The Ngukurr Language Centre is funded again! Crazy to think really, about how this has come full circle... the first 100 or so posts on this blog were all written when I was toiling away as the linguist at the Ngukurr Language Centre. It was a difficult, but ultimately extremely rewarding job. This blog was originally started as a way for me to cope with the struggles of that job. Life in Ngukurr for me was sometimes (often?) lonely and confusing and so unique that blogging was the best way to help outsiders - and myself! - understand what I was experiencing.
After three long but great years, the circle started turning. My workplace turned sour (not at Ngukurr, but at the head office). I moved back to Katherine in 2007, tired and unmotivated. My time with the organisation ended and I went on to other things (and the blog posts became rather sporadic): three semesters of teaching with Batchelor followed by PhD research and it was time to start spending more time at Ngukurr again. But by then, the little language centre was dusty, broken and mouldy.
Bit by bit, a bunch of us started dusting it off - metaphorically and literally - and now it's an independent organisation with a great little local team ready to see it in full swing again after four long years in the wilderness. And today the Ngukurr Language Centre advertised for its first ever Coordinator!
Very exciting (and nerve-wracking) to see what happens from here. I would definitely consider applying but I have a PhD to finish. Please do the Language Centre a favour and think about being its inaugural coordinator (there's a job ad here). Or send it to someone you think might be good.
My words of encouragement: go for it! It's such a small organisation that the admin aspects are very manageable. The board and local language workers are motivated which makes it easy to deliver great collaborative language projects. You don't have to be a linguist, just manage language projects. Give it a go! It might just be the most exciting, life-changing thing you do for quite a while! :-)
After three long but great years, the circle started turning. My workplace turned sour (not at Ngukurr, but at the head office). I moved back to Katherine in 2007, tired and unmotivated. My time with the organisation ended and I went on to other things (and the blog posts became rather sporadic): three semesters of teaching with Batchelor followed by PhD research and it was time to start spending more time at Ngukurr again. But by then, the little language centre was dusty, broken and mouldy.
Bit by bit, a bunch of us started dusting it off - metaphorically and literally - and now it's an independent organisation with a great little local team ready to see it in full swing again after four long years in the wilderness. And today the Ngukurr Language Centre advertised for its first ever Coordinator!
Very exciting (and nerve-wracking) to see what happens from here. I would definitely consider applying but I have a PhD to finish. Please do the Language Centre a favour and think about being its inaugural coordinator (there's a job ad here). Or send it to someone you think might be good.
My words of encouragement: go for it! It's such a small organisation that the admin aspects are very manageable. The board and local language workers are motivated which makes it easy to deliver great collaborative language projects. You don't have to be a linguist, just manage language projects. Give it a go! It might just be the most exciting, life-changing thing you do for quite a while! :-)
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