The ‘Deadly Days’ Festivals are part of the Australian Government’s Community Festivals for Education Engagement initiative. The Festivals will be hosted by North Coast Aboriginal Learning Partnerships (NCALP) of North Coast TAFE.

The Festivals aim to increase education, employment and training opportunities for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and also promote positive and healthy lifestyles. Specifically, the Deadly Days Festivals seek to increase the capacity of local communities to plan and implement festivals that meet the following objectives:
• communicate positive engagement with education
• showcase employment, training and vocational pathways
• encourage positive engagement with healthy lifestyles and reduced crime
• promote contemporary and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
• include arts, music, performance and sport activities

In 2008, three Festivals will be held across the North Coast in: Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Taree. The dates, to be confirmed, are planned for October – November.

The >> Next Generation Project is a key component of the Deadly Days Festivals and represents an exciting partnership between NCALP and Southern Cross University and a commitment to Aboriginal Education on the North Coast.