Hands Up! project bridges learning gap

Hands Up! The Family Tree project - Graduation night
List of Participants and Staff from the Program: Back - (L to R) Steve Harris (Manager, Student Guild), Rennae Waters (Project Manager, GUMURRII SSU), Luke Dillon, Uncle John Dart, Tony Ryan, Tony Dillon, (back) Greg Broe (Client Technology Services), Dallas Graham, Justin Day. Middle - (L to R) Carol Edwards (Learning Assistance Officer GUMURRII SSU), Rea Turner (Learning Adviser, Learning and Teaching) Melissa Ryan, Aunty Dot Dart, Nicky Duffin (ICT Literacy Specialist, Learning and Teaching), Bronwyn Dillon (Director, GUMURRII SSU), Kerryn Brown (Administration Coordinator, GUMURRII SSU) Front - (L to R) Johnathan Dart, Seru Vutoni, Conor Graham, Robert Snow (Technology Support Coordinator, Client Technology Services) Absent: Emerald Brewer, Adam Clarke, Amon Driver, Uncle Jim Ryan

The first graduates of Griffith’s Hands Up! Family Tree Project have praised the program for helping them gain skills that could lead to much bigger things.

This pre-tertiary program was implemented by the GUMURRII unit and designed to build skills across the community and offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to commence their adult learning journey in a culturally appropriate and supportive environment.

Fourteen Kombumerri Ngarang Wal people were the first to experience the program which commenced at GUMURRII Student Support Unit on Logan Campus in August and culminated in a small graduation ceremony at the Gold Coast campus on November 15. The workshop sessions both introduced and addressed computer literacy needs and covered project planning and research skills.

Participants said that they had never used a computer before and found the whole learning process very easy to understand. They said “the program was fun, educational and relaxing”,”the staff were very kind and helpful” and “the program would be very useful in other communities”.

Griffith University will run an additional three intakes in 2013 with community organisations in order to build on the success of the program.

To find out more information about this project contact:

Bronwyn Dillon, Director of GUMURRII Student Support Unit on 3735 7676.