DKA flag­ship pro­gram Codes 4 Life has been strength­ened with $1.36 mil­lion fund­ing from the Depart­ment of the Prime Min­is­ter and Cab­i­net. Fed­er­al Min­is­ter for Indige­nous Affairs the Hon. Nigel Scul­lion vis­it­ed the Desert Knowl­edge Precinct today to share the announcement. 

Codes 4 Life is a pro­gram for Abo­rig­i­nal men that focus­es on iden­ti­ty, respon­si­bil­i­ty and lega­cy. It was devel­oped in 2015 by Arrernte/​Alyawarre man Michael Lid­dle and has been deliv­ered in com­mu­ni­ties across Cen­tral Aus­tralia, includ­ing Alice Springs, Ten­nant Creek, Arl­par­ra, Titjikala, Harts Range and Her­manns­burg. Through Codes 4 Life, par­tic­i­pants are empow­ered to be strong lead­ers in their fam­i­lies and com­mu­ni­ties. By recon­nect­ing with cul­ture, men gain a rich­er under­stand­ing of their iden­ti­ty and respon­si­bil­i­ties, and rewrite the lega­cy they leave for their chil­dren and grandchildren. 

“This fund­ing will have a pow­er­ful impact on Abo­rig­i­nal men and their com­mu­ni­ties,” Michael Lid­dle said. 

“Codes 4 Life puts the Elders at the front because cul­ture helps Abo­rig­i­nal men stay strong in our iden­ti­ties and keep on the straight and nar­row. Our work­shop par­tic­i­pants learn how impor­tant it is to con­tribute to their com­mu­ni­ty, take care of their fam­i­lies, and lis­ten to the voice of cul­ture,” said Mr. Liddle.

Shar­ing the announce­ment today, Min­is­ter Scul­lion said Codes 4 Life was a remark­ably suc­cess­ful com­mu­ni­ty-led pro­gram that he was proud to be sup­port­ing to edu­cate and engage Abo­rig­i­nal men with the life skills need­ed to sup­port their fam­i­lies and communities.

Codes 4 Life can now be deliv­ered to more com­mu­ni­ties, more often. With the fund­ing, the pro­gram will gen­er­ate cul­tur­al­ly mean­ing­ful employ­ment for Abo­rig­i­nal men in Cen­tral Aus­tralia by the addi­tion of a full-time posi­tion to work along­side Michael, as well as eight casu­al positions. 

Media enquiries: 
Anna Skid­more
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