Held annually on the June long weekend, the Barunga Festival boasts a jam packed program of sport, music and culture. Supported by the Northern Territory Government, the festival is about sharing ancient knowledge and 2021 saw the team at Inspired NT share a touch of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) with festival attendees.
Using crickets with solar panels to explore how solar energy and batteries work together to store energy for future use, a robotic bee to learn programming skills and spatial awareness, and foam rockets launchers young festival goers where engaged in fun activities while learning STEM principles.
Barunga is a remote community 80kms south of Katherine and has a population of less than 500 which swells to 3,000 people when the festival is held.
Encouraging the next generation to engage more with STEM fields helps build future employment opportunities. Children aged 0 to 14 years make up 29.6% of the Territory’s population (29.1% of the Barunga population), and remote communities are important partners in the development of our future workforce.