Pertame Early Childhood Language Nest Playgroup

We have just launched the first total immersion Language Nest in Australia, to raise our babies as First Language Pertame speakers once again. Our playgroup is for Pertame 0-5 year olds and their families, to leave English at the front door and be immersed in Pertame with fluent Elders and trained educators in a nurturing, educational and community-led environment.

On-Country Learning Hub

We are building a permanent home for the language, on the land the language originated from. This Learning Hub will create a home base for year-round homeland language camps, land conservation and restoration programs, revival of our songs and dances, community gatherings and cultural tourism ventures.

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Pertame is a severely endangered language, with less than 30 Elders who speak fluent Pertame still alive. Pertame is an ancient and rich language, carrying 60,000+ years of history, heritage, knowledge of the country and a unique perspective of the world. Without serious action to create new fluent speakers, Pertame will be lost within the next generation. Our programs benefit Pertame people by creating strong, confident, and connected families that have increased cultural resilience, self-esteem and pride through their language renewal. For Pertame people, our language serves as the beating heart of our communities, cultures and identities. The 2020 AIATSIS National Indigenous Language Report stated that Aboriginal people who speak their language had improved spiritual, mental and physical health. They had better career opportunities, were more willing to take on leadership roles in the community and had stronger, more connected communities. The NILS report also found learning language increased Indigenous childrens' confidence and engagement in school, and increased their community pride in their culture, social connectedness and social efficacy.

“The children need their language, their culture and their country, it’s part of who they are. It’s their identity. If you don’t have an identity, you cannot find peace within yourself. Learning language and culture will make us feel better about ourselves, achieving self-esteem and self-confidence. In this day and age our children need it”. - Leeanne Swan, Pertame School Educator

The Pertame School has the following values that underpin all our work within our community:

1. Strengths-based: We focus on the privilege of our continued ancient and valuable knowledge systems and culture, over deficient or Western standards.

2. Self-determination: We are entirely led by Pertame community members. We know that our children learn better in a supported family environment, and that no one knows our own community better than we do.

3. Elder knowledge above all: We follow all direction from our Elders, our living encyclopedias, and look within our own knowledge and education systems for the way forward.

4. Language as the life-breath of our community: We prioritise language revival that grows new fluent speakers, over academic study or archiving of our living language.

5. Language is culture: We run holistic programs, that recognise that language cannot be separated from country, kinship, art, songs, dances, healing, creation and our ancestors.

6. Inclusive and safe: The Pertame School is open to all Pertame people, and we create safe, accepting and nurturing environments for learning, healing and regrowing our language.

7. Family is everything: The Pertame School prioritises bringing extended family together to grow in strength, cohesion and allow all generations to fulfil their kinship responsibilities.

8. Knowledge exchange: We learn from and share appropriate knowledge and resources with other First Nations language groups, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Pertame School is independently lead by Pertame community members. The School is informed by an Elders Advisory Group, made up of 20-30 Pertame Elders and community leaders who meet each term to discuss the status of the Pertame Language, and advise the direction of the program. The Pertame School has 5 official Pertame staff members and over 20 casual employees. The Pertame staff team make all decisions together, guided by the Elders’ Advisory Group and the wider Pertame community.