What is STEAM

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM)

Why do you include the ‘A’ in ‘STEM’ to make it ‘STEAM’?

‘A’ stands for ‘Arts’. Arts learning and career pathways has had a high participation rate amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is a pathway of relevance for canvas and visual artists who may consider transforming their skills into digital mediums and becoming a ‘Graphic Designer’ for example.

Do you offer support across all of STEAM?

We support the growth and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across all areas of STEAM as it relates to finding mentors, building your network of Indigenous STEAM professionals, etc. We do have a particular focus on the Technology Sector and Arts Sector due to our experiences, connections and relationships across the sector. In relation to ‘Science’, ‘Engineering’ and ‘Mathematics’ we partner and are aligned with other Indigenous organisations that focus on these areas, and we would be more than happy to integrate them into your STEAM pathway journey.

HOW CAN I SIGN UP FOR INDIGITEK CERTIFICATIONS?

You can fill out the ‘Indigitek Certifications’ form [insert link] to be considered for an Indigitek Certification. Indigitek Certifications are online courses that are designed to help you build up your knowledge on various subjects. They are also designed so that you are able to build up your resume to demonstrate your effort and knowledge related to your chosen pathway. Your chances to be hired for a job comes in your ability to showcase (i) your efforts to demonstrate your skills and experience and (ii) your ability to stand out in the crowd, above and beyond your fellow applicants. What are you doing to stand out? Contact us so we can support you in your journey.

HOW CAN INDIGITEK HELP ME WITH CAREER OPPORTUNITIES?

Indigitek can assist you with your career pathways by supporting you to apply for jobs and connect you with our extensive network of STEAM entities. We can also support your learning journey that can prepare you for your Career pathway. Please visit our Career Pathways page to see more detail and also feel free to contact us to yarn further.

IS INDIGITEK AN ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ORGANISATION?

Indigitek is an Indigenous founded, governed and operated organisation. We believe that we will thrive as an organisation based on a ‘For us, by us’ model. The members of our team come from across the country. Visit our About page to learn more about Indigitek.

How does Indigitek engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?

We believe in following our traditions and lived experiences as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander based organisation. We work on establishing connections, relationships and trust with all of the members of our communities and their elders and individuals within each of these communities, tribes, clans and traditional owner groups. Feel free to contact us for a yarn to learn more about this.

what school student age groups does indigitek support

Currently Indigitek supports secondary school students in their journey to understand and learn more about the possible STEAM learning and career pathways that they could explore for their future. Our support comes in the form of online resources that aim to provide insights and guidance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students wanting to explore various STEAM pathways. Explore your potential STEAM pathways by visiting the ‘Career Pathways’ [Insert link] page.

what are the ways that I can support Indigitek

There are many ways that you can support Indigitek. You can be a one-time or ongoing donor of Indigitek. Visit our Donations page to learn more. We also have a volunteering program where you can volunteer your time.

Because we are a small organisation with limited funding and resources we currently are not able to take on a large number of volunteers. The volunteers that we do take on are aligned with our current needs at any given time which you can see on our ‘Volunteers’ page. If you would like to talk about a creative way that you believe you can support Indigitek then please feel free to contact us for a yarn.

Does Indigitek Partner with other entities

Indigitek does partner with other entities that are interested in supporting one or many of our programs. A high priority in the assessment of partnering is the alignment of your entity with Indigitek’s purpose and values, and/or your unconditional pursuit of these. Our priority is always aligned to ensuring that the work we are doing is benefiting and impacting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Do you partner with other Indigenous organisations?

Yes, we do partner with Indigenous organisations. These partnerships are based on a sponsorship model whereby you will be able to sponsor one or more of Indigitek’s programs.

For Indigenous organisations that want to partner with our programs, we only partner with Indigenous organisations that are not for profits and/or charities. We respect that there are Indigenous commercial organisations that may like to partner with Indigitek but we reserve the right not to partner with such organisations in the delivery of our programs.

Can I sponsor Indigitek and/or any of Indigitek’s Programs

Indigitek has many programs that you can sponsor. These programs fall into either Learning Pathways or Career Pathways and are targeted at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in urban, regional and remote locations.

How can I sign up to become an Indigitek Volunteer

Please visit our ‘Volunteers’ page and follow the prompts in the website 'Expression of Interest’ form and submit this for our review.

How does Indigitek’s Volunteering Program work?

As a volunteer you can support Indigitek based on our needs and requirements at a given time. We post this on our website so you can see if you have skills and experience that may be valuable for a specific requirement we have at any given time. Alternatively, you can complete our ‘Expression of Interest’ form found on the ‘Volunteers’ page of the Indigitek website. In this scenario, you will be added to the Indigitek Volunteers database, and we will make contact with you should the need arise for your skills and expertise.

Can I sign up to be an Indigitek Mentor as part of the Indigitek Volunteering Program?

Yes, you can. However, being a mentor is a commitment over a longer period of time to support an Indigenous person going through their Learning and/or Career pathway in STEAM. So, please keep in mind that when requesting to be a mentor that this is a commitment that takes place over several months. Our goal is to ensure that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recipients of the mentoring program are able to experience stable and longstanding support from their mentor. Please see our Mentoring Program Guide to get more of an understanding of the Indigitek mentoring program.

Do I have to be Indigenous to be an Indigitek Mentor

No you don’t have to be Indigenous. However, we have preference if you have a certificate, or similar acknowledgement, of having done Cultural Awareness Training. Why? Because we want to protect our mentees from intentional or unintentional harm that they could experience. If you have not done Cultural Awareness Training before but have extensive experience working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, then please write to us and let us know the details of your experience.

Do I have to be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander to receive Indigitek Mentoring?

Yes. As Indigitek is an organisation that is focused on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the systemic issues related to historical and current day access to STEAM-based learning and career opportunities, we exist to address this problem.

Do I need a Working With Children Check (wwcc) to become an Indigitek Mentor?

No. Because our mentoring programs currently focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that are 18 years of age or above, and this does not require a WWCC. However, you will need to agree to the Indigitek Mentoring Code of Conduct standards (for Mentors - for Mentees) that aim to support both mentors and mentees in the mentoring experience.

What support does Indigitek provide to Mentors and Mentees?

There are two ways that mentors and mentees can run their sessions. The first way is to follow our prescribed format, which you will receive upon becoming a mentor. The second way is to design your own mentoring experience which both mentor and mentee will do together. We also have a guide on how you can do this (but please don’t feel limited to our suggestions, we are open to any and all ideas that respectfully and productively work for you both and that you explicitly agree upon).

Is your mentoring program supported by ITAS (Indigenous Training and Assistance Scheme)?

Indigitek’s mentoring program is NOT supported by ITAS and all mentoring is done in a voluntary capacity. We do encourage students to explore ITAS pathways as it relates to other mentoring OUTSIDE of our mentoring program.

Does Indigitek provide funding?

No, Indigitek does not provide funding. We are a not for profit organisation and we seek funding and donor support from third parties who are aligned and believe in our vision, mission and values to achieve this.

How is Indigitek funded?

Indigitek is funded by private philanthropists, corporate sponsors and also through some of the programs that we deliver to corporates and government entities. Our goal is to continue to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their STEAM learning and career pathways and in a safe and supportive environment with many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Please contact us if you would like to explore ways that you can sponsor or donate to Indigitek.

How often does Indigitek run events?

Indigitek runs several events per year in Sydney, at this stage. This number will grow and take place in different locations as our capacity grows over time. Our in-person events are for people who are 18 years of age and above. Please visit our ‘Events’ page to see more details of our upcoming events. Also visit our Facebook page to see past events.

Does Indigitek host online events?

From time to time we host online events. We do plan to host more online events, as well as have our in-person events to be made available via online streaming and also recorded sessions.

How can I attend an Indigitek Event?

Please visit Indigitek’s ‘Events’ website page and/or our Facebook page where you can see upcoming events and follow the prompts to register for these events. These events are FREE to attend.

Do I have to be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander to attend an Indigitek event?

No, you don’t have to be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander to attend Indigitek events, but we would like you to be open-minded and curious about our events and connecting with the Indigitek community. We have had many non-Indigenous people attend our past events and we welcome more people to come to these. You will also often get the chance to sample some Indigenous catering at these events too.

Why you should consider engaging with Indigitek

All of our team members have lived experience growing up in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Our lived experiences are tied to our cultural identity of living, learning and working both in-community and also outside of our respective communities. Additionally, we each respectively have experience working in industry as members of teams in the corporate sector, through to tech-based entrepreneurship and in the community organisation sector. It is this collection of experiences that enables us to share our journey with you because we have ‘lived and breathed’ it. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.