In response the committee's directives and communities' expressed needs and requests, Diwurruwurru-jaru targets the following areas:

• research and documentation of the languages

• facilitation of school and community based language maintenance programs

• archiving of language materials

Research and documentation of the languages

The Language Centre facilitates research into dictionaries and grammars and collection of cultural material such as bush tucker, skin and kinship terms. This material is used to produce:

videos
audio tapes
story books
learning materials such as games, learner's guides, interactive CD-Roms.

Facilitate school and community-based language maintenance programs

This is done by facilitating language learning programs in the schools, where the linguist, language speakers and teachers use a team approach to developing materials and delivering lessons in class environments.
Programs were run in ten community schools throughout the region in 2002. Sadly, the Education Department funding for this dried up in 2003 and we now run skeleton programs funded from other sources.
Some adult workshops have been run, but the production of Language Learning Guides and interactive CD-ROMs are works-in-progress.

Archiving of language materials

Copies of all materials produced are stored in the Library, along with documents and publications collected which are relevant to our work. Copies of materials produced are sent to AIATSIS in Canberra for safe keeping, in case another 1998 Australia Day Flood visits Katherine.

We provide a limited borrowing and a copying service for a small fee for Indigenous people interested in their languages.