Eleanor A. Bourke Award for Indigenous Education:

From, On and For Country Team

The From, On and For Country Team received this award for forging an innovative Indigenous-led design teaching approach delivered through an Indigenous-partnered Design Studio model.  

Within the RMIT Landscape discipline, the team members include Jock Gilbert who has been teaching Design Studios partnered with Barkandji scholar and RMIT PhD Candidate Sophia Pearce and the Culpra Milli Aboriginal Corporation. 

Within the RMIT Architecture discipline, the team members include Dr Christine Phillips and Stasinos Mantzis who have been teaching Design Studios partnered with Kirrae Whurrong elder Uncle Leonard Clarke and the Kirrae Whurrong community as well as co-teaching Design Studios with N'arwee't Professor Carolyn Briggs AM.  

The model allows students to apply their skills directly on Country with Indigenous partners via projects envisioned, shaped and codesigned by our Indigenous partners. Impact is registered across students, industry, educators and community members resulting in significant awards and contribution to new knowledges. A range of benefits have flowed to Indigenous communities and the capacity of educators has increased markedly, leading directly to the formation of the Yulendj Weelam Design Research Lab.