Community & the Arts

Our work champions the importance of language and culture in developing self-empowerment for Aboriginal people. We provide a range of platforms for Aboriginal voices to be heard, and we support Aboriginal communities to become informed about, and engage on their own terms with mainstream services and systems.

Education & Communication Services

Provides capacity building in indigenous communities through education, support services and advocacy for indigenous people. Community development and cultural-awareness workshops are provided.

Health Education & Training

Provides health education and training about basic health, germs & microscopy, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and trongyloides for indigenous people.

Language, Education & Resource Centre

Works on behalf of indigenous people and with other service providers to facilitate self-determination & management within the wider community. Services include a resource centre, education & workshops, social welfare assistance, public relations and liaison with government departments &community organisations.

Radio Services

The Yolngu Radio Station provides local language broadcasts across Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala, Darwin and Palmerston, addressing communities’ cultural knowledge base and the questions that indigenous people want answered.

Arrernte men have an important role in keeping our communities and families healthy, safe and strong. The Artwe-areye program provides opportunities for Arrernte men to take care of and heal themselves, their families and communities. We employ a team of Arrernte men who work together engaging elders and younger men to connect on country and share cultural knowledge that supports a strong sense of identity, responsibility and respect.

The men engage in training and developing opportunities to create culturally connected enterprise activities that will sustain their wellbeing, resilience and roles within the community. The team also undertake jobs that ensure Akeyulerre’s equipment and grounds are maintained and safe for our work in town and out bush.

1000 Jobs
The 1000 Jobs project provides employment positions for men to work with the Artwe-areye program, engaging in cultural activities out bush, developing enterprise opportunities and other relevant work and training that will support ongoing employment.

For many years, the elders have spoken about the importance of maintaining Arrernte songs and stories, in 2022, we have been able to realise the Ayeye-ke Ilyelhme project.

Arrernte people hold important songs and stories of the land, these are integral to the connection and identity of Arrernte people. Central and Eastern Arrernte recordings for men and women will be revived from various archived collections and stored on a locally accessible database for the appropriate Arrernte families.

The revitalised recordings will be used by men and women, under the guidance of elders, to learn and continue to pass these important traditions to future generations.
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Elders and families will guide the right process for individuals and groups to share, record and learn their song lines on country.

Itentye means branching out, we feel proud of our culture and honour the knowledge and skills that have been passed to us. Our elders and families gather at Akeyulerre as an important place for Arrernte people to come together, we celebrate our land, our people and our culture and we offer ways to share this with the broader community.

We harvest plants and make traditional healing products which has grown into a social enterprise employing young Arrernte women and fostering the continuation of our healing knowledge. We also conduct cultural healing services including kwerte-ileme smoking ceremonies and cultural knowledge sharing workshops. The men are developing business ideas that support cultural engagement and skills development.

​We have also been busy building a larger centre that will create more opportunities to share our work and generate income for Arrernte people.

​Family life is central for Arrernte people, when the elders started Akeyulerre they wanted to make a place that families feel comfortable to sit down together, heal and show respect for each other. At Akeyulerre we support the cultural systems and connections that hold families together and keep them strong, we understand the importance and challenges of living in large family networks.

Our ‘family nights’ happen monthly, bringing together and celebrating Arrernte families, we share stories, teach our kids and enjoy time together. We run annual Healing Camps on country to deepen our connections and to keep teaching our young people about country, language and healing.

The heart of our families is with our elders. At Akeyulerre our elders are employed to guide our work, teach the younger generations and provide important healing services within our community. We support our elders to sustain their roles as knowledge holders and carers, in their families and communities, as well as offer practical help for everyday life.

Family Support Services
The Family Support Service program invites Arrernte families to share their stories about what is important for them to be strong and safe. Akeyulerre will work with our families and elders to apply their understanding of being resilient and connected, to inform a model of care that will help Anglicare work well with Arrernte families.

Apmere angkentye-kenhe mpwaretyenhe apmere Mparntwe-nge Arrernte mapeke. Artist mape apurte-irretyenhe tyerrtye Arrernte mapenge angkentye Arrernte rlterrke atnyenetyeke imernemele tyerrtye apmere arrpenhe-arenye mapeke alke.

Apmere angkentye-kenhe is a social project made in collaboration by artists and Arrernte people, valuing Central and Eastern Arrernte as the first language of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and examining the potential of language exchange to effect place, people and power.

The project was an independent, artist-run, initiative operating out of the Yellow Shed in the Todd Mall. Activities valuing Arrernte language were run from here and a range of language learning materials were created.
From 2019 the project has run through Akeyulerre. We have developed a smartphone app for learning about place and language available here. We also have a range of language learning materials available at our shop or online.
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Ayeye-ke Ilyelehme archive program continues to strengthen Arrernte language through collating Arrernte recordings and developing online access to Arrernte language.

To help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with someone whose drinking is a problem.

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences in order to help them solve their common problems and assist recovery from alcoholism. Information is provided for callers about their nearest local meeting.

Senior Citizens’ Association provides a range of activities for seniors in Alice Springs including bingo, card games, woodworking, snooker, bus trips and a monthly lunch.