of cultural knowledges which are activated and embedded through experience and not limited within a western-based context.
"We support this learning journey with a First Nations approach to social and emotional wellbeing. Our holistic program of Wellness and Connection for students provides a strong foundation for a lifetime of achievement. We look forward sharing our perspectives at SXSW Sydney."
To consider how the power of over 60,000 years of storytelling is igniting Indigenous leadership, Kim Walker will be joined by Wiradjuri woman and NAISDA Chair Mayrah Sonter, Yawuru woman, NAISDA graduate and Bangarra dancer Lillian Banks and Minjungbal-Yugambeh, Wiradjuri and Ni-Vanuatu man, NAISDA graduate and Co-Artistic Director of Karul Projects Thomas E.S. Kelly on Wednesday 18 October at SXSW Sydney.
