Eighteen-year-old Casimira Tipiloura is the first person to admit that she never thought she’d finish Year 12. She was bought up in the Tiwi Islands and no one in her family had completed their schooling.
But Ms Tipiloura is now an early learning educator at Goodstart Nightcliff, in the Northern Territory, and has embarked on a project with Healing Our Children to help spread the work about domestic violence.
She started with Nightcliff after graduating from her high school Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, 80km north of Darwin. She was the first student from the Tiwi Islands to gain an ATAR.
She went on to complete a certificate III in early childhood education and as part of the practical component of her course, she worked for 120 hours at Nightcliff.
"I wanted to help my community, especially with the education of the young children in our culture," Ms Tipiloura said.
Nightcliff centre director Tameka Meehan said she was keen to learn and did a great job during her placement.
To help fund her studies, Ms Tipiloura has been selling bags and T-shirts she screen-printed with her own design of a water lily.
"Water lilies represent my love for the Tiwi Islands," she said.
Her work captured the attention of Healing Our Children, who asked her to create a design for the project.
“I consulted with the elders in the community and became an ambassador of the Healing Our Children project to help spread the work about the importance of protecting young children from violence,” Ms Tipiloura said.
She said her design incorporated the Pinyama trees which grow along the beach in swampy conditions.
“The fruit represents the changes we want to make for our people,” she said. “And I Included the seed in my illustration because it’s like the brain of a baby. To grow strong and healthy they both need love, care and protection from violent situations.”
The bags and t shirts are available to purchase here
But Ms Tipiloura is now an early learning educator at Goodstart Nightcliff, in the Northern Territory, and has embarked on a project with Healing Our Children to help spread the work about domestic violence.
She started with Nightcliff after graduating from her high school Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, 80km north of Darwin. She was the first student from the Tiwi Islands to gain an ATAR.
She went on to complete a certificate III in early childhood education and as part of the practical component of her course, she worked for 120 hours at Nightcliff.
"I wanted to help my community, especially with the education of the young children in our culture," Ms Tipiloura said.
Nightcliff centre director Tameka Meehan said she was keen to learn and did a great job during her placement.
To help fund her studies, Ms Tipiloura has been selling bags and T-shirts she screen-printed with her own design of a water lily.
"Water lilies represent my love for the Tiwi Islands," she said.
Her work captured the attention of Healing Our Children, who asked her to create a design for the project.
“I consulted with the elders in the community and became an ambassador of the Healing Our Children project to help spread the work about the importance of protecting young children from violence,” Ms Tipiloura said.
She said her design incorporated the Pinyama trees which grow along the beach in swampy conditions.
“The fruit represents the changes we want to make for our people,” she said. “And I Included the seed in my illustration because it’s like the brain of a baby. To grow strong and healthy they both need love, care and protection from violent situations.”
The bags and t shirts are available to purchase here