Nketja Untja - Language Nest Immersion Playgroup

The Pertame Ngketja Untja (Language Nest) is an immersion playgroup for Pertame infants and their parents to be raised within their language, culture and community. Language Nests have been recognised internationally as the most successful means to revitalise endangered Indigenous languages.The Nest is structured like a preschool or playgroup, where all activities, routines, songs, games and instructions are given in Pertame only. English is left at the front door. The Nest is led by Pertame educators and guided by fluent Elders.

Ngketja ingweyeng lyart-urna thep - Pertame Fluency Transfer System

The program supports adult educators to advance their fluency through classes and home study of an immersion curriculum called the Fluency Transfer System. This system, developed by the Salish Immersion School in Spokane US, is a comprehensively sequenced curriculum designed to support adult learners become fluent in their Indigenous Language. It is composed of six textbooks divided into three levels, as well as instructional techniques for full immersion teaching. At each level of the fluency system, there is a language book and a literature book accompanied by audio recordings and additional materials to aid in learning and teaching.

Ngketja Kuta Tnyenetjek - Pertame Immersion School Learning Hub

The Pertame School are conducting research and preparing a long term strategy to open the first Immersion school in Australia for our language. The research shows that for children to retain the language learnt in immersion preschool programs like our Language Nest, they must continue immersive education until at least Grade 3 (8-9 years of age). First Nations Language Immersion Schooling has had positive outcomes for Indigenous children in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Canada, Hawaii, and Turtle Island (North America), with Indigenous students in immersion schools outperforming mainstream English schools in academic achievement, attendance and graduation rates.

Ketyiy kngerrty kalty-irretyek - After School and School Holiday Program

The Pertame School runs after school and school holiday programs for the school aged children who have family connected to the Language Nest. This ensures they are planting the seeds for language passion in all generations of Pertame children, and supporting whole households to speak Pertame.

Werra kwarr kngerrtj ikerlt mangkethneng - Pertame Youth Support Program

The Pertame Youth Support Program focuses on high-school aged youth (13-18 years), engaging them on language, culture and community at a vulnerable period of their lives. These youth support the Language Nest with cooking, cleaning and peer-to-peer mentoring. As a part of this program, Pertame young people will commit to upholding a high school attendance rate, receive after school homework support, and learn valuable life skills to support their growth into well-rounded, community orientated and culturally strong young adults. The Pertame School has teamed up with Toi Matarua to build cultural connection with First Nations Youth in Aotearoa (New Zealand), creating once-in-a-life-time experiences for our young people to broaden their horizons, gain new role models and be proud of who they are as First Nations people.

Pertame ketyiy ilhelhem - Pertame Children’s Choir

The Pertame Children’s Choir was formed as a way for Pertame children to learn language through music. Song and dance has always been a strong part of Pertame culture.  Pertame children have learned over 20 nursery rhymes in language, as well as Archie Roach’s “Took the Children Away” and Paul Kelly’s “From Little Things, Big Things Grow”. The Choir gives primary school children the opportunity to showcase their language into the wider community through public performances, building pride and esteem.

Pmera-urna Rerlpetjek Lhem - Country Culture Trips

The program takes children on cultural trips on Country each Friday within the Language Nest program. The children are able to connect to the land, learn when certain bush foods, medicines and plants are in season and how to gather and hunt.

Pmera Nemal Kaltj-irretyek - On Country Learning Hub

The Pertame School has partnered with architectural practice The Fulcrum Agency (TFA) to develop a concept plan and costing for a Learning Hub on Country. This on-Country classroom hub will provide a permanent home for language on the land. The hub will create an immersive experience, enabling children to look out onto Country and see and experience the words that are being spoken.The project will also foster the rehabilitation of land and reverse the impact the cattle trade has had on Country. Plans include training young people to regenerate traditional bush foods and medicines, bringing them back into children's lives while managing invasive species. This learning hubwill give an important opportunity for boys and men in the community to connect to their knowledge and deliver cultural empowerment programs.

Annga ingkarnem Merna Mangkethneng - Bush tucker garden

Since colonization, the introduction of buffel grass, and climate change, many Pertame bush foods have become nearly impossible to find. Despite this challenge, the Pertame School wants Pertame children to see their Ancestors important food and medicine sources every day - to watch them grow and to know their Pertame names and uses. Bush foods are an integral part of Pertame culture and language, cultivating these plants ensure young people don't miss out on this vital cultural connection.

Pertame is a severely endangered language, with less than 30 Elders who speak fluent Pertame still alive. Pertame is an ancient and rich language, carrying 60,000+ years of history, heritage, knowledge of the country and a unique perspective of the world. Without serious action to create new fluent speakers, Pertame will be lost within the next generation. Our programs benefit Pertame people by creating strong, confident, and connected families that have increased cultural resilience, self-esteem and pride through their language renewal. For Pertame people, our language serves as the beating heart of our communities, cultures and identities. The 2020 AIATSIS National Indigenous Language Report stated that Aboriginal people who speak their language had improved spiritual, mental and physical health. They had better career opportunities, were more willing to take on leadership roles in the community and had stronger, more connected communities. The NILS report also found learning language increased Indigenous childrens' confidence and engagement in school, and increased their community pride in their culture, social connectedness and social efficacy.

“The children need their language, their culture and their country, it’s part of who they are. It’s their identity. If you don’t have an identity, you cannot find peace within yourself. Learning language and culture will make us feel better about ourselves, achieving self-esteem and self-confidence. In this day and age our children need it”. - Leeanne Swan, Pertame School Educator

• Strengths-based: We focus on the privilege of our continued ancient and valuable knowledge systems and culture, over deficient or Western standards.
• Self-determination: We are entirely led by Pertame community members. We know that our children learn better in a supported family environment, and that no one knows our own community better than we do.
• Elder knowledge above all: We follow all direction from our Elders, our living encyclopedias, and look within our own knowledge and education systems for the way forward.
• Language as the life-breath of our community: We prioritise language revival that grows new fluent speakers, over academic study or archiving of our living language.
• Language is culture: We run holistic programs, that recognise that language cannot be separated from country, kinship, art, songs, dances, healing, creation and our ancestors.
• Inclusive and safe: The Pertame School is open to all Pertame people, and we create safe, accepting and nurturing environments for learning, healing and regrowing our language.
• Family is everything: The Pertame School prioritises bringing extended family together to grow in strength, cohesion and allow all generations to fulfil their kinship responsibilities.
• Knowledge exchange: We learn from and share appropriate knowledge and resources with other First Nations language groups, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Pertame School is independently led by Pertame community members. The School is informed by an Elders Advisory Group, made up of 20-30 Pertame Elders and community leaders who meet each term to discuss the status of the Pertame Language, and advise the direction of the program. The Pertame staff team make all decisions together, guided by the Elders’ Advisory Group and the wider Pertame community. The different arms of governance include:

Kngerripat Ngketja Arratj-iletjek - The Elders Advisory Group

The Elders Advisory Group was formed to oversee the integrity of the Pertame language and how it is taught and passed on to the next generation in the Pertame School. The group is made up of fluent speaking Pertame Elders from each family group. The group meets quarterly to advise on the appropriate integration of Pertame language and culture into the programs. This group ensures the Pertame taught to the children is of a high standard by reviewing materials and monitoring the learning progress of staff and parent educators. Members include: Jennifer Armstrong, Brenda Armstrong, Anne Luckey, Kathy Luckey, Kathleen Bradshaw-Swan, Gary Swan, Valda Forrester, Doreen Abbott and Terry Abbott.

Lhentera-kenh Urrkapetj Arratya-iletjek - The Pertame Operations Committee

The Pertame Operations Committee was formed to ensure the efficient and effective running of the program. This committee makes decisions and advises Pertame School staff on the strategic, operational and administrative matters of the school. It is made up of 10 members from a diverse section of the Pertame community with expertise in professional areas that directly relate to the operational success of the school, including Early-childhood, Education, Human Resources, Legal, Community Development and Finance. Meetings are held monthly and compliment the operational governance of Batchelor Institute, our partner organisation. Members include: Michelle Swan, Marisa Bradshaw, Leela Kruger, Sharlene Swan, Des Rogers, Melarli Gorey, Jordan Edwards, Carmen Abbott and independent representatives Marisa Kelly and Russel Goldflame.

Pertame Ingkerrinyek Nyent-irremal Ngkerr-irrem - Community Annual Gatherings

Pertame community wide meetings are held once a year for all members of the Pertame community to get together, receive updates on the progress of the Pertame School and provide feedback and input.