APY School Holiday Program #

The AMSS APY School Holiday Program is a health-focused, educational school holiday program run by selected medical students in communities in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of rural South Australia, during the July and September school holidays.

  • Run a holiday program for the local school children - building community connections, activities centering around health education, promotion and prevention
  • Build strong peer-peer connections across year levels
  • Further your understanding of Indigenous culture and remote health care
  • Serve the APY lands in a meaningful and sustainable way
The View

Our Goals:

  • Provide medical students with the opportunity to develop cultural competency through first-hand exposure to Indigenous health inequities.
  • Provide the communities with an interactive, fun and educational school holiday program which improves their health literacy, caters to the unique needs of each community, and creates a lasting impact.

    Applications:

    • Open: 9:00am Monday March 9th, 2026.
    • Close: 11:59pm Friday March 22nd, 2026.
    • Applications close end of March. More information about applying will be on the APY Instagram and AMSS social media pages and website.
    • We encourage anyone and everyone to apply, whether you are interested in Indigenous or Rural health, have experience or none at all.


      Trip Overview:

      • 1 week in an APY lands local community school + few days for preparation in Alice Springs.
      • Trip 1: July 2026
      • Trip 2: September 2026
      • Two teams of 5 medical students are placed in each community during each of the school holiday programs; 16 students total per calendar year.

      There is usually a student contribution of around $300 to contribute towards flights to Alice Springs, food and accommodation.

        • However, students with demonstrated financial need can be exempt.
        • The ability to contribute to the student contribution will not impact your application.
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        Contact Us:

        • Email: apyschoolholiday@amss.org.au
        • Like our Facebook Page for more updates here
        • Like and follow our Instagram here

        Cheers (Palya!),

        Sarah Jacobs, Amolika Bhatia, Jasper Atkinson, James Gourley


        Sponsors

        Adelaide Rural Clinical School (ARCS)

        NPY Women's Council

        The program is facilitated by the NPY (Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara), Women's Council Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation based in Alice Springs.

        Council

        AMSS

        We are grateful to the AMSS for their ongoing support of the program.