Northern Academy
An Emver Partners Division
A one-day program for Torres Strait youth in Years 9–12. Learn to use AI intentionally, think critically and build something real.
You're already using AI — in your phone, your apps, your feeds. This program is about going from passenger to driver. One day that shifts how you think, how you study, how you build ideas and how you spot when technology is being used to deceive or harm.
Most AI training is built for people in offices on the mainland. Strait Minds is built for Torres Strait students — with real examples, real challenges and real outcomes that make sense in your context.
Year 9 through to Year 12 covers a wide range of ability and ambition. This program treats students as capable, semi-intermediate users — not beginners, not experts. It meets you where you are and pushes you further.
Housekeeping, introductions and getting devices ready. Quick pulse-check on what students already use AI for.
From passive user to intentional user. Map the AI you already use and learn the first move that changes every result you get from it — customisation.
The five-letter system that takes you from average prompts to professional ones. Better questions create better answers.
Practical, ethical ways to use AI for study, learning and ideas. A hands-on exercise that builds something students can use the next day.
Using AI to protect cultural intellectual property, verify what you are being told, and second-check when someone says they are helping you — to make sure they are not helping themselves.
Teams use AI to research, plan and develop a solution to a real Torres Strait challenge. Structured around people, planet and economic outcomes.
Each team presents their solution. Feedback, reflection and what comes next.
The schedule shown is the recommended structure. Any session — including Session 4, the optional Real Talk module, or the Team Challenge — can be substituted, reordered or omitted to suit the educational facility's priorities. We work with each organisation in advance to shape the day around what matters most to your cohort.
The shift from passive user to intentional user. Students leave knowing how to set AI up to work for them — not against them — with their voice, their context and their standards baked in from the first prompt.
Emver Partners' proprietary five-step system for getting professional-grade results out of any AI conversation. Taught, practised and locked in on the day. Better questions, better answers — every time.
The practical session. Students leave with concrete ways to use AI that strengthen their study and learning — not shortcut around it. Plus a structured hands-on exercise that builds something they take home with them.
The honest stuff. AI can be used to protect community knowledge or to take it. Students leave with the awareness, instincts and practical tools to recognise the difference — and to second-check when someone says they are helping.
This module addresses deepfakes, image-based harm and the legal and social realities of AI misuse. It is important content — but it requires careful, age-appropriate delivery and must be explicitly approved by the educational facility before inclusion.
Honest, direct and age-appropriate. No scare tactics, no sanitising.
This session covers what deepfakes are and how they're made, how to spot them, and the real consequences — legal, social and personal — of creating or sharing AI-generated content without consent. It is grounded in Queensland law and the Australian Online Safety framework.
Approval process: This module is not included in the standard program. Facilities wishing to include it must confirm in writing prior to delivery that the content is appropriate for their cohort and that any required pastoral care supports are in place. Emver Partners reserves the right to decline inclusion if delivery conditions are not suitable. Note: Legal content in this session reflects Emver Partners' understanding of Queensland and Commonwealth legislation at the time of delivery and does not constitute legal advice.
The day ends with students doing, not watching. Teams of four to five are given a real Torres Strait challenge and 90 minutes to develop and present a solution — using AI as their primary research and planning tool.
Every solution must address all three dimensions — people, planet and economic viability. This isn't a business competition or an environmental assignment. It's a thinking challenge that reflects how real decisions get made in communities like the Torres Strait.
Who does this affect? How does it respect culture, strengthen community and support wellbeing?
Sea level, reef health, food systems. How does the solution account for the environment the Torres Strait actually lives in?
Is it sustainable? Could it generate income, reduce cost or create employment in the region?
Teams receive their challenge brief
AI-assisted research and problem framing
Build the solution — slides, summary or prototype
Three-minute team presentation
Feedback and reflection
For study, for planning, for solving problems — not theoretical.
Structured with AI and relevant to their world.
Built collaboratively with AI as the tool, not the answer.
How to spot problems, protect themselves and think independently.
For their studies, their community and their futures in the Strait.
No two schools are the same. In close collaboration with each educational facility, the day's syllabus can be shaped to reflect what matters most to your students and your community.
Lean further into business ideation, entrepreneurship and economic thinking. Ideal for schools running VET or commerce pathways.
Centre the program around sea country, reef health, climate and sustainable futures. Connects AI capability to caring for the Strait.
Deeper emphasis on research, writing, exam prep and using AI as a learning tool — directly applicable to schoolwork from day one.
Shape the program around community voice, youth leadership and using AI to advocate for issues that matter in the Torres Strait.
It's your call — let us know what fits. We'll work with you before the day to make sure the program lands where it needs to.
Completing Strait Minds means something. Every student receives a personalised digital completion certificate — theirs to keep, share and show. Something that acknowledges the effort they put in and the skills they've started building.
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Strait Minds is priced per person for groups of 10 to 15 participants. There is no ongoing or retainer component — this is a single-day program engagement.
The program is one day. The learning doesn't stop there. Every participant leaves with a 10-day challenge card — one task per day that builds on what they've learned and keeps the momentum going.
The 10-day challenge gives students direction after the program. But momentum is hard to maintain. For schools that want to go further, Emver Partners can return after the challenge period for a dedicated follow-up session to unpack what students experienced, tackle what they got stuck on and keep the learning alive.
A structured return visit from the Emver team — held after students have completed the 10-day challenge. Designed to celebrate what they've done, address what came up and set the next direction for the group.
Northern Academy is based on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. We deliver regularly across Cairns and Cape York, and mobilise anywhere in northern Australia where the program is needed. Remote, regional, urban — the logistics, the experience and the cultural awareness apply across the board.
If your school, community or organisation sits north of the tropic, we can be there. Travel beyond Thursday Island is quoted at cost plus a 10% management fee.
The questions we hear most often from schools, community organisations and government partners.
Strait Minds is a one-day artificial intelligence program designed for Year 9 to Year 12 students. It teaches students to move from passive AI users to intentional, capable users — covering practical AI skills, ethical use, cultural intellectual property protection, and the ability to develop and test ideas using AI as a thinking partner. The program is built specifically for the realities of northern Australia and runs from 9:00am to 2:45pm in a single day.
Strait Minds is delivered by Emver Partners through Northern Academy. We are based on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait and work regularly across Cairns and Cape York. We can mobilise to anywhere in northern Australia where the program is needed. The same logistical capability, cultural awareness and program experience applies across remote, regional and urban settings.
The program is priced at $695 + GST per participant, with a minimum group of 10 and a maximum of 15 students. The price includes full facilitation, all program materials, the team challenge, the personalised digital completion certificate for each student, and the 10-day follow-up challenge card. Travel beyond Thursday Island is quoted separately at cost plus a 10% management fee.
Yes. Every student receives a 10-day challenge card to maintain momentum after the program day. Schools can also book an optional 2-hour Unpack Session for $1,500 + GST flat fee, typically delivered 11–14 days after the program. The Unpack Session allows the Emver team to return, debrief with students, address questions that arose during the challenge period, and set the next direction for ongoing learning.
Strait Minds is built for students in Year 9 through Year 12. The content is delivered at a semi-intermediate level — assuming most students have some prior exposure to AI but no formal training. The program scales appropriately for the cohort in the room, with the facilitator adjusting depth based on student background and engagement.
Yes. The day's structure is flexible. Any session can be substituted, reordered or omitted to suit the educational facility's priorities. Whether your focus is on academic outcomes, environmental and cultural themes, community leadership, or enterprise thinking, we work with each organisation in advance to shape the program around what matters most to your students. The optional Real Talk module on deepfakes and digital safety is also available subject to written approval.
The program was built in the Torres Strait, with Torres Strait realities at the centre of every design decision. The Cultural IP & Second-Check session is specifically designed to support students in protecting community knowledge and recognising when AI is being used in ways that do not serve them or their communities. Delivery is undertaken with care, cultural awareness and respect for community protocols.
Every participant receives a personalised Digital Completion Certificate, a printable 10-day challenge card, and the practical AI capabilities they have built throughout the day. The certificate is shareable, dated, and acknowledges completion of the program. Schools also receive a brief post-program summary outlining the day, the team challenge outcomes and recommended next steps.
Most AI training is built for capital city offices and delivered by trainers without context for remote or regional Australia. Strait Minds is built by a firm based in the Torres Strait, with delivery experience across northern Australia. Every example, every challenge, every reference point is drawn from the environment our students actually live in. We do not adapt a generic program for northern audiences. We built ours here, for here.
Email academy@emver.com.au with your organisation, location, preferred delivery window and approximate group size. We will respond within two business days with availability, a quote that includes any applicable travel costs, and recommendations for tailoring the program to your cohort.
One email starts the conversation. Tell us about your cohort, your location and your timing — we will come back with availability, a tailored quote and the next step.
Start the Conversation Or email us directly at academy@emver.com.au