National Indigenous Science Education Program

The National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP) aims to increase the level of engagement with science of rural and regional communities of Australia with high Indigenous populations; increase confidence in science, especially by Indigenous youth; communicate the relevance of science; and promote continuing involvement in science through secondary and tertiary education. NISEP is greatly strengthened by a consortium of local communities, science outreach and education organisations. NISEP activities include hands-on science shows, featuring Indigenous youth explaining science of relevance to their everyday lives; science-based cultural programs presented by Aboriginal Elders to the public; and community visits to partner universities and science organisations. NISEP uses a community-inclusive approach to science engagement, having Indigenous Youth and Aboriginal Elders as the ‘teachers’, delivering science activities and cultural information to their peers. By highlighting their leadership skills and confidence to their communities, the Indigenous Youth “teachers” become excellent role models and mentors, especially for younger students. NISEP generates a strong engagement with science in groups that normally do not enter into the science discourse. It targets Indigenous Youth, who are under-represented in secondary and tertiary education and science careers; Indigenous communities, who sometimes feel disconnected from the discussion of science issues; and it targets the science engagement community itself, so that methods become sustainable.