National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP): Outreach Strategies That Facilitate Inclusion

Abstract

To ensure that the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce of the future is inclusive of diverse peoples and ideas, there is a need to ensure that STEM outreach activities that encourage students into STEM education and careers are inclusive of and provide equity for people from diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and academic backgrounds. Since 2004, the National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP), based at Macquarie University, Sydney, has been using best ethical and inclusion strategies to engage with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students and their communities. This publication discusses the inclusion and equity strategies utilized by NISEP, including community consultation, student leadership and autonomy, volunteer mentors, and the respectful and best practice use of Indigenous knowledge. These factors have all contributed to NISEP's success in increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' aspiration toward and engagement with secondary and tertiary education.