Return to Country Program

The Return to Country Program aims to bridge the gap between Indigenous students, staff, and their cultural roots while cultivating interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathways among Indigenous, regional, rural and remote communities.

The program invites selected Indigenous students and staff from partnered universities to reconnect or enhance their connection to Indigenous culture and surrounding communities by providing them with an avenue to share and celebrate their success with their community and wider Australia.

Whilst visiting regional and rural communities, the delegation engages with primary and secondary school students to showcase pathways to higher education and careers in STEM. Additionally, the group meets with those supporting students on this journey, including Elders, teachers, careers councillors, other community leaders, and parents.

In 2025, the Return to Country Program will take place in Northam, Western Australia on Noongar Country between 21 July to 25 July 2025. A delegation of Indigenous staff and students from the University of Melbourne and Monash University will travel to the region to deliver STEM workshops in local primary and secondary schools in collaboration with Deadly Coders, an Indigenous owned not-for-profit focused on igniting learning and career pathways in STEM for young Indigenous students.

The delegation will be led by Professor Chris Lawrence, a proud Wadjak/Ballardong man, leading Aboriginal health and wellbeing researcher, and Dean of Indigenous Engagement in Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology. Professor Lawrence also leads the National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA), which supports First Nations students to engage with the global space industry.

The Return to Country Oration will take place on Wednesday 23 July in Northam, and aims to foster a national dialogue regarding access and pathways to STEM higher education for students in regional and rural communities. The event will be broadcast to an online audience, with registration available for the livestream via the button below.

Register for the livestream here

Partner with us

If you’re passionate about supporting the Return to Country Program, we’d love to hear from you. We're open to sponsorship, collaboration on future programming, or contributions in other meaningful ways.

To express your interest or to learn more about how you can get involved, please contact us at engit-indigenous@unimelb.edu.au.