Georgian's Indigenous college students experienced Australia's outback

A group of 20 students from three Ontario colleges, including Georgian College were in Sydney, Australia, during a two-week study tour, where they collaborated for a first-of-its-kind virtual learning project meant to foster meaningful connections among diverse Indigenous communities.(PHOTO: GEORGIAN COLLEGE)

Twenty Canadian students travelled to Australia to study its Indigenous culture.

Eight of those were Indigenous Georgian College students who immersed themselves in a virtual learning project meant to foster connections between diverse Indigenous nationalities.

“This was a trip of a lifetime and one I will remember for a long time,” said Lauryn Edwards, a Georgian student in the Indigenous Community and Social Development program.

“I love Australia wholeheartedly, and it will forever be a second home to me, for I now have new relatives and a family. This trip helped me grow so much as a person and showed me that my spirit and heart can grow even bigger.”

Edwards travelled to the University of Wollongong in Australia with 20 students and employees from Algonquin and Cambrian colleges in Ontario.

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The Canadian students went on the study tour, where they took a guided walk through the Australian bush and heard stories from Indigenous elders and rangers.

They attended guest lectures on history, culture, language, Truth and Reconciliation, traditional medicines and foods, and art. They also participated in a whale-watching cruise with First Nations experts and guest lectures on Indigenous whale stories.

At the end of the tour, students presented their own research ideas at a First Nations Collective seminar, gaining valuable academic experience in a cultural setting.