The Faces of our Indigenous Digital Inclusion Pathway
About the Indigenous Digital Inclusion Pathway Program
In 2021, Winyama hatched its internship program. The vision and goal of the program was to further develop opportunities available to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Perth and surrounds. As a First Nations-owned and operated organisation, Winyama seeks to enter into mutually beneficial arrangements. With a desire to provide accessible education and equal opportunity within the tech sector, we implemented an internship program that could achieve both.
Since its inception, the program has onboarded six interns and is training them in several different streams. The program's diversity and flexibility allow interns to upskill and become proficient in interest-specific disciplines.
Hear about Amos Smith’s experience as a GIS Analyst Intern at Winyama.
Amos is a Balanggarra man but grew up living in Kalgoorlie and Albany, before relocating to Perth in 2020 to pursue his Bachelor's degree in Conservation Biology at the University of Western Australia.
Before starting his internship as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Intern, specialising in Drones at Winyama, Amos came to us by participating in the 2023 National Indigenous Mapping Workshop in Melbourne.
Amos is passionate about environmental conservation and has previously interned at Environs Kimberley, Atlas of Living Australia, and Birdlife Australia. Now, as an intern at Winyama, Amos has found a role that can offer him the opportunity to refine his GIS expertise, and one day he hopes to take his skillset back to Balanggarra Country.
Having regular check-ins with the team and having the opportunity to receive mentorship from senior mentors has made Amos feel at home in the Winyama team. He states he enjoys being in a team that will provide opportunities to ask questions and receive assistance when he needs it.
Uncovering the Possibilities as an Intern
The Indigenous Digital Inclusion Pathway Program has been and continues to provide endless opportunities and possibilities for the future of young Indigenous Australians. This continued growth comes with being able to work within an environment that is positive and supports you.
Amos speaks on the level of support he has received and continues to receive with his goal of returning to work on Balanggarrra Country. He can see how the work he is doing at Winyama intertwines with his goals and how this motivates him to develop his skills further and take each opportunity it arises.
“Over the past three months I have done data migration, learned how to set up flight planes using drones and attended my first regional mapping workshop as a technical assistant in Victoria.”
The tools that are being used to manage and monitor Country are being handed down as a way of engaging with the community by obtaining and recording stories and knowledge which are now being able to be shared and displayed through maps.
Amos speaks on the learning of these tools through studying the skill sets obtained through learning how to use FME software, and ArcGIS online products such as field maps and creating 3D outputs using the imagery that he and his colleagues captured on the drone using Amazon Web Servers.
These Opportunities Lead Into the Future
The future opportunities through the Indigenous Digital Inclusion Pathway Program are immense. These possibilities have given Amos a chance to see his future as an exciting journey looking after Country and Mob.
“I want to learn more about my culture with the help and guidance of being around my family.” - Amos Smith
“If I can use mapping as a tool to manage/monitor Country and do some story mapping with our old people, that would be a great outcome.” - Amos Smith
Advice for Aspiring GIS Professionals or Internship Candidates?
“Be patient and enjoy the process of problem-solving, as the GIS industry is a rapidly evolving field, which can be applied in a lot of different industries. Your best bet is to try it out and if you believe that this isn’t where you are meant to be then it is perfectly alright to move on and try something new. But give it a shot, it might surprise you.”
If you are interested in what the internship program has to offer you, or you’d like to submit an application, check out our Careers page! We are always on the lookout for new talent.