On Arrernte Country in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Batchelor Institute’s Desert Campus came alive during the school holidays with the sounds of young voices reconnecting with their language.
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education recently hosted a pilot Arrernte school holiday immersion program through its Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics (CALL). Ten Arrernte children and young people, aged from two to 18 years, spent their break immersed in language and culture, strengthening the spoken Arrernte skills that connect them to their ancestors and identity.
Learning “Both Ways”
The program was grounded in Batchelor Institute’s “Both Ways” philosophy, which privileges Indigenous knowledge holders and blends cultural ways of being, doing and knowing with structured learning. Many of the children are from families where Arrernte is spoken at home, yet English is often their primary language. This pilot created a fun, safe, age-appropriate space to bridge that gap and build confidence in speaking Arrernte fluently.
The Faces Behind the Program
It was a true community effort, delivered by CALL Project Officer Beena (Myra) Gorey and co-facilitated by respected Arrernte language experts Elaine Gorey and Mary Flynn.
Elaine Gorey is a retired teacher from Ltyentye Apurte School and a proud past learner of Batchelor Institute, having completed her teacher training with us in the early 1990s. Mary Flynn is a long-time Arrernte language worker whose deep community knowledge guided every session.
A big thank you also goes to the Pertame Language Nest (funded by the Lego Foundation) for providing transportation, making it possible for families to participate fully.
Language in Action
This was no ordinary classroom. The children engaged in hands-on, play-based activities designed to make learning enjoyable and memorable:
- Practising body parts in Arrernte while introducing themselves and sharing skin names.
- Creating kinship maps to explore family connections; teens Hamish and Tyler particularly enjoyed this.
- Matching games and facial feature activities led by Mary Flynn.
Participants Kaylah and Ashaan proudly showed off their completed kinship maps, while young BJ matched Arrernte names to drawings with growing confidence.
Why It Matters
Language is identity, culture and connection. The pilot helped participants who already have some understanding of Arrernte gain the extra support needed to speak it fluently. The positive outcomes were clear: increased confidence, stronger family ties, and a renewed sense of pride in Arrernte heritage.
Insights from the program will directly shape future school holiday immersions and broader CALL initiatives, ensuring we continue to deliver responsive, community-led language programs.
Join the Journey
If you’re an Arrernte family, educator or community member interested in future programs, or you’d like to explore studying at Batchelor Institute, we’d love to hear from you.
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (RTO 0383) is Australia’s only Indigenous dual-sector tertiary education provider, delivering Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education grounded in the “Both Ways” philosophy. With campuses on Kungarakan and Warai Country in Batchelor and Arrernte Country in Alice Springs, we empower students and communities to achieve liberation through education our way.
Learn more by exploring our website. Let’s keep language strong together.
Photographs used with permission of participants and families. Images show: Beena (Myra) Gorey working with children on body parts and introductions; Elaine Gorey assisting teens Hamish and Tyler with kinship mapping; Mary Flynn leading facial feature activities; Kaylah and Ashaan displaying their kinship maps; and BJ matching Arrernte names to drawings.