Services
The Language Centre offers a wide range of services
List of Services
Facilities Provided
- Cross Cultural Workshops
- Interpreters – Courts, Legal, Health, Mining meetings. Etc.
- Language Courses – one on one or class room situation
- Photocopying Facilities (Mono / Colour)
Publishing Services
- Business Cards
- Brochures
- Photo IDs
- Letterheads
- Booklets
- Promotional material
Video Productions
Production of various dictionaries of the languages of the region.
Language Section
The Languages
The Language Center has as its core business the task of maintaining, revitailising and restoring the Indigenous languages of the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory of Australia.
The Languages are:
Warumungu Warlpiri Alyawarr Kayetye Warlmanpa Wakaya Mudburra Wambaya Jingili Kudanji Ngarnga Binbinga Garrawa Yanyuwa Waanyi Mara
To achieve these outcomes the Language Center is working on recording via a variety of means including written, audio, visual and new media technologies, the languages and cultural practices of the people of the Barkly.
Cultural Awareness / Cross Cultural Courses
For government departments and corporate organisations we can run cross cultural courses to outline some of the cultural differences that may impact upon their organisations when dealing with or employing indigenous peoples.
Interpreter Services
Conducted in conjunction with the Abiriginal Interpreter Service the Language Center can supply interpreters for court appearances and to help with legal matters. Interpreters conducting this work have completed interpreter training. In addition we can supply interpreters to assist communication with medical services and other functions of government if required.
Liason /
Mediation
To enable effective communication between indigenous peoples and government and corporate services we have teams of indigenous people who can mediate or liase between indigenous people and your organisation to allow for effective communication or resolve disputes.
Translation Services
The Language Center can transalte your message into both written and oral forms to enable you to effectively get your message out to indigenous people. English is a second language to many of the people of the Barkly and we would like to assist you in getting your message across
Media Production Unit
PAK Media
Pak Media is the support unit for the language development branch, having the responsibility for taking the work of our language workers and publishing this work in a wide variety of multimedia and print formats. We endeavour to produce as much in-house as we can, enabling indigenous control over our languages and the way they are recorded and presented to the world.
Talk to us about your next multi-media production requirements, print job or publishing requirements.
Publications
Pak media designs and publishes all of our indigenous story books. These books come with an accompanying audio version of the story in both language and english. Some selected titles also come with an animation version of the story. We also produce a range of DVD/video documentaries highlighting indigenous cultural practices and have developed and produced many multi-media products for the wider community on a commercial basis.
Commercial Services
Pak media also offers a range of media production services and we are moving towards developing a media business enterprise. We offer a range of other graphic design and print production services. These include:

- Digital Video Production Digital Video editing services using Apple’s Final Cut Pro
- Digital Photographic services
Multimedia development - Print media design and publishing
- Digital printing production services
- Wide range of Promotional Products to help promote or advertise your business
- Document Reproduction
- Graphic Design
- Photographic Archive Scanning
- Website Design and Implementation
- Laminating
- Large Format Printing
Remote School Attendance Program
This program has only been operating at Papulu Apparr-Kari since January 2014. We were approached by the Federal Government in January 2014 and had a week to get the program running and operating by the start of school (a week in all). We were first only given Tennant Creek Primary School, Ali Curung and Epenarra Schools to conduct the RSAS program, but after a month or so we took on Elliott and Tennant Creek High School. We operate in 5 schools throughout the Barkly Region. We originally employed over 40 indigenous people to work within the program, but with funds being cut in 2016 we now employ 20. We are working hard with all the schools and teachers to get the children to school and are out and about from 7.00 am every school day and are out picking up kids from 7.30am on wards. Our workers are employed for 52 weeks of the year and during the school holidays are involved in community events to engage and keep the kids active during the holidays. We usually partner with Barkly Shire Council and Anyinginyi Sport and Rec in Tennant Creek, Epenarra, Ali Curung and Elliott. The RSAS team have also be involved in national training to enhance their skills, to equip them to do their job better. Training is ongoing and aid us to develop better skills to do our job better.
We had been set a target of 70% attendance level for each school, but the aim is to have attendance much higher. We had over the years had some school in our region reach 70% and some go beyond to 90%, but we have not been able to maintain those percentages for a prolonged period. We have a lot of work to do to get parents and carers empowered to ensure they are able to send their kids to school regularly. With the aid of the RSAS and PaCE programs we hope to make some advancement in the school attendance and hope to get closer to the 70% attendance level.
There are 4 main reasons for children not attending school and being absent from communities during school days they are:
Football, Festivals, Family, Funerals
We have developed a great team of “yellow shirts” and are working with parents and carers to help children get to school.
Parent Community Engagement
Introduction In January 2014 the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet funded Papulu Apparr-Kari (PAK) Aboriginal Corporation to extend its Parent and Community Engagement (PACE) Project until 30 June 2019. The PACE project was trialled in four schools in the Barkly region, including: Tennant Creek, Ali Curung and Epenarra. The purpose of the project was to assist families develop individual solutions to maintain their child’s school attendance during periods of sorry business, ceremonial leave, sports carnivals and cultural events.
This report provides an overview of the projects:
Governance arrangements; Parent and community consultations; Partnership arrangements; Engagement activities; Outcomes; Success factors; and Barriers.
This report should be read in conjunction with the PAK/University of New South Wales discussion paper titled ‘Let’s Make It Better For the Future’ (PMC File) which provides a detailed analysis of parent’s perceptions of the high absenteeism levels of school children in selected sites and analysis of if these perceptions are consistent with the assumptions on which current NT school engagement policy, program and practice are based and the likely social and economic impact.
Background
In June 2014 PAK were funded to engage parents and community members in activities to reduce child absenteeism and assist families develop individual solutions to maintain their child’s school attendance during periods of sorry business, ceremonial leave, sports carnivals and other community events impacting their child’s education. Parents, carers and community members in Tennant Creek, Ali Curung and Epenarra were invited to participate in a four part strategy to improve child absenteeism in selected sites and enable authentic engagement with schools.
The strategy included:
raising awareness of absenteeism issues in selected schools throughout the region; conducting parent and community engagement activities to assist parents and carers become engaged in their children’s education; educating parents about their roles as first teachers and the importance of education on a child’s future life choices; and developing Individual Family Agreements to assist parent/carer’s maintain children’s school during periods of sorry business, ceremonial leave, royalty meetings and sporting events.
Community Consultations
From 1 January to 30 June 2015 PACE consulted with 49 organisations and approximately 1121 community members in the Barkly Region to raise awareness of individual school attendance issues in selected sites. Community awareness raising activities included:
Information Sessions of the impact of school absenteeism; Community events and parent/school activities;
Individual parent training on Parents as First Teachers Kits; Intergenerational Trauma workshops; Parent/School conferences; and Parent workshops/forums.
Partnership Arrangements To support the outcomes of this project PAK developed partnership agreements with key stakeholders (Table 1 Partnership Arrangements) to provide wrap around services for parents and children requiring: Cultural Safety; Advocacy Support; Behaviour Management Assistance; Specialist Medical Services; Mentoring; Counselling Support; and Money Management Assistance.
Other partnerships were also developed to support:
Academic research; Resource sharing arrangements; Child safety; and Cross promotional activities.
Parent Engagement
Over 436 parents/carers of the students enrolled in schools in selected sites participated in the PACE project. The focus of PAK’s parental engagement activities involve engaging parents in their children’s learning and breaking down barriers between parents and schools to enable the parent/carer to participate in their child’s learning. Targeted strategies were delivered to help parents understand how their behaviour impacts their child and to assist schools create a more supportive home environment for children to learn. As part of this project PAK developed a range of communication materials in both English and local languages to educate parents on school policies, promote school events and activities, raise awareness of the impact of absenteeism on a child’s future life choices and assist primary aged students achieve learning benchmarks.
PAK staff communicated with parents on issues involving their child on a regular basis using the following methods: Face to face consultations, Parent notices; Newspaper articles; Community education sessions; and
Phone calls. Parents and community members also participated in a range of school and community incentives aimed at encouraging children to attend school on a regular basis.
PACE Responses to Parent Survey PAK conducted 436 personal interviews with parent/carers of children in selected sites to help them develop individual solutions to challenges impacting their child’s school attendance and education. Responses were designed to assist parent/carers address a range of neglect, health and school challenges impacting their child’s attendance including: Health Issues; Malnutrition; No clothing; Bullying in Schools; Counselling Issues; Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FaSD); Missing the school bus; Behavioural issues; and Moving Communities.
PAK’s response to each challenge identified by parents through this project is included in the table below. Individually targeted strategies for non-attenders were implemented in partnership with parents, families and communities on a daily basis. Parents of children moving communities whose attendance was below 60 per cent were also given assistance to get children into a routine of attending school each day and were monitored on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. A joint discussion paper developed by PAK and the University of New South Wales titled ‘Let’s Make It Better For the Future’ provides a detailed analysis of PACE parent perceptions of the high absenteeism levels of school children in selected sites and analysis of if these perceptions are consistent with the assumptions on which current Indigenous children school engagement policy, program and practice are based. It also provides an overview of the ongoing issues impacting absenteeism in selected sites and includes parent suggestions on how these issues need to be addressed.
Meeting / Training Room
Available to hire
Please view room hire request form for all room details. To book room and/or check availability to hire our meeting/training room please phone Reception on
08 89623270 or email reception@papak.com.au
TasteBuds Catering
Catering for all your needs
Once completed email to reception@papak.com.au
If you would like more information please call Papulu Apparr-kari Aboriginal Corporation on
Aboriginality Certificate
Papulu Apparr-Kari
Aboriginal Corporation
Funded with support from
