Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Research Discovery Workshop: 17-21 February 2020.

The State Library of Queensland will be hosting their annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Research Discovery Workshop at the State Library in Brisbane to coincide with the Minya Birran languages forum in February 2020. This workshop aims to enhance the research skills and knowledge of community language workers and support their ongoing language journeys.

Participants in the workshop will undertake research activities at the State Library, but also explore other collections and discover new ideas and strategies for working with languages. As per previous years, the program may include guest speakers as well as site visits to local collections. Participants will be taken on curator's tours of Spoken and Jarjum Stories exhibitions.

A Draft program is outlined below.

Day One will set the scene for research but also allow participants to explore the State Library collections.

Day Two a site visit to the Queensland Police Museum, to explore their collections relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and family history.

Day Three is one of the many highlights of the week and is a trip to Yugambeh Museum, Language and Heritage Research Centre at Beenleigh to hear about their many activities around language and culture .

Day Four will enable participants to finalise their research and present their findings to the group. An open forum will explore future directions for research activity and how State Library can continue to support language communities.

Day Five provides an opportunity for workshop participants to attend the Minya Birran Language Forum to be held 21 February 2020. This gathering will explore what happens next after the International Year and how to maintain the momentum and energy from IYIL2019. An evening event will showcase a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages through song and performance.

In addition to researching unique language materials, this will be an exciting opportunity to network and share ideas around language revival across Queensland.

Expressions of interest close 20 December 2019!

Further details, including Expression of Interest forms are available from Rose Warsow, Indigenous Languages Project Officer: Rose.Warsow@slq.qld.gov.au

Desmond Crump

Indigenous Languages Coordinator, State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Webpages

State Library of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Map

Minya Birran Languages Forum, 21 February 2020

Jarjum stories: A kuril dhagun showcase focusing on children’s books and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. 19 October 2019-10 May 2020.

Spoken: celebrating Queensland languages: A major exhibition exploring the survival and revival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages throughout Queensland. Join in the many talks and events to celebrate the rich and diverse languages spoken today. 21 November 2019 -19 April 2020.

UN IY2019 Links

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages webpages

UN International Year of Indigenous Languages Resources