About the Program
The Wakakirri Outback Program
The Wakakirri Outback Program gives students and their communities from remote and regional areas of Australia the opportunity to produce a festival, celebrating their stories, community and culture. The Outback Program provides students with workshops in scriptwriting/storyboard writing, filmmaking and production so they can create and share stories with their community for the Festival Day and beyond. Wakakirri also provides training and work experience to the local community covering the skills needed to organise and run a festival.
With an exciting goal of establishing community driven festivals showcasing the talents, culture and knowledge of the area and its people, Wakakirri makes a multi year commitment to ensure each festival has strong roots in place and a sustainable future.
In 2012 Wakakirri will be running Outback programs in communities surrounding Halls Creek (WA), Ceduna (SA) and Barunga (NT)
The Wakakirri Outback Program consists of the following stages:
Consulting the Community
Extensive community consultation is conducted to assess whether the Wakakirri Program addresses community needs and interests. Once local support is established , Wakakirri invites community members and students to sit on a planning committee to ensure the festival is community driven. The committee meets regularly, receives training from Wakakirri staff and is responsible for aspects of festival planning and implementation. The committee follow a Wakakirri production plan and each year as the committee becomes more experienced they take on greater responsibility.
Lights, Camera, Action!
A professional scriptwriter visits participating schools to teach students the skills to tell a great story through film. With ongoing consultation, the students and scriptwriter work together to create a polished script. Once complete, a team of professional filmmakers run four days of filmmaking workshops. Students learn to shoot, star in and edit their film. The workshops are designed to leave the students with the skills, knowledge and equipment to continue to create their own films, music clips and multimedia works. The filmmakers also stay back after the school bell rings to teach filmmaking and equipment use to school staff and the wider community.
Creative Workshops
Wakakirri develops in-kind partnerships with like-minded organisations who provide additional workshops to students. For example, through the partnership fostered with youthbeyondblue, Outback students got to participate in high energy, hip hop dance workshops facilitated by the Indigenous Hip Hop Program. Wakakirri also engages local groups to run activities with the students. Community driven workshops have included traditional games and dance, making bush tucker canapés and painting with local Indigenous artists.
It’s time to celebrate!
Students and their families travel to the host community for a Festival Day. The Festival Day is jampacked with activities and showcases the talents of the local community. The day includes…
Film screenings – students’ films are screened in front of the whole community
Live performances – students and community get up and strut their stuff
Culture, Sports, Music, Arts, Dance, Health and Career Workshops
Stalls, Stalls, Stalls – Local artists showcase their arts and wares
Free community BBQ – All hands on deck to cater this massive sausage sizzle
Sharing Stories – the National Exhibition
It’s time for these fantastic films to go on tour and be shared with as many people as possible. The stories captured on film are shown at all Wakakirri events across Australia, online at www.wakakirri.com and are even showcased on TV on the National Indigenous Television Channel (NITV).
WHO GETS INVOLVED?
Regional & remote Indigenous & non-Indigenous students, local community, Indigenous artists, dancers & musicians, Indigenous organisations, community, health, arts, youth organisations, young adults, parents, elders, community leaders, Uni’s and TAFES
FESTIVAL AIMS
For Indigenous and non-Indigenous students living in regional and remote communities to participate in a national performing and visual arts festival.
To give students and their communities the skills and training required to produce their own annual community based festival.
To engage students and their communities in the planning, development and implementation aspects of producing their own annual community based festival.
To empower students and their community through the process of telling and sharing stories.
To improve students’ attendance at school through building the expectations of the students, parents and community members in their ability to achieve educational success.
To develop students self esteem, career aspirations and healthy lifestyle choices in a manner which resonates with contemporary youth culture.
To provide Australian communities with an understanding and respect for Indigenous cultures through the process of sharing of stories.
