National Close The Gap Day - 2 April 2009

National Close the Gap Day is on Thursday 2 April this year. The day gives people the opportunity to show their support for closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians.

The campaign has made real progress this past year:
The Prime Minister and several state premiers have signed the Statement of Intent committing them to work with Indigenous Australians to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ health and well being.

The Council of Australian Governments also recently announced an additional $1.6 billion over four years towards closing the gap.

This is a substantial step forward and a result of ordinary Australians making their voices heard through the campaign. But we still have work to do. Governments must urgently work with Indigenous health organisations to develop short, medium and long-term plans to Close the Gap. These plans need to be transparent and have clear targets so we can measure our progress.

Your ongoing support to Close the Gap is vital.

Get involved
Organise your own Close the Gap event
Find a Close the Gap Day event near you
Register your Event
Pledge your support to Close the Gap

Indigenous Education Fund

A multi-million dollar fund will increase the availability of education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. The new queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation will support up to 100 scholarships a year valued up to $20,000.00 per student.

For more information call 13 13 04 or visit www.atsip.com.au and www.reconciliation.qld.gov.au

Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair

The Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair 2009 will be presenting some of the best modern and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from Queensland, as well as works by artists from the neighbouring Pacific region.

The arts fair provides an opportunity for collectors to buy the work of established and emerging artists who are producing some of the most exciting contemporary art in Australia.

The event will be held 21-23 August 2009 at the Heritage Sheds in Cairns.
More information
Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair

Volunteers needed for the Q150 Shed

Want to be a volunteer when the Q150 Shed comes to your town?

Get into the celebrations by volunteering in the Q150 Shed. We need help for everything from front of house (ticketing, ushers) to car park attendants to promotion.

We're looking for enthusiastic, reliable volunteers who want to be a part of the Q150 celebrations. Experience is not necessary.

Tour 1 of the Q150 Shed (June and July 2009) will visit:
Caboolture
Cairns
Mackay
Maryborough
Mount Isa
Rockhampton
Townsville

Tour 2 of the Q150 Shed (November and December 2009) will visit:
Augathella
Blackall
Brisbane
Cherbourg
Gold Coast
Warwick

More information
To find out how you can be a volunteer for the Q150 shed when it comes to your town, visit the Q150 website.

SBS Indigenous TV Mentorship Award

SBS is offering a mentorship to emerging Indigenous talent in the Australian film and television industry.

Applicants for the Indigenous mentorship must:
have at least one behind the scenes credit on a completed production shown in film festivals or on community or national Australian television, or be in the first two years of their principal role (for example as director or producer).

Applications are now open and close on Friday 27 March 2009.
More information
SBS Indigenous TV Mentorship Award (External website)

Call for entries - 26th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

Entries for the 26th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) open on Friday 13 February 2009.
The closing date for entries is Friday 27 March 2009.

About the awards
The NATSIAA has 4 prize categories:
the Telstra General Painting Award
the Telstra Bark Painting Award
the Telstra Work on Paper Award
the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award (sponsored by Telstra)

The awards are a great opportunity for both established and emerging artists to showcase their work. It is one of the most important events in the Australian Indigenous art calendar.

How to enter
For information on how to enter, including guidelines and entry forms, visit the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory website (External website).

Youth Week 2009

Youth Week 2009 will be held from 28 March to 5 April 09. Make a Move and get involved in Youth Week by going to an event happening near you or organising your own event. You will be taking part in the largest celebration of young people in Australia - it doesn't get bigger or better than this. Make sure you don't miss out!

Queensland will also be hosting an online competition for 12-25 year olds. The Make a Move online competition gives you the change to share in $6000 worth of prizes.
For ideas or information about how to organise your own event and how to register your event check out our facts sheets: tips for seeking sponsorship, promoting your event, to register your event for the events calendar.

What is Youth Week?
Youth Week is the largest annual celebration for young people in Australia. It is supported by Australian, State, Territory and Local Governments to promote a positive profile of young people in their communities. It is a unique opportunity for young people to highlight their issues and concerns and express their ideas and opinions.

What happens during Youth Week?
Youth Week is a special celebration for all young people aged 12-25 in every part of Queensland. It offers lots of opportunities for young people to: showcase their talents, contributions and achievements, exchange their ideas and views, attend live events,
raise issues of concern to them, act on issues that affect their lives, participate in new activities and learn new skills.

If you're after ideas on how you can participate we have 59 of them!

Youth Week also gives the wider community an opportunity to: hear what young people have to say promote and celebrate the positive contributions young people make to their communities address issues that concern young people.

Information from LG Online

Economic Development in Indigenous Communities - Scholarships
Expressions of interest are invited for Indigenous Scholarships and Career Development Advisors/Mentors.

In 2008 Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) decided to establish a scholarship fund to encourage economic development in Indigenous communities. IBA is an Australian Government initiative.

The intention of the Scholarship Fund is to provide opportunities for Indigenous people to access educational opportunities that advance business, financial and leadership skills development with a focus on commercial and economic management. This could include gaining a qualification through a TAFE Course or an Undergraduate degree. A small number of Scholarships are on offer for 2009.

The initial focus for the scholarship fund is on the mature age working person who is considering upgrading their skills through study. This type of person is more likely to be in a position to return to their community after the conclusion of study, and immediately be able to apply their new knowledge and skills for the benefit of their community or organisation. However, other potential scholarship recipients will be considered.

The IBA Scholarship Fund will also consider providing support to eligible applicants who wish to undertake a capability training short course. Short courses are non-accredited courses which provide practical skills of immediate benefit to the applicant, their organisation or community in business, commercial skills or governance. Such courses may include corporate governance training, financial literacy courses and the like.

The Scholarship fund provides a broad range of financial assistance to assist Indigenous students to successfully complete their qualification.
Assistance would be tailored to the individual circumstance, including living away from home allowances, and could include:
Course costs
Accommodation costs
Living expenses
Transport costs
Child Care
Study resources/ancillary course costs
Communication costs (telephone, broadband)
Tutoring
Relocation costs
IT equipment (lap top, printer)
Travel costs for family visits

IBA’s Partnerships Branch is also looking for the names of Indigenous Career Development Officers or Mentors, people who provide assistance in developing career skills and opportunities for clients.

Names and contact numbers of potential applicants, career development officers and mentors should be forwarded to Priscilla McCotter: email Priscilla.McCotter@iba.gov.au or call (02) 6121 2690

Further information on IBA can be found at http://www.iba.gov.au/
Your LGAQ contact on this matter is Angela Quain, Regional Policy & Programs Coordinator, call 3000 2212 or email angela_quain@lgaq.asn.au

Earth hour

VOTE EARTH - YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world's first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote - Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour.

VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

In Queensland, the Wujal Wujal council and community are getting behind Earth Hour. Wujal Wujal is an Aboriginal community in the Cape York region, and has an Indigenous Knowledge Centre (IKC).

Wujal Wujal

What is happening in your local community?

For more information - http://www.earthhour.org

Welcoming Places - Ideas for public library services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders

There are two distinct groups of Indigenous Queensland's, aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. Queensland is home to approximately 28.3 percent of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. at the time of the 2006 Census, 127,600 people or 3.3% of the total Queensland population identified as being of Indigenous origin.

The majority of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland live in area's that are serviced by public libraries. The State Library of Queensland aims to be a leader in the provision of library services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, and actively supports this through the collaboration with public libraries and Indigenous Knowledge Centres throughout Queensland.

The State Library has developed Welcoming Places - Ideas for public library services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, a publication for public libraries which outlines practical ways libraries can improve access and services for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders in their local community. Welcoming Places can be found on the State Library website.

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about/pub/publib#welcoming

Harmony Day 2009

Living in harmony is an Australian Government incentive designed to promote community harmony, build relationships between people and address racism where it occurs in Australia.

Harmony Day is celebrated on the 21 March each year.

The key message of Harmony Day is that Everyone Belongs. It's about community participation, inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

'Celebrating our Community Elders' Harmony Day 2009 at the State Library of Queensland, Friday 20 March. This event will host a public performance in the Knowledge Walk featuring the African Woman's chorus and singer songwriter Getano Bann. We will also be hosting an invitation only morning tea to acknowledge the community Elders.The public performance commences at 9.45 am.

For more information about Harmony Day take a look at their website.

http://www.harmony.gov.au/harmony-day/

Welcome

Welcome to the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library Services (qatsils) information blog.

The State Library of Queensland originally created the qatsils mailing list to help everyone share information, ideas, programs and projects that are happening in your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

To become a member of qatsils join our mailing list. http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/publib/news/lists/hosted/qatsils