We are thrilled to see our Living First Language Platform (LFLP) highlighted as a standout model of Indigenous data sovereignty in action in a report released yesterday by the Chair of the Australian Network for Quality Digital Education, Securing Digital Equity in Australian Education.

The Platform has been recognised as an edtech tool that nurtures strong teaching and learning possibilities in classrooms and communities across Australia, while honouring the key principles of data equity and data sovereignty in harnessing the power of technology.

With lack of access to digital tools and resources needed for their learning, the growing digital divide across Australian schools and communities has augmented the widening gap in educational outcomes of children and young people, with those in marginalised and remote communities increasingly left behind.

But addressing this unfair digital divide goes beyond simply increasing access to digital resources and connectivity. A commitment to data equity is crucial in tackling educational inequality through edtech and digital innovations.

At ALNF, we know that Indigenous data sovereignty – the right of Indigenous peoples to exercise ownership over any data on Indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, stories and Languages – is fundamental to ensuring data equity.

Our work is driven by a fundamental belief in the importance of embedding a community-led philosophy at the heart of all Indigenous Language revitalisation efforts, including the creation and use of digital tools and resources to teach, learn and share these languages with the next generation. As custodians of these valuable cultural and linguistic assets, any effort to preserve First Languages must be driven by Indigenous Elders and communities to create real impact.

The LFLP is 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.

It demonstrates the creative possibilities that are nurtured when community have governance and control over their Language data, and highlights the potential of community-driven technology to boldly reshape the way we educate our children, so that every child can thrive in school and beyond.

Read the full report here.

Learn more about the Living First Language Platform here.