Women Rangers Toolkit Workshop held at ANU

This week the ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) held the second of two week-long workshops to help women rangers from the Top End and Central Western Australia develop a ‘toolkit’. The toolkit outlines what work women rangers in remote areas are doing, what work they want to do, some of the challenges they are facing and strategies to overcome them, and aim to help inform other rangers and the community.

As part of the workshops this week, CAEPR staff helped the women rangers with report publishing and the production of a DVD. Specifically, the training included computer word-processing, the use of photos, publication layout, filming, film editing, making DVD labels, DVD production, and strategies for promoting projects in the media – important skills that those participating in the program will be able to apply back in their ranger offices.

“This week at ANU has been great because I have learnt how to make a book and DVD,” said Michelle Dixon, from Yugul Mangi Rangers in the Northern Territory.

“I really enjoyed seeing the ANU campus, meeting more people at ANU and going to visit the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS),” she said.

Janelle Simms, from Ngaanyatjarra Land and Culture, in Warburton, Western Australia, shared that she really enjoyed the opportunity to make movies whilst learning alongside other rangers.

“This experience will really help me with my work on the country, and in looking after the community.

“Now I just want to keep on learning – I hope to return back here to Canberra to keep training and hopefully study at ANU,” she said.

Read more about the workshops and CAEPR.