Djinda Ngardak Culinary Youth Program 2026
This program features intercultural activities with local Elders on country where you will forage and identify traditional foods, visiting sites and sharing stories and knowledge.
We promote strong cultural values and identity while developing high level skills and understanding of the hospitality industry. Throughout the experience students and teachers are involved in masterclasses working with industry professionals to develop dishes using local produce and traditional ingredients.
Introductory video
A quick explanation of what Djinda Ngardak is all about, including testimonials from students and teachers.
Dear Educators,
Aboriginal students from your school are invited to participate in the Djinda Ngardak (DN) Culinary Youth Program – Bunbury.
Students participate in different intercultural activities such as identifying and foraging traditional foods and designing art pieces. They will visit different sites while sharing stories and participating in team exercises to build knowledge and resilience. The activities are facilitated by renowned Aboriginal elders and leading WA chefs. In 2025 these included Paul “Yoda” Iskov (Fervor), Melissa Palinkas (Young George), our PPP Head Chef Tanya Healy and well-known Chef Dan Lyndon. You can find out more about these Chef’s here.
The program supports strong cultural values while developing different skills and an understanding of the hospitality industry. Throughout the program students and teachers will be involved in masterclasses working with industry professionals to develop artworks and food dishes using foraged materials and local produce. The experience will culminate in preparing and serving a showcase dinner on the final night.
To support the program, DN partners with the Australian Culinary Federation (WA Division) and Bunbury TAFE. The culinary experiences often extend past the classroom to support job opportunities and pathways for further education and training in a range of fields.
The workshops, masterclasses and various activities are mapped to competencies for Cert I & II Hospitality and Cert II in Cookery and the Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework. This will allow students to meet a variety of elements and criteria towards their final qualification(s). For teachers, this experience contributes to the requirements for industry currency and is an opportunity for professional development and networking.
Djinda Ngardak is a Nationally accredited and endorsed program.
Prepare Produce Provide is a non-profit organisation and works with sponsors and volunteers to keep costs down. The charge for attending Djinda Ngardak Culinary Program is $660 per student and $660 per teacher. This includes all meals, accommodation and return transportation across the week.
It is a requirement that teachers and students meet the following criteria:
Teachers:
Preference will be given to teachers delivering Certificate II Hospitality or Cookery
Must complete your own excursion management plan and student permission forms
May be in charge of instructing and supervising students from other schools
Must organise own transportation to Bunbury
Students:
Must be Aboriginal students in Year 10, 11 or 12
Must have ‘Good Standing’ at school: attendance, behaviour etc
Must be interested in Hospitality and Tourism
Registration Process Steps
Complete registration form:
Complete the culinary youth camp registration form on this page. This is just the initial registration stage. On submission of this form, you will be redirected to Humanitix to purchase your tickets for all those attending.
Make Payment:
Make payment on Humanitix. You will need to purchase tickets for all those attending. You will be required to add individual names of attendees on payment form.
On completion of payment:
On completion of payment via Humanitix you will receive a notification containing a password. Use this password to access the Participation Packages & Requirement Documentation section on this webpage to complete the registration process and receive all the necessary documentation required to participate.
Complete participant information details form & access resources:
Once you have received the password from your Humanitix notification on payment, you can access the Participation Packages & Requirement Documentation section. On this page there is a final ‘participants information form’ to complete and submit. There is also the itinerary, our insurance documents and certificate of currency for you to read. You must complete the participants information form to be fully registered.
Acceptance:
Once the final participants information form has been received you will receive an acceptance letter. This is the final stage which means your place in the Program for 2026 has been secured.
Djinda Ngardak Culinary Youth Camp Registration
Teachers, please complete the registration form. This form is for yourself and all students who wish to participate in the Culinary Youth Program for 2026.
This form is the first step of registration. You will need to complete all the steps above in order to be accepted into the program for 2026.
On submission of this form, you will be redirected to Humanitix to make payment. You will need to submit names of all participants on Humanitix.
Thank you for your interest.
Culinary Youth Camp Registration Form 2026
Participation Packages & Requirement Documentation
To access the participation packages and requirement documentations you must have firstly completed the Djinda Ngardak Culinary Youth Program registration form above and made payment in Humanitix. You receive a password on completion of payment which you use to gain access to the participation packages and requirement documentations section. You must complete this last step to be fully registered for this year’s program.
Djinda Ngardak artwork 2021
Artwork Created by Djinda Ngardak students
Djinda Ngardak artwork 2023
Djinda Ngardak artwork 2024
Djinda Ngardak artwork 2025
Every year our Djinda Ngardak students create an art piece during the Culinary Youth Camp week. For the story behind these paintings and how to purchase them visit shop.
Read our stories about past Djinda Ngardak events
