INDIGENOUS STORYBOOK

“We would like to
connect some of the Elders
to the younger people, not just to
hear the stories but also as a way of
addressing some of psychological and
emotional impacts of history.”
And then one day…
we now have six staff in our team and our three
female staff, Annette, Deb and Kim spend one day
a week in each school. The focus for the first half
of 2015 has been on an artwork program with the
children in all three schools, getting their pieces
ready for the exhibition we recently held during
NAIDOC week. The schools displayed all the
finished artwork so their parents could come and
view the works, along with the other students. It
was an exciting achievement for the children to see
their work displayed and sold both at the schools
and the exhibition. It is a big advantage that two
primary school principals are really committed to the
programs we are delivering and they provide a lot
of support to the staff. This upcoming term we are
working with the schools to build a Six Seasons bush
garden at both primary school locations. Balga High
School is also involved and has started constructing
their garden and they’ll work on the Six Seasons
project for the rest of the year. Our staff also run a
healthy eating program which is funded by Healthway.
The program is run in conjunction with other
activities such as Aboriginal language classes.
At the moment there is a bit of a shift happening. We
will be trying a new approach for a term by moving
the program into the mainstream classes. The school
decided on the change to ensure the ethos of the
program is on inclusiveness instead of difference.
We don’t think leaving the classroom for a ‘special’
lesson encourages inclusiveness. We are focused
on delivering the program, while simultaneously
providing the opportunity for non-Aboriginal kids to
participate.
Deb stated that: “We also run a soccer program, and
we have ensured that the kids are provided with the
same high quality equipment as everyone else. Initially,
the mentality was, we can buy some cheap gear and
one of our staff members picked up on that and
said, “No, these kids deserve the same gear as all the
other kids.” We are trying to build self-esteem and
facilitate the belief that they are just as worthy as the
other kids who run out onto on the field.” Annette
said: “One of the other current projects engages the
teenage girls group in a fashion recycling initiative. The
girls source clothing and create Aboriginal designs for
the clothes. They are also doing shoe painting which is
an ‘in thing’ at the moment! This project will culminate
in a fashion show and an evening of pampering with
portrait photographs taken. Part of this process is
about engaging the girls’ mothers so it becomes a
mother/daughter experience and the girls are really
excited about this upcoming event.”
And because of that…
an important aspect of all our programs is school
retention. We want to ensure the kids are keen to
come to school and by providing services that are
prepared specifically for them, this encourages school
attendance. It also gives the kids the opportunity
to experience something different related to their
culture within the school environment.
One of the young boys was identified by one of our
workers as having very low self-esteem so the staff
member took him under her wing and did some
painting with him and he produced a really amazing
piece of artwork. At the recent art exhibition, it was
the first piece to sell and this changed his demeanour
completely. He was paid for his art which was a
bonus, but the fact that someone loved his work
enough to want to hang it on their wall meant the
world to him. It’s often hard to articulate the change
that happens but that’s the sort of thing we observe.
Being aware of these kinds of stories is important and
articulating them for the broader organisation and
our funders is vital to continuing to do what we do.
This program is important for many reasons but
ultimately we just want to make a difference for the
kids and their families. Our staff, Deb, Annette and
Kim who work with the kids really see the value in
giving them alternative experiences and opportunities
that may be a bit different to what they are used
to. Some kids are in environments that can be
challenging. If they are supported within the school
system to build their sense of self-worth and have an
understanding that there are things they can aspire to,
and aspire to be, then we are changing the outcome
of their future in the most positive way.
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