17 Process to Develop Your Project-based Unit

How to develop and manage a project with an Indigenous community

Community Engagement:

• Establish relationships with community leaders and members. Seek permission and involve them in the decision-making process.
• Commit to co-design at all stages of a project – consultation, development and implementation with community. Not just ‘listen to their needs, aspirations, and concerns’ but actively engage them in activities, bringing lived experience into the design process.

Cultural Sensitivity:

Engage in co-design to ensure

• cultural values and practices of the community informs all aspects of the project. This includes integrating traditional land use, sacred sites, and cultural protocols from initial planning stage into operating systems.
• that the project aligns with and respects cultural heritage because the lived experience and voices of Indigenous elders and cultural advisors are integrated from the design stage onwards.

Identify Community Needs:

• Design any project with the community to identify their economic and social needs. This could involve conducting co-design workshops, surveys, or other forms of consultation.
• Tailor the project to address specific challenges and aspirations identified by the community.

Skill Development and Employment:

• Design training programs with community input that build local capacity and skills. This could include technical skills related to manufacturing as well as other business and management skills.
• Prioritise local employment opportunities to enhance economic self-sufficiency within the community.

Sustainable Practices:

• Incorporate environmentally sustainable practices in the manufacturing process, co-designed with community input, to minimise the project’s impact on the local ecosystem.
• Consider renewable energy sources, waste reduction strategies, and environmentally friendly technologies.

Local Resource Utilisation:

• Explore opportunities to utilise local resources in the manufacturing process with community. This can include traditional materials or resources that are abundant in the region.
• Foster partnerships with local suppliers to support the broader community economy.

Ownership and Governance:

• Co-explore models of community ownership and governance for the project. This could involve establishing a community-owned enterprise or partnership with existing businesses.
• Ensure that decision-making structures include representation from the community at the heart of any project.

Long-Term Viability:

• Co-plan for the long-term sustainability of the project. This may involve developing a business plan that outlines ongoing operations, maintenance, and expansion strategies and includes communities at all stages of the design, plan, build and manage cycle.
• Seek opportunities for diversification to mitigate economic risks.

Cultural Preservation Initiatives:

• Co-design with community to integrate cultural preservation initiatives within the project. This could include supporting cultural events, language revitalisation programs, or other community-led efforts.

Continuous two-way Communication:

• Maintain open and transparent communication between community and the project management team throughout the project’s conception, development and implementation.
• Be adaptable and responsive to feedback, lead every development with a co-design mindset, adjusting the project as needed based on community input.

Ongoing Management of the project

The success of the project: measured both in economic terms and also in the positive impact on the community’s cultural identity and overall well-being.

• Revisit, reassess the impact of the project – and the project’s economic and cultural wellbeing
• Continuous two-way respectful communication
• Adjust to meet all economic and cultural wellbeing needs viable, as required
• Ensure the project is built on and continues to remain aligned with the community’s vision and values.

How can engineering improve the lives of people living in remote communities today?

 Key approach to any project: build strong relationships with community members and embed their knowledge and aspirations into engineering solutions are crucial for long-term success.

Water and Sanitation:

• Implement sustainable water supply and sanitation systems. This involves co-designing with community input and installing reliable water sources, wastewater treatment facilities, and promoting water conservation practices.

Renewable Energy Solutions:

• Integrate renewable energy solutions to provide reliable and sustainable power sources. Co-design solutions with community input to explore the options of solar, wind, or hybrid energy systems, reducing dependence on traditional energy sources and improving energy access.

Infrastructure Development:

• Engage in a 360 degree co-design and development of essential infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and community buildings to include professional and lived experience of living in each remote community. Well-designed infrastructure with community input enhances connectivity and accessibility to services.

Telecommunications:

• Improve telecommunications infrastructure to enhance connectivity in remote areas. This includes expanding mobile networks, internet access, and communication technologies to overcome isolation and support economic activities.

Housing Solutions:

• Develop innovative and culturally sensitive housing solutions. Consider climate-appropriate designs, sustainable construction materials, and community involvement in housing projects.

Healthcare Facilities:

• Co-design and improve healthcare facilities with community input to meet the unique needs of remote communities. This includes telehealth solutions, medical infrastructure, and technologies that address health disparities.

Education Infrastructure:

• Enhance educational infrastructure by co-designing with community input, the schools that accommodate the needs of remote communities. Incorporate technology for distance learning and consider community input in educational facility planning.

Agricultural and Food Security:

• Support sustainable agriculture and food security initiatives. Co-design engineering solutions with community input for efficient irrigation systems, community gardens, and food storage facilities to address challenges related to remoteness and climate.

Emergency Response Systems:

• Co-design with community input engineering solutions for effective emergency response systems. This includes early warning systems, evacuation plans, and resilient infrastructure to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

Cultural Preservation:

• Collaborate with communities to re/discover, identify and embed traditional knowledge and cultural values into engineering projects. Respectful engagement ensures that engineering solutions align with and preserve the cultural identity of Indigenous communities.

Job Training and Employment Opportunities:

• Introduce engineering projects that provide job training and employment opportunities for community members. Engaging community members throughout the design, plan, build and manage stages of a project will build local skill development and lead to economic empowerment.

Technology for Education and Skill Development:

• Integrate technology for education and skill development programs in consultation with communities. This could involve providing access to online courses, vocational training, and mentorship programs to empower community members with valuable skills.

Community-Driven Development:

• Adopt a community-driven development approach, where engineering projects are initiated and led by the communities themselves. This ensures that solutions are tailored to the specific needs and aspirations of each community.

Environmental Conservation:

• Implement engineering solutions that promote environmental conservation. This includes waste management systems, conservation of natural resources, and sustainable land-use practices.

Collaboration and Capacity Building:

• Foster collaboration between engineers, community leaders, and residents. Empower communities by building their capacity to understand, manage, and maintain engineering projects in the long term.

Example Area – Water in remote communities – what are the issues – how can they be improved?

Collaboration with Indigenous Knowledge is key: Incorporate First Nations knowledge and practices related to water management at every step of the design, plan, build, manage water projects.

Accessing Clean Water:

• Challenges in accessing a reliable and clean water supply due to the scarcity of water sources or inadequate infrastructure. Develop ways to sustainably transport and distribute clean water.

Water Quality:

• Exploring filtration solutions to filer out contaminants, such as bacteria, parasites, or high mineral content.

Sanitation Infrastructure:

• Explore opportunities to develop innovative wastewater / sewage disposal systems and treatment facilities to protect against environmental contamination and health hazards.

Climate-Related:

• Researching traditional methods which communities have used for millennia to manage the Top End’s seasonal rainfall pattern may offer innovative NT solutions. Focus on both daily life of the community and agricultural activities.

Infrastructure for Rainwater Harvesting:

• Co-research traditional ways of rainwater harvesting, which may provide a more sustainable infrastructure for more effective collection and storage of rainwater.

To address these water issues, engineers can contribute engage with First Nations perspectives in several ways:

Water Infrastructure Development:

• Co-design and co-research traditional methods of capturing and managing water supplies as identified and developed with community input. Implement any innovations to source more reliable water infrastructure: wells, boreholes, and pipelines

Water Treatment Solutions:

• Design with community re. traditional /place-based environmental solutions to water purification, with a focus on designing NT-specific water treatment technologies for NT context

Sanitation Infrastructure Improvement:

• Design with community to develop and / or upgrade sanitation infrastructure, including any community-led insights into better wastewater treatment and sewage systems to mitigate environmental pollution and improve community health.

Community Education Programs:

• Co-design educational programs to raise awareness and empower communities about water conservation, hygiene practices, and the importance of maintaining water quality using community input – engaging in language, traditional designs and images, as culturally appropriate for each community.

Rainwater Harvesting Systems:

• Co-design community-led research and install rainwater harvesting systems, including storage tanks and distribution systems, to capture and utilize rainfall during wet seasons. This can serve as a supplementary water source.

Climate-Resilient Water Solutions:

• Design with communities to engineer innovative solutions that consider the NT’s climate challenges – resilient water infrastructure capable of withstanding drought conditions and seasonal dry.

Community Engagement and Participation:

• Involve the community in all co-planning, co-design and co-decision-making processes. Engage with community leaders and residents in every community to understand their community, environment and place-based unique needs and preferences regarding water infrastructure and management.

Capacity Building:

• Build local capacity by engaging community in the design, plan and delivery of any project. Training community members in water infrastructure maintenance and management. Ensures the sustainability of any water project in the long term.

Technological Innovation:

• Further co-explore innovative technologies within each community and Country, assessing the viability of solar-powered water purification systems or mobile water treatment units, to provide flexible and sustainable solutions for remote communities.