Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte) Immersion
During the first week of school holidays, four Year 10 students were given the incredible opportunity to attend an immersion program in a remote Aboriginal community. Jiselle, Holly, Latiah and Sophie were selected to participate in the program. The four girls engaged in a period of preparation where they learned about the Santa Teresa community and the concerns of remote communities. At the core of this immersion was the idea of ‘deep listening’. When we listen, we understand.
Leaving Sydney airport
Ltyentye Apurte is an Eastern Arrernte community 85km south east of Alice Springs on Arrernte country. It was established by a Catholic Mission in the 1950s and the majority of Santa Teresa citizens identify as Indigenous Catholics.
Our students spent their days in various roles of service. This included:
🔹 Making meals for the elderly members of the community.
🔹 Working in the arts centre.
🔹 Helping the women of the Spirituality Centre varnish their crosses and package them up for delivery.
🔹 Playing with the children every afternoon at the skate park.
In these roles, our students were exceptional representatives of our College. I was particularly proud of the girls as they sat and listened to the women in the Spirituality Centre speak of their experiences as members of the Stolen Generation. The girls were visibly moved as they listened to the heartache endured by our First Nations people.
I am so incredibly proud of Jiselle, Holly, Latiah and Sophie for their willingness to be ‘present’ in this learning experience. I have no doubt that these young women will go on to be advocates for remote communities in the future.
Elizabeth Dadd - English Teacher
