In Summary

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students from the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) are telling the story of what it’s like to be living and studying in Melbourne, away from their remote communities.

The students designed a short, animated film in collaboration with the Marngo Designing Futures Program and the Swinburne Centre for Design Innovation. Deputy Chair of the Department of Communication Design and Digital Media Design, Dr Samantha Edwards-Vandenhoek, and Coordinator of Photomedia and Lecturer in Communication Design, Ms Joanne Gardener, were awarded the 2018 Vice-Chancellor’s Reconciliation Team Award for facilitating the design and production of the short film.

Our Journey from Dr Samantha Edwards-Vandenhoek on Vimeo.

“The program puts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture at the centre of everything it does. Marngo Designing Futures has been working with MITS and collaborated to create the short, animated film with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. It is an amazing outcome and was an incredible experience for everyone involved,” says Dr Edwards-Vandenhoek.

The Proud Dingo animation still from Our Journey by MITS students.

The Excited Parrot animation still from Our Journey by MITS students.

Marngo Designing Futures is a culturally-centred tertiary aspiration program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary School students. It centralises and prioritises indigenous voices, narrative and perspectives, working with indigenous designers, artists and students in a variety of ways.

MITS Editorial1 LS‌Still from Our Journey introduction by MITS students.

“We feel deeply honoured and humbled to be working on this program. It’s inspiring to watch kids transform their lives in ways they never thought possible through design,” says Dr Edwards-Vandenhoek.

The Our Journey animation can be viewed on ABC iView until 9 February. 

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