AUSTRALIA SHINES ON THE WORLD STAGE FOR TECH INNOVATION AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE PRESERVATION
Australian technology and innovation shone on the world stage today when the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) was announced as global champion at the World Summit Global Congress in Vienna. The Australian charity was selected out of 400 nominees from 110 UN member states and won in the category of “Culture and Tourism”.
ALNF was awarded for its ground-breaking ‘Living First Language Platform’ (LFLP), a highly accessible, cross-platform multi-media app that preserves and revitalises Indigenous First Languages, empowering speakers with best-practice literacy tools to learn to read, write and teach in their mother tongue.
When languages die, we lose more than words. We lose a carrier of culture and the connection we share with ourselves, our traditions and our history. This technology bridges cultural divides, encourages literacy and, most importantly, puts First Languages firmly back in the hands of community members to pass on to the next generation.
The award recognises ALNF’s innovative use of technology to help solve the literacy challenges facing Indigenous communities. LFLP was chosen for meeting the criteria of being a digitally driven solution, able to facilitate transformation to a knowledge society and to assist in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Winners were also chosen for empowering people and communities, making education more personal, relevant, fun and inclusive, digging deep into our cultures, strengthening civic engagement and contributing to an open and transparent society.
ALNF was honoured with the award in front of UN representatives, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ministries and the private sector.
“WSA combines two major perspectives in its initiative – first the commitment on the UN SDGs, and how to use ICTs for development. And second, the development of a global knowledge society. The UN SDGs must be our measurement – in terms of what to look at and where to look. Today we are living in a completely different environment – through the mobile revolution, through the emergence of the algorithmic age – data has become a capital as much as labour, land, money and machinery. Hence, it is more important than ever to evaluate what is excellent content that really offers solutions and impact. Qualitative, local content has become the key and permanent issue. WSA presents innovation that uses ICT for social connectivity. To connect for impact.” WSA Chairman Peter A. Bruck states.
In addition to today’s win, the platform has also won at MIT Solve and its category of ‘Innovation in Connecting People’ at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas in 2019.
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