Indigenous Students' Leadership and Mentorship Program (ISLMP)

Previous Updates

April 2007

Winning students of the 2007 Indigenous Student's Leadership and Mentorship Program (ISLMP) travelled to Darwin in Term 1 to attend an Induction Day. This followed a Presentation Ceremony at Parliament House, attended by the Minister and His Honour the Administrator, where the students were awarded certificates in honour of their success.

Students then participated in a three-day camp at Batchelor Outdoor Education Unit. Activities included visits to the Charles Darwin University Indigenous Support Unit and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education, as well as various team building and leadership activities. A big thank you to all students who attended and to the teachers that assisted on the camp without whom it would not have been a success.

December 2006

Applications for the 2007 Indigenous Students’ Leadership and Mentorship Program (ISLMP) closed in November 2006. After an exhaustive selection process, 41 new students were successful in their applications. In 2007, there will be 50 students participating on the ISLMP.

These students represent 18 different schools and CECs spread across the NT. As part of their selection in the program, the students must demonstrate that they have a talent, have taken initiative or show signs of potential high achievement in a field of endeavours. Successful students in 2007 excel across a broad range of activities including - leadership, academia, art, dance, textiles, gastronomy, community work, sport and music.

The students new to the program will soon select a mentor. Their mentor will share their knowledge and experience, and will help the student identify and achieve their goals.

All 50 ISLMP students will ‘meet’ in Week 3, when they participate in a student forum via Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) and teleconference. For Darwin and nearby students this will be at the DEET meeting room in the Mitchell Centre, other students will be able to participate from their own schools.

In Week 7 of Term 1, the new ISLMP students will travel to Darwin where they will attend an Induction Day and a Presentation Ceremony at Parliament House in Week 7. Afterwards these students will join the 2006 ISLMP participants in a three-day Leadership Camp at Batchelor Outdoor Education Centre.

October 2006

An ISLMP Forum was held on 21 September in Darwin and via teleconference and IDL – 15 students and 6 mentors participated and found the experience very rewarding. More regular forums will be conducted in Term 4 as they are an integral method of communicating and for the (often remote) students to stay in touch.

A leadership camp is being organised for 20-22 October 2006 at Batchelor Outdoor Education Centre. Activities will include visits to the Charles Darwin University Indigenous Support Unit, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, and various team building and leadership activities at the outdoor centre.

The ISLMP will grow to fifty students in 2007. Application forms will be distributed from early Term 4, 2006 with applications closing in Week 6. New students will be inducted into the program in early 2007 when the students will all meet for a Leadership Camp.

August 2006

Twenty-one students are currently participating in the program, predominantly female and over half of them from remote areas. All students attend regular sessions with their mentors and are participating in leadership activities in their schools and communities. A leadership camp was held in early May.

Grants of $2500 per applicant are provided to support their leadership and mentorship activities.

Mentors have been identified, and a grant was won from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment to provide them with training. The mentors include mainly teachers and support staff, but also health workers, Australian Defence Force personnel, musicians and Traditional Elders.

Informal feedback indicates that a few of the students are already taking on leadership roles in the community and developing new initiatives which involve or benefit the community.

Information about leadership opportunities, improved educational outcomes and career pathways will be gathered annually, and student post school options and pathways will be tracked in the year after exit from the program. The first report will be available in 2007.

April 2006

Twenty-five students were inducted into this program towards the end of 2005. Of that inaugural group, twenty-one have continued in 2006.

Major activities this semester include:

• student grants to purchase equipment and/or participate in appropriate activities
• Leadership Camp held at Batchelor Outdoor Education Unit on 5-7 May where students participated in a range of indoor and outdoor activities
• training workshops for mentors will take place in late Semester 1 or early Semester 2. These will be held in four non-urban locations and will also be open to interested people from other departments and remote communities.

January 2006

The program has been successfully established with most students working closely with their mentors. Mentors include teachers, health workers, Australian Defence Force personnel, musicians and Traditional Elders.

Starting in Term 1, 2006, the students will begin to submit Educational Funding Requests to purchase additional materials or resources that will help them develop their particular skill or interest. In the April school break, students will take part in a three-day Leadership Camp.

December 2005

The mentor selection process is currently in full swing. Students are working with their teachers, parents and community to identify someone who can offer them consistent guidance and support over the next twelve months. Many students are looking to people in their communities who are forging careers in areas of interest to them. A traditional elder, a Defence Force Officer, a local musician, and a university lecturer are just a few of the people who have volunteered to mentor a talented student on the ISLMP. Members of the community who are interested in mentoring an Indigenous student are encouraged to contact Program Coordinator, Sarah Oppenheim.

Meanwhile, the talents of each of the students on the program are being showcased every week in the Territory Times. Those interested in learning more about these impressive young people can read all about their aspirations and achievements in a weekly series on page 3 entitled Indigenous Leaders of Tomorrow.

September 2005

Participants announced!

After sifting through an overwhelming number of applications from schools right across the Territory, the 25 inaugural participants on the Indigenous Students’ Leadership and Mentorship Program have been chosen.

The participants are:

The students have already come together in Darwin for an Induction Workshop where they learnt more about the concepts of leadership and mentorship and spent some time getting to know each other. Many of the students flew in from remote parts of the Territory to take part in the workshop and found the experience particularly rewarding.

Each students’ place on the program has been officially recognised by the Hon. Syd Stirling MLA, Minister for Employment, Education and Training, at an award ceremony that took place at Parliament House on Thursday 23 September.

The students will now begin the process of identifying a suitable mentor from their school or community.

Stay tuned for individual profiles of each student.

August 2005

Applications are now open for the Indigenous Students' Leadership and Mentorship Program. Indigenous students enrolled in government schools from right across the Territory are eligible to apply for a position on the program. Students can talk to their school contact for further information and an application form.

Applications from members of the community who might be interested in mentoring an Indigenous student are also welcomed. For further information on becoming a mentor, click here.

Parents, teachers, principals and the community are encouraged to assist interested students and potential mentors to become involved.

For further information and application forms click here.

July 2005

The development of the program is nearing completion. Students, parents, teachers, principals and the community are encouraged to start thinking about who may be a good candidate for the program and why. Nominations were called for at the beginning of Semester 2.

May/June 2005

The Indigenous Students’ Leadership and Mentorship Program (ISLMP) aims to expand the educational experiences and leadership opportunities of Indigenous secondary students. The program is targeted toward students who show they have a talent or have taken initiative, or show signs of potential high achievement in a range of areas of endeavour.

Former Darwin High School teacher Sarah Oppenheim has been appointed as the ISLMP Coordinator. Sarah has made progress with the development of the program, consulting with key business areas within DEET as well as some communities, including Kalkaringi, Elcho, Minyerri and Lajamanu. Sarah has also chatted to students, teachers, principals and school council chairpersons about how best the program might be implemented. Further discussions with stakeholders are continuing.

Indigenous secondary students will be encouraged to apply for one of 25 positions on the program when nominations are called for at the beginning of Semester 2, 2005. Successful applicants will have a mentor who will offer structured support and guidance to students as they progress through the program.

The project will be led by a team from Schools Division consisting of John Dove, Sarah Oppenheim and Leanne Goldsworthy, as well as Julie Donald (People and Learning Division), Joe Brown (Indigenous Education Division) and Barb Hatton (BBS Implementation Team).

Latest update