KYDAI
It is officially recognised that Indigenous Australians are disadvantaged in the area of employment for historical and social reasons and are far less likely to have access to meaningful career opportunities. Since incorporation in 2001 KYDAI has conducted employment and training activities that provide entry level opportunities for Indigenous job seekers with a history of welfare dependence in the family, poor work history, poor literacy and limited skills. Our everyday experience of working in this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community demonstrates that when someone has a job they have the capacity to feed themselves and their families, pay their rent and the self-esteem to encourage their kids to go to school.
Generally we find Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people tend to be kinaesthetic learners and enjoy practical learning tasks, working collaboratively and needing immediacy of application for their learned tasks..
Employment and Training
Currently funded under the DEEDI (Department of Employment and Economic Development and Innovation) we train approx 60 – 80 Indigenous participants per year in construction; environmental protection practices; community welfare and administration skills. Both areas have accredited training components delivered in partnership with TAFE. Our Work Placement projects include goal setting and skills training, individual literacy assessments, personal support, and workshops developed to meet specific skill needs. We engage with each of our Indigenous participants to form personalised learning pathways which focus on encouraging them to take control of their own decision making by challenging their sense of self, and valuing individual effort, thus changing their behaviours and attitude.
We have also conducted an Introduction to Technology program. This series of workshops focused on computer use, beginning with simple fun tasks that captured their attention before moving on to word processing and layout/publication. After completing these workshops, each learner was then provided with another 50 hrs individual learning aimed at improving their individually identified learning goal.
An adjunct to the above program the Kurbingui STAR, a monthly newspaper, has been produced for several years by participants under supervision. The progress of this document bears witness to the effectiveness of the activity. KYDAII’s ‘Star’ and the Inspire Foundation, with assistance from the YDFP, developed a DVD named “Kiama’s Tracks”. This short film demonstrated what the lack of cultural and spiritual identity is doing to Indigenous people, issues of lack of confidence, and loss of direction which leads to self destruction, a quality production that was later shown at the Sydney Opera House.
It is officially recognised that Indigenous Australians are disadvantaged in the area of employment for historical and social reasons and are far less likely to have access to meaningful career opportunities. Since incorporation in 2001 KYDAI has conducted employment and training activities that provide entry level opportunities for Indigenous job seekers with a history of welfare dependence in the family, poor work history, poor literacy and limited skills. Our everyday experience of working in this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community demonstrates that when someone has a job they have the capacity to feed themselves and their families, pay their rent and the self-esteem to encourage their kids to go to school.
Generally we find Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people tend to be kinaesthetic learners and enjoy practical learning tasks, working collaboratively and needing immediacy of application for their learned tasks..
Employment and Training
Currently funded under the DEEDI (Department of Employment and Economic Development and Innovation) we train approx 60 – 80 Indigenous participants per year in construction; environmental protection practices; community welfare and administration skills. Both areas have accredited training components delivered in partnership with TAFE. Our Work Placement projects include goal setting and skills training, individual literacy assessments, personal support, and workshops developed to meet specific skill needs. We engage with each of our Indigenous participants to form personalised learning pathways which focus on encouraging them to take control of their own decision making by challenging their sense of self, and valuing individual effort, thus changing their behaviours and attitude.
We have also conducted an Introduction to Technology program. This series of workshops focused on computer use, beginning with simple fun tasks that captured their attention before moving on to word processing and layout/publication. After completing these workshops, each learner was then provided with another 50 hrs individual learning aimed at improving their individually identified learning goal.
An adjunct to the above program the Kurbingui STAR, a monthly newspaper, has been produced for several years by participants under supervision. The progress of this document bears witness to the effectiveness of the activity. KYDAII’s ‘Star’ and the Inspire Foundation, with assistance from the YDFP, developed a DVD named “Kiama’s Tracks”. This short film demonstrated what the lack of cultural and spiritual identity is doing to Indigenous people, issues of lack of confidence, and loss of direction which leads to self destruction, a quality production that was later shown at the Sydney Opera House.
