Helping Students Connect to Country with Technology

In April, a group of young students in Adelaide came together to participate in a 4-day holiday program to explore their connection to Country through virtual storytelling, eco-inspired VR creations and 3D design.

Delivered by Makers Empire, Beacon Ngutuku Miyurna is a partnership between Yitpi Yartapuultiku and BAE Systems Australia . It aims to strengthen students’ connection to Country and inspire future career pathways in STEM.

Across the four days, participants completed a variety of activities, learning more about the land and how First Nations connections can shape a more sustainable and technological future.

Senior Kaurna Man, Uncle Mickey, guided students throughout the program, giving them valuable insights into First Nations culture, stories and artefacts.

Students completed numerous STEM-rich activities such as:

Creating their own boomerangs, exploring different types of boomerangs (paper, popstick and wood) and working together to design and test them
Learning about Smart Communities through videos and hand-held virtual reality
Using 360 cameras to take 360 degree photos outside, and using them to create a virtual reality presentation in Delightex showcasing how to create a Smart Community
Creating their own 3D printed name tags using the Makers Empire app to strengthen 3D design skills
Taking a walking tour of Yitpi Yartipuulkitu and embarking on a scavenger hunt to find rocks painted with the Sustainable Development Goals
Learning about the Sustainable Development Goals and exploring how these are connected to culture
Exploring contributions of First Nations professionals in the XR (Extended Realities) industry, analysing how their work addresses community challenges while integrating cultural knowledge
Viewing virtual reality videos to learn about climate change
Designing an augmented reality Merge Cube to represent our personal sustainability commitments, linking technology with cultural responsibility.

Students also heard from guest speakers from BAE Systems Australia who presented about their STEM careers to the group, to help them understand some possible career opportunities.