NORTHERN TERRITORY
JCTS Cultural Immersions
Joint Colleges Training Services (JCTS) hosts Cultural Immersion Camps on Country in Central Australia and at the Top End each year.
The cultural immersion program is designed to provide participants with a firsthand understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, community, health perspectives, and the realities of living and working in remote environments.
The experience aims to strengthen culturally responsive practice, improve communication and relationship-building, and deepen understanding of the social, historical, and environmental factors that influence health and wellbeing outcomes.
Cultural immersion activities
Guided by Traditional Owners and Cultural Educators, participants engage in:
- Hunting, gathering, and bush medicine practices.
- Visiting local primary health care clinics, stores and art centres.
- Learning about and experiencing local bush foods.
- Gender based cultural activities.
Objectives
By the completion of the cultural immersion, participants will:
- Develop cultural awareness and understanding
- Strengthen culturally responsive practice
- Understand remote community contexts
- Build meaningful connections and relationships
- Enhance reflective and professional practice
Hear from cultural immersion participants
AMSANT–JCTS Partnership Program
Strengthening GP Training in Aboriginal Community Controlled Primary Health
AMSANT and Joint Colleges Training Services (JCTS) have formed a strategic partnership to work together to enhance the quality, cultural safety, and sustainability of GP registrar training in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) across the Northern Territory.
The Partnership aims to:
- Contribute to GP workforce sustainability through development and implementation of strategies to improve GP and GP registrar recruitment, distribution, and retention
- Improve collaboration and planning, better coordination, and stronger induction processes for GP registrars training in ACCHSs
- Strengthen cultural education and mentoring, ensuring registrars are equipped to deliver respectful, culturally responsive care
- Support ACCHSs through assistance to maintain and expand training capacity, become accredited training sites, and attract GP registrars to the NT
- Fund a dedicated NT Partnership position to liaise and consult with stakeholders and work to deliver on an agreed workplan guided by NT ACCHs Executive, senior clinicians, and GPR Supervisor Network
JCTS Northern Territory
NT
Meet the JCTS NT team
Peter Thomsen
Peter Thomsen is a Gunabdji man from Maningrida who grew up on the floodplains of the Adelaide River and has connections to family in Kakadu and across to Wyndham in Western Australia.
Peter has a broad range of industry experience from mining, oil and gas to Aboriginal Health. In his role, Peter is passionate about Aboriginal Health research and education, multimedia and health promotion.
Gemina Corpus
Lavina Murray
Lavina Murray is a Warlmanpa, Wakaya woman through her mother and ties to Gudanji country through her father.
Lavina brings years of experience advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in her previous roles as a Prison-based Throughcare Support Officer and with the Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT).
In her role at JCTS, her focus is on ensuring that people in the NT have a voice and are actively involved in making decisions about their health journey.
Lavina is passionate about raising cultural awareness for Aboriginal people and helping others gain a better understanding of the complex issues faced in the NT.
Janelle Ingles
Vernon Gerrard
