Raising The Bar this NAIDOC Week

As the nation celebrated NAIDOC Week, a transformative camp concluded in Darwin leaving a lasting impact on the lives of fourteen Indigenous students.

Rio Tinto Raise The Bar is a pathway academy for Indigenous secondary school students who aspire to participate in athletics and study at university, with athletes at this camp residing at Charles Darwin University. 

The experience is designed to develop knowledge and skills in athletics, with participants enjoying training sessions with accredited coaches, elite athletes and industry professionals, all while being introduced to educational pathways offered outside of their communities.

Representing Indigenous communities in remote locations as far as Groote Eyelandt and as south as Alice Springs, students from the Northern Territory embarked on a week-long journey of education, empowerment and self-discovery while also discovering shared cultural roots and practises amongst the group.

Run in conjunction with Charles Darwin University, the Athletics Australia program saw students take part in an array of activities designed to inspire students to continue with high school and tertiary education, with information on university sports degrees, vocational education and training qualifications, to open their eyes to diverse academic opportunities available to them.

Pole Vaulter Sam McDonald who attended the camp as a mentor said it was clear that the program ignited a spark in so many of the student-athletes.

“You could see that at the beginning of the camp, we had quite a shy group on our hands but by the end of the week, I had so many people bombarding me with questions,” McDonald said.

A sport and exercise scientist by trade, McDonald said it the way the camp was conducted was eye opening, with many students experiencing academic and career touch points for the first time in their lives.

“The way it was run was super engaging. Students enjoyed seeing what could be available to them. After a lot of the outdoor education stuff, which was fun for all of them, I had some of the students start to ask me what they could do beyond having fun with sport and how I've gone and done my education,” McDonald said.

“After a week, one of them told me he’s figured out a plan on what he wants to do, and for him it was coaching, and how he wants to take on the pathway, even going so far as to seeing what uni degree he could do.”

In addition to the education aspect, Raise The Bar featured interactive sports and health promotion sessions, where athletes engaged in activities that not only honed their athletic abilities but fostered a sense of camaraderie and enjoyment.

“Raise The Bar definitely gave some of these students a new goal, a new idea or things to aspire to and I think they got a lot out of it,” McDonald said.

“Charles Darwin University also went above and beyond to encourage them, talking about the Indigenous community at the university and an exclusive area they can go and connect. There is a huge support network, an outdoor area with Indigenous art and a study area with accessible computers.

“I also really loved seeing the students connect through their communities. So many would show each other videos of their communities and their music. There was a real sense of pride in this, and many of them forged real connections this way.”

By empowering students to become active contributors in their communities, Raise The Bar aims to create a ripple effect of positive change, already demonstrated by the 110% increase in attendance compared to the 2022 edition of the camps.

“You can see the difference it makes all while it’s happening and you know that Raise The Bar is going to help students away from the camp too. They go back and talk about it, and that encourages others in the communities to see what else is out there for them,” McDonald said.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 7/7/2023