Last year, Shooting Stars staff Helen Ockerby and Dr Rose Whitau attended the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) National Indigenous Research Conference where several themes were explored including Indigenous data sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge in research and Intellectual Property.
In order to ensure Shooting Stars uses best practice in these areas, the organisation recently approached national leader in Indigenous Intellectual Property, Terri Janke and Company for advice to guarantee that our program participants retain their intellectual property and sovereignty.
Shooting Stars Research Manager, Rose Whitau explained that “part of Shooting Stars’ commitment to Indigenous practice is to always give back to the community and it’s our obligation to protect the rights of our participants in our many research projects.”
Shooting Stars recently launched a scholarship with Curtin University, made possible by Major Supporter Lotterywest, enabling an Indigenous Australian female student to complete postgraduate studies.
The postgraduate studies will focus on at least one of the four Shooting Stars key outcomes, which includes improving participants’ school attendance and attitude to education, health and wellbeing, empowering Aboriginal women to gain employment or higher education opportunities and embedding the program in its communities.
“To date, our research has been in house, so we’re very excited to get a fresh, external perspective on our program,” Dr Whitau said.
“Shooting Stars is all about empowering Indigenous girls and women and building relationships. Through this scholarship, we will not just be providing an opportunity for one Indigenous woman to further her postgraduate career – she will be working closely with Shooting Stars staff and participants, and will be a role model for them as well.”
