First cohort graduate from Indigenous Language Revitalisation courses

Congratulations to the first cohort of the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalisation at the University of Queensland, who graduated this month. The 2025 student intake was made up of 13 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, all of whom are passionate about the future of their languages.

The group also included 3 people who are now FLA staff. They were Ella, who manages the First Nations Language Education program; Mollie, who has joined FLA to add her legal skills to FLA’s sector strengthening team, and Ebony, who leads FLA’s Priority Languages Support and Young Champions portfolios.

One of the graduating students said of the course: “By gaining linguistic and technical skills, we move towards independence in language work, ensuring self-determination for future generations.”

Ella said she also had an enjoyable experience: “The course weaves together the technical knowledge we need to work on our languages, with the lessons and perspectives we bring with us from our communities and personal experiences. Having the opportunity to learn from and with an incredible group of people who are all equally passionate about our languages has been such a valuable experience.”

The graduate certificate is the first of its kind in Australia. The second cohort will be due to commence their studies in August.

You can find out more about the course here.

Most of the 13 graduates attended the graduation ceremony at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus. They are standing with members of the UQ faculty.