EARLY LEARNINGS TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT VOLUME 02, 2005

EDITED BY DR DARYL HIGGINS

EARLY LEARNINGS TELSTRA FOUNDATIONRESEARCH REPORT VOLUME 2, 2005INDIGENOUS COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS EARLY LEARNINGSEDITED BY DR DARYL HIGGINS

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES

APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF PROJECTS FEATURED IN

EARLY LEARNINGS VOLUME 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS – The Australian Institute of Family Studies

(AIFS) wishes to thank the following people and organisations for their

support in preparing this research report:

EACH OF THE PROJECTS – the board members, executive officers, project

workers, community members, young people and other participants;

MARLENE BURCHILL – for coordinating interviews with many of the

projects, and liaising with external consultants (and putting up with a

demanding editor!), all within a limited timeframe;

SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION

Fiona Moore and Georgia Symmons;

Pratima Francis (AIFS) for arranging all of the consultants’ travel

bookings; and Narda Sowter (AIFS) for assistance with proofreading.

PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Phillips, Reconcilation Australia, Stephen Gray,

Garnduwa and others from projects funded by the Telstra Foundation.

DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION

CLEAR Communication+Design (www.cleardesign.com.au)

For environmental reasons, we have

printed the full research report in limited

quantities. If you require further copies,

please download the PDF version from

our website:

www.telstrafoundation.com or contact

the Telstra Foundation for a printed copy.

ISSN 1832-1364

© The Telstra Foundation, October 2005

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TOWNSVILLE

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WEIPA

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WEIPA

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SHEPPARTON

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NYIRRIPI

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ALICESPRINGS

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CENTRALAUSTRALIA

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CANBERRA

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LAUNCESTON

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ADELAIDE8

PERTH

FOREWORD – TELSTRA FOUNDATION 2

FOREWORD – AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES 3

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 4

AUSTRALIA’S INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES 4

THE IMPACT OF COLONISATION 5

HEALING THE COMMUNITIES 6

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FROM AN INDIGENOUS

PERSPECTIVE 6

HANDING BACK POWER TO COMMUNITIES 8

LEADERSHIP 8

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 9

TELSTRA FOUNDATION FUNDING 10

SECTION 1 CHILDREN: HEALTH, CULTURE & WELLBEING 16

INTRODUCTION 17

THE PROJECTS 17

KEY LEARNINGS 17

PROJECT 1

TORRES STRAIT PAEDIATRIC ASTHMA EDUCATION 18

PROJECT 2 TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS GAMES 21

PROJECT 3

KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY MAKES A BETTER WORLD 25

PROJECT 4 CHILDREN’S PICTURE DICTIONARIES 29

PROJECT 5 ARA IRITITJA ARCHIVAL PROJECT

– KNOWING THE PAST TO STRENGTHEN OUR FUTURE 32

SECTION 2 YOUTH: PARTICIPATION & LEADERSHIP 36

INTRODUCTION 37

THE PROJECTS 37

KEY LEARNINGS 37

PROJECT 6 JARJUM YOUTH GROUP 38

PROJECT 7 SOARING 41

PROJECT 8 RECONCILIATION THROUGH EDUCATION 44

PROJECT 9 CAPE YORK YOUTH NETWORK 48

PROJECT 10 AFTER-HOURS YOUTH DROP-IN CENTRE 51

SECTION 3 SCHOOLS: A SENTINEL SITE FOR CHANGE 54

INTRODUCTION 55

THE PROJECTS 55

KEY LEARNINGS 55

PROJECT 11 EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM 56

PROJECT 12 JOBS 4U2 INDIGENOUS SCHOOL-TO-WORK 59

PROJECT 13 SWAN NYUNGAR SPORTS EDUCATION 62

PROJECT 14 STRONG AND SMART DIGITAL PROJECT 66

THE VALUE OF PHILANTHROPY 70

TRUST 70

FLEXIBILITY 70

LEVERAGE 71

INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP 71

BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY 72

GLOSSARY OF TERMS 73

REFERENCES 74

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Australian Institute of Family Studies is an independent statutoryauthority which originated in the Australian Family Law Act (1975).The Institute was established by the Commonwealth Government inFebruary 1980. The Institute promotes the identification and under-standing of factors affecting marital and family stability in Australia by:—researching and evaluating the social, legal and economic wellbeing

of all Australian families;—informing government and the policy making process about Institute

findings;—communicating the results of Institute and other family research to

organisations concerned with family wellbeing, and to the widergeneral community;

—promoting improved support for families, including measures whichprevent family disruption and enhance marital and family stability.

The objectives of the Institute are essentially practical ones, concernedprimarily with learning about real situations through research onAustralian families.

For further information about the Institute and its work, write to AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES, 300 QUEEN STREET, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA 3000, AUSTRALIA PHONE (03) 9214 7888 FAX (03) 9214 7839 WWW.AIFS.GOV.AU

DISCLAIMERThis report was commissioned and published by Telstra Foundation Ltd.However the report has been prepared solely by the Australian Instituteof Family Studies without contribution or editing by Telstra FoundationLtd and Telstra Foundation Ltd makes no representation (express orimplied) as to the completeness or accuracy of the report. It is providedon an ‘as is’ basis and if you rely on it you do so solely at your own risk.Without limitation, all warrants, liabilities or representations in relationto the report by Telstra Foundation Ltd are expressly negated and excludedto the maximum extent permitted by law.The views expressed in the report are those of individual authors and/orthe editor and may not necessarily reflect Australian Institute of FamilyStudies or Government policy.

FOREWORDTELSTRA FOUNDATION

Indigenous projects have featured highly in all fundingrounds of the Telstra Foundation CommunityDevelopment Fund, with almost 30 per cent of proj-ects and funding directed to Indigenous communitydevelopment. We recognise that in remote, rural andurban communities throughout Australia, Indigenouschildren and young people are seriously over-represent-ed in all common measures of disadvantage, includingpoor physical and emotional/mental health, juvenilejustice, education and unemployment.

This second volume of Early Learnings evaluatesa selected number of projects under this priority area.The 14 projects reported on here by the AustralianInstitute of Family Studies demonstrate that community-identified programs are creating positive opportunitiesfor Australia’s Indigenous children.

The feedback we received from the first issue of EarlyLearnings that focused on early childhood developmentwas extremely encouraging. This confirmed to theTelstra Foundation Board that Early Learnings canmake a valuable contribution towards improving thedissemination and uptake of new knowledge, researchand improved service delivery to kids and families,especially those who are most at risk and vulnerable.

Importantly, Early Learnings reflects our mission:to make a positive and lasting difference to the livesof Australian children and young people. With thisin mind, sustainability is a key issue for the Foundationand one that needs to be integrated into all stages ofa project’s development. For those projects featuredin Early Learnings, some simply need a good ‘restingplace’ at the end of the project, whereas others aresustained by the organisation and become a part ofcore business. In some instances, project design andoutputs will be taken up by others and transformedto meet their specific circumstances.

We congratulate the Australian Institute of FamilyStudies (AIFS) and the other Indigenous consultantswho joined the evaluation team for the depth andquality of their research. The team was made up ofDr Daryl Higgins (AIFS) as the project manager,Indigenous researchers Ms Sandi Taylor, Ms LeanneRamsamy and Ms Marlene Burchill (AIFS), and MsLeah Bromfield (AIFS). The team has a wealth ofexperience in conducting participatory research inIndigenous community settings and a commitment tostrengthening family, culture and community – whichis evident in this report.

With Telstra Foundation funding, we wish to supportIndigenous communities to identify their own prior-ities and develop culturally appropriate and effectivesolutions to meet their needs. We also prefer to fundthose projects in which key personnel are Indigenousand which support the skills development and employ-ment of young Indigenous people.

Through developing respectful relationships withIndigenous communities, the Telstra Foundation canplay a role in the wider philanthropic sector, modelgood practice and assist Indigenous organisations toidentify alternative sources of funding and support.

Hopefully, in this way we can contribute to the broadergoals of the reconciliation process by facilitating dialoguebetween Indigenous communities and the philanthropicand corporate sectors towards creating on-goingpartnerships and redressing past injustices.

We welcome your feedback and thoughts.

HERB ELLIOTT AC MBE

CHAIRMAN

TELSTRA FOUNDATION

FOREWORD AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTEOF FAMILY STUDIES

I recently returned from my first visit to the “top end”.In reflecting on that trip, this second volume of theEarly Learnings Research Report has taken on aspecial significance, given its focus on Indigenouscommunity development. What I saw on my visit tonorth Western Australia and the Northern Territoryhas left many indelible impressions. The mix of hard-ship, on the one hand, and hope, on the other, wasparticularly evident in one of the community devel-opment initiatives that I visited. While the hardshipis impossible to ignore, the hope lay in the growingstrength of the community’s commitment to changeand to building a better future for their children.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies is especiallypleased to be able to be involved in the evaluation ofthe initiatives funded by the Telstra Foundation, in thisinstance in 14 Indigenous communities. In writingthis second Research Report, the Institute seeks tocontinue its commitment to disseminating the learn-ings from child and family focused community devel-opment projects across the nation. The opportunityto be involved is especially timely for the Institute aswe seek to broaden the focus on Indigenous familiesin our next Research Plan.

On behalf of the Australian Institute of FamilyStudies, may I acknowledge the foresight, initiative andcommitment of the Telstra Foundation in fundingthe projects evaluated in this volume. The involve-ment of the Foundation in this area is an outstandingexample of the importance of partnerships betweencommunities, governments, and philanthropicorganisations – the essence of what the Prime Ministerrefers to as the “social coalition”. There is a second sensein which the Report represents an invaluable partnership,in this case between three Indigenous researchers,Marlene Burchill, Leanne Ramsamy and Sandi Taylor,and two non-Indigenous consultants, Dr Daryl Higgins,who managed the evaluation, and Leah Bromfield.Together, they are to be congratulated on a very valuablecontribution to our understanding of Indigenous -runcommunity development initiatives. The examplesthey provide in evaluating the projects powerfullyillustrate practical ways in which hardship can beturned to hope.

PROFESSOR ALAN HAYES, PHD

DIRECTOR

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES

In 2004, the Telstra Foundation published the inau-gural volume of the Early Learnings Research Report,which was prepared by the Australian Institute ofFamily Studies. It was the principal outcome of anevaluation of projects that were supporting childrenand families, or addressing early childhood literacy.This time, the evaluation is focused on ‘Early Learnings’from Indigenous Community Development projects.These projects look at community-identified solutionsfor the serious social and health problems affectingAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children andyoung people. In particular, the themes addressed inthe current evaluation round will be early childhooddevelopment and youth participation, with a focuson the role of schools in facilitating change.

The Telstra Foundation is committed to supportinginnovative community development projects, includingprojects assisting Indigenous communities throughoutAustralia. Alongside the usual assessment criteria usedin evaluating project applications, the TelstraFoundation Board has agreed that projects aimed atbenefiting Indigenous children and young peoplemust be made either by an Indigenous organisationor by a non-Indigenous organisation which is workingin close partnership with an Indigenous organisation.Three-fifths of the Indigenous projects that theFoundation has funded come directly from Indigenousorganisations. Also, projects in which key personnelare Indigenous and support the skills developmentand employment of young Indigenous people aremore likely to be supported.

Since it was established in 2002, the CommunityDevelopment Fund of the Telstra Foundation hasprovided support for 69 Indigenous projects, whichwill significantly benefit Indigenous children andyoung people.(FOR A LIST OF ALL INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION TO DATE,

SEE P. 10)

From these projects that were funded over the pastthree and a half years, the Telstra Foundation identifiedapproximately 22 projects across Australia from urban,rural and isolated Indigenous communities to beinvited to participate in an evaluation of their project.

The Telstra Foundation has identified these projects asshowcasing Indigenous initiatives likely to contributeto positive change for Indigenous groups, individualsand communities. The assistance from the TelstraFoundation will have a measurable influence inhanding back the power of change to the Indigenouscommunities.

Five projects recommended for evaluation by theTelstra Foundation did not have staff available orelected not to participate in the evaluation. Anotherthree projects were not able to be included becauseof time or logistical constraints on the evaluators inbeing able to meet with the key stakeholders withinthe evaluation timeframe. In total, 14 projects partici-pated and are reflected in this report.

The 14 projects stretch from the west (Perth) tothe east (Brisbane), from the north (Torres Straitsand Cape York Peninsula) to the south (Launceston),with a number based in the heart of Australia’s out-back communities: Alice Springs. One key projectwas also national, covering all states and territories(Reconciliation Australia).

AUSTRALIA’S INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, therewere 483,994 Indigenous people living in Australiaat 30th June 2004. New South Wales had the largestIndigenous population with 141,533, followed byQueensland (134,013), Western Australia (69,665),and the Northern Territory (59,508). The NorthernTerritory had the highest proportion of Indigenouspeople among its population (29.8 per cent) andVictoria the lowest (0.65 per cent). The majority ofIndigenous people live in cities and towns, but theIndigenous population is more widely dispersed acrossAustralia than is the non-Indigenous population (ABS 2003).

The Indigenous population is considerably youngerthan the non-Indigenous population. In 2001, 40per cent of Indigenous people were aged less than15 years, compared with 21 per cent of non-Indigenouspeople. Only 2.6 per cent of the Indigenous popula-tion were aged 65 years or over compared with the12 per cent of the non-Indigenous population.Indigenous youths are more likely to be imprisoned

INDIGENOUSCOMMUNITYDEVELOPMENTMARLENE BURCHILL AND DARYL HIGGINS

MARLENE L. BURCHILL – INDIGENOUS

RESEARCH CONSULTANT EMPLOYED BY

THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY

STUDIES AS THE PRINCIPAL PROJECT

OFFICER FOR THIS EVALUATION.

MARLENE IS A YORTA YORTA AND DJA

DJA WERONG WOMAN FROM CENTRAL

VICTORIA.

DARYL J. HIGGINS – PSYCHOLOGIST;

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY

STUDIES

than the general population, and the rate of suicidesin police custody remains high. Rates of unemploy-ment, health problems and poverty are likewise higherthan the general population, and school retention ratesand university attendance is much lower than thegeneral population (ABS 2003).

Many other factors affect Indigenous communities:Indigenous children are over-represented in the childprotection system and in out-of-home care (they are6.5 times more likely than non-Indigenous childrento be in foster, kinship or residential out-of-home care).Indigenous children suffer from more preventableillnesses, malnutrition, communicable diseases, mentalhealth and substance abuse, and have poorer accessto medical and mental health services than non-Indigenous children. Indigenous adults die up to20 years younger than non-Indigenous Australians.Many Indigenous communities live in substandardhousing (overcrowding, inadequate water and washingfacilities, poor sanitation, and limited food storage).Indigenous young people have lower levels of partici-pation and completion in formal education, and conse-quently poorer educational outcomes (ABS 2003;

AIHW 2001; NATIONAL CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH LAW CENTRE

AND DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALIA) 2005).

The current health status of Indigenous people can beviewed as a result of generations of isolation from themainstream economy, extreme social disadvantage,poverty and powerlessness. There have been improve-ments on some issues, but no improvement—or evendecline—on others. Indigenous health has improvedwith the establishment of Indigenous medical centres;however, it remains significantly inferior to that of thegeneral population. Often the diseases that confrontIndigenous communities are those that reflect poorliving conditions: infant mortality, eye and ear infec-tions, diseases related to alcohol and drug abuse,malnutrition, asthma and STD (SAM 1992). At present,there are 120,000 Indigenous people (about 26% ofthe total Indigenous population) living in 1200 dis-crete communities in remote regions. There are keydifferences between metropolitan and remote commu-nities, such as isolation, land ownership, customaryand kinship practices, and access to services.Indigenous people living in remote areas fare much

worse than both their Indigenous and non-Indigenouscity counterparts on key economic and health meas-ures (GRAY AND ALTMAN 2005).

As noted Indigenous academic and commentator,Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, argued:“What is significant is that no matter which factors areexamined – be it poverty, nutrition, access to services,smoking... the list goes on – you will find thatIndigenous people are over represented at the wrongend of the spectrum” (O’DONOGHUE 2000, P. 723).

Marlene Burchill—the principal project officer, andone of the Indigenous researchers conducting the eval-uation of Early Learnings from the Telstra Foundation-funded projects—writes:“Many Indigenous people today may say that our cul-ture has been lost; others may argue this is not so.In reality for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople, ‘culture’ and the ‘mores’ bonding a culturetakes second place. The rules that govern communitiesare almost lost when a large population of Indigenouspeople struggle with an increased alcohol and drugaddiction, family violence and child abuse. Properlygoverned, according to tribal law, this would not havehappened. Individuals guilty of breaking the rulewould be severely punished.”

THE IMPACT OF COLONISATION

In order to understand the current issues facingIndigenous communities, it is vital to understandthe history of colonisation. The past resonates intothe present: it impinges on the family, the children,and their ability to reach their full potential.

Marlene Burchill comments:“As an Indigenous person growing up, I was taughtabout family and relationships. Historically, Indigenousfamilies were group or clans of people whose liveswere organised according to the tribal affiliations.Traditionally groups were composed of Elders, mother,fathers, sisters, and brothers. Culture was steeped inmythology and dreamtime stories. Spirituality andcultural mores were controlled. A complex set of lawsdeveloped from within groups to govern every facetof life and relationships. Marriage between kin wastaboo. Wives were found outside of the tribal groupsfor Indigenous men during their hunting and gath-

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THE DAYS OF GOVERNMENT ALONE SHOULDERING (ORIN SOME CASES SHIRKING) SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH A NEW,SMARTER WAY OF DOING BUSINESS – THREE-WAYPARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY,GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE/PHILANTHROPIC SECTORS(DODSON, 2002)

ering expeditions. Traditionally sisters would leavetheir families and settle elsewhere when consideredby Elders to be mature enough for marriage.

“Healing the community needs to happen before wecan move forward and pass on a positive culturalheritage. We need to get back to the basics: nurturing;self-discipline; modelling; the drive to keep goingunder great difficulty. Aboriginal families often arenot able to provide that, because they haven’t beentaught it.”

The consequences of separation from parents andcommunity can be seen. Past policies of child removalhave damaged culture, family ties, and modelling ofparental and cultural roles. Poverty is also a crucialfactor associated with family breakdown, child neglectand child removal. As Chairperson of the Secretariatof National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, MurielBamblett (née Cadd) has noted: “Impoverished com-munities raise impoverished children” (CADD 2002, P. 1).

Marlene Burchill writes: “As one of the Indigenous researchers involved in theevaluation of projects funded by the Telstra Foundationunder their Indigenous Community Development area,I must emphasise that we cannot move forward with-out understanding the impact colonisation has had onall Indigenous people in Australia. Those involved insupporting Indigenous communities today need tobegin with the impact of colonisation and its devas-tating consequences on all aspects of lives, culture,morés and spirituality of Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples. Change will only occur when theseneeds are addressed within this context. Our originalcommunities have been destroyed completely. We needassistance to develop communities that recognise her-itage, but also, so that we can function positively andas equals in a modern contemporary Australia.”

HEALING THE COMMUNITIES

It is evident from recent studies by Indigenous andnon-Indigenous researchers that violence is out ofcontrol and has reached a crisis state, suggesting thatthe present generation enacts the traumatic feelingsof past experiences. Atkinson (2002) is a strong propo-nent of the theory of intergenerational trauma. Sheargues that recent research provides some explanations of

the process whereby oppression and abuse are inter-nalised by those who are oppressed and abused;consequently, their own behaviour both reflects andin turn reinforces the victimisation if they in turnabuse others.

Marlene Burchill explains:“We must take into account decades of massiveupheaval caused to Indigenous people; we continueto struggle today. Many of us lack trust, belief andfaith in other people. Whatever confidence we mayhave in others is fragile and easily disturbed ordestroyed. So how does community developmentprogress when we have not recovered from the woundsof the past? Before we move forward to achieve pos-itive change there is a need to help heal the individual,the family and the community to ease the pain andtrauma resulting from colonial domination andpower abuse.”

Communities then need to take communalresponsibility for ensuring the welfare of children.This does not just mean protecting them from harm.It goes further than this; it also means providing apositive sense of self, the world, and the future. It is important to not focus solely on individuals.Issues faced by Indigenous children and young people must be examined within the context of theirfamily and community – communities that have alsoexperienced disadvantage and victimisation (CADD 2002).

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

FROM AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE

Marlene Burchill explains:“The trauma inflicted by the upheavals of the postcolo-nial era has removed the close cultural kinship tiesthat existed previously within Indigenous communitiesacross Australia. As a result, Indigenous communitiestoday are made up of many different tribal groupssharing the same community. In many instances werequire a ‘start again’ approach to firmly develop thebonds and trust for a stable foundation toward com-munity development from an Indigenous perspective.The problems for Indigenous people have multiplied,particularly family violence and drug dependency.These are persistently increasing over many genera-tions. Sue Gordon—an Indigenous Magistrate from

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Western Australia— maintains that ‘we are witness-ing a national disaster’. In the light of these complexissues, Indigenous people have not overcome thewounds of the past. The question needs to be tested:Will a community development model bring changeinto communities that are vulnerable and fractured,still nursing the wounds of the past?”

Community development implies an awareness ofexploitation and oppression. Community organisingis based primarily on the conviction that people arecapable of finding solutions to their problems. Thisin no way negates the often indispensable role of“experts” but it means that experts can best contributeby supporting initiatives decided on collectively bypeople who have joined together to address theircommunity’s needs.

As explained by Marlene:“The concept of community development has beenaround for a long time. Community development canbe all things to all people. Within an Indigenous con-text, community development has been going on along time with marginal gains achieved for Indigenouspeople across Australia.”

According to Indigenous academic, Jaunita Sherwood(1999), community development refers to “workingwith communities to assist communities in findingplausible solutions to the problems they have identified”(p. 7). Indigenous people in Australia have participatedin community development for thousands of years,yet they have been forced to adapt to a non-Indigenouscommunity development model for several decades(SHERWOOD 1999). She emphasises the importance of com-munity development processes being “initiated by thecommunity and not put upon the community” (p. 8).

Again, Marlene Burchill provides her perspective:“Community development practitioners arriving inIndigenous communities today must come armed withthe education, knowledge, patience, skills, culturalunderstanding, courage and respect. For change totake place within Indigenous communities, practi-tioners must not contribute to another generation ofpoverty, isolation and inequality. Well-meaning non-Indigenous people across Australia moved to supportIndigenous communities thinking that they may createchange or empower Indigenous people to take chargeand control over their own lives and their communities.

“Community development workers arrive inIndigenous communities with their aspirations, theirtools, knowledge and expert advice; to build hope, toraise community consciousness and to the problemsthat have led to their exploitation, isolation, oppressionand racial prejudice. For all of their good intentionsand visionary exploits – little has changed. Well-meaningefforts that ultimately fail contribute to the suspicionand mistrust that does exist within Indigenous communities and individuals.

“There are many obstacles to overcome in this regardand many initiatives have become bogged down andleft in the ‘too hard’ basket. In the past, Indigenouscommunities settled for second best. This meant theygot the leftovers (similar to mission rations of brownsugar and white flour). They did not get the best, mosteducated, knowledgeable professional assistance.Indigenous communities and organisations have beena ‘honey pot’ for organisations and individuals whocan access the funding provided by government butrarely achieve positive and lasting outcomes.Indigenous organisations and communities are easytargets, given that Indigenous people often have littlecontrol over how funds are used. But change hasoccurred and cannot be discounted or ignored.”

The aim of community development activities is toachieve better community outcomes for Indigenouscommunities. Many academics and practitioners havecritically examined different approaches or strategiesto develop appropriate practices to support Indigenouscommunities to create changes necessary within theirown communities. Considerable energy and effortshave gone into research or reports to raise conscious-ness about the existing inequalities that continue toisolate Indigenous people from the mainstreameconomy.

Mainstream models of community development—as well as other more intensive therapeutic practices suchas counselling and medical interventions to supportIndigenous people—in many respects draw heavilyon a western model of thinking rather than a combinedeffort to integrate western and Indigenous culturalpractices. Patrick Dodson (2002) emphasises that forchange to occur “it’s a two way street, so far it’s onlybeen one way” (p. 22).

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Sherwood (1999) calls for an Indigenous communitydevelopment model that requires understanding,commitment, collaboration, partnership and respect.This requires “working with communities to assist theirmembers to find plausible solutions to the problemsthey have identified. This must be conducted in anenvironment that advocates full and active participationof all community members in order that we understandand acquire skills to develop culturally-appropriateprograms/projects and services to our communities”(pp. 7-8).

Sherwood argued that:“Working with communities to assist their membersto find plausible solutions to the problems they haveidentified... must be conducted in an environmentthat advocates full and active participation of allcommunity members in order that we understandand acquire skills to develop culturally-appropriateprograms/projects and services to our communities.”(SHERWOOD 1999)

HANDING BACK POWER TO COMMUNITIES

Marlene Burchill offers some words of advice for non-Indigenous people planning to work in Indigenouscommunities:

“A positive Indigenous community development modelmust incorporate ‘yarning up not down’ (BURCHILL 2004).Yarning up relates to ‘yarning for outcomes’ rather thanspeaking down to Indigenous people. Yarning downis an indication that the outsider knows best or takescontrol of the outcomes for Indigenous people. Well-meaning people come to work with us but they dothe work for us and we haven’t learnt how to do it.Another experience that stifles progressive communitydevelopment outcomes is when funding organisationsexpect us to do things their way, but sometimes thismeans we lose control of the work. Many non-Indigenous people come and go. They take our stories,end a project, and then we are left to deal with whatis left. This can be hard work for us especially whenthey have written and developed a new program intheir ‘flash language’.”

The projects that are described in this publicationhave been initiated by Indigenous people for Indigenouspeople and provide a template for progress and devel-opment for Indigenous communities. Evaluation ofthe projects, as written up in this publication, wasdriven by collaboration between Indigenous andnon-Indigenous researchers.

Again, Marlene comments:“The Telstra Foundations is to be commended on theway that they have proceeded with the IndigenousCommunity Development initiative. The TelstraFoundation has the confidence to involve Indigenousresearchers in evaluating projects where Indigenouscommunities are exploring their own solutions. Thisis the way to create change.”

LEADERSHIP

A key to community development and community-generated change is leadership. Leadership is aboutgiving guidance and direction, but also setting exam-ples. It means gaining the confidence and trust of oth-ers regarding your style, the decisions that you make,and your ability to take people with you on yourjourney.

Marlene Burchill suggests:“In this context, drawing on Indigenous writers isimportant because our views provide an ‘inside’ exam-ination of the complex issues confronting Indigenouspeople across Australia today. This approach by nomeans disregards non-Indigenous contributions butaccepts that the Indigenous voice has much to offer,for we share the same ‘reality’. So what does “lead-ership” mean in an Indigenous context? The expec-tations are the same as for any other community orsociety: leadership is needed to progress toward equal-ity and full participation in society.”

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A POSITIVE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTMODEL MUST INCORPORATE ‘YARNING UP NOT DOWN’(BURCHILL 2004)

Indigenous people need a bigger say and greater con-trol over their affairs, including Indigenous leadershipat all stages from the grassroots level up to policy devel-opment and implementation. To move forward, non-Indigenous people need to come to terms with thisposition and must allow Indigenous people to proceed– allowing for their sense of shared value, time andplace (ANDERSON 2002; CHAPMAN 2002). Leadership willonly occur when Indigenous people take control oftheir own people (PERKINS 1990).

However, different perspectives are evident. Pearson(2001) argued that leadership can happen whenshackles of welfare dependency have been removed.Dodson (2002) advocated for leadership in terms ofcommunity capacity building. This according to Dodsonrequires solid partnerships to create change. Changeinvolves capacity building, empowering individuals tomaximise their potential, creating sustainable employ-ment and creating lasting partnership between commu-nities, government and the corporate sector. Dodsonargued: “No one individual will have everythingneeded to undertake community capacity building,but groups of individuals do” (p. 23). The projectsthat are evaluated in this research report representpartnerships between local Indigenous communities,governments, businesses and philanthropy, as recom-mended by Dodson (2002).

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

One of the criteria for funding from the TelstraFoundation’s Indigenous Community Developmentarea was that projects are based on sound research andhave a strong likelihood of meeting their objectives.Therefore, the role of the evaluators was to assist theseprojects in reflecting on—and being able to demon-strate—how they have met these objectives, theprocesses they implemented, and the factors affectingoutcomes, such as risks and benefits, barriers andenabling factors, expectations and achievements,strengths and challenges.

In order to ensure a broad impact, the evaluationstrategy also focused on working with projects to helpthem document their capacity for modelling a newapproach for wider application, including (whereappropriate or relevant):

—their capacity to become self-sustaining and makea lasting impact, or to document the challengesthey face;

—evidence of enhanced social connections and theactive participation of children and young peoplein their local communities;

—how they have assisted in developing more cohesive and stronger communities;

—how they have addressed the needs of disadvantagedIndigenous children and young people, including thosefrom rural and remote communities; and

—how prevention and early intervention strategiesare working; and how they have measured resultsfor children and young people.Original applications for funding and other infor-

mation, photographs, materials and reports preparedabout the project were gathered to provide the contextof the project or cluster of projects. Appropriate base-line data, including quantitative indicators, wererequested from projects, where available. In particular,where projects have collected qualitative data on theviews of their participants or consumers—particularlythe views of children and young people—these data arereflected in the evaluation. One or more researchersfrom the evaluation team visited each of the selectedprojects. Semi-structured interviews were conductedwith a range of people directly involved with each ofthe 14 projects who were selected in consultation withthe project leader. These included:—community members/representatives;—project workers;—committee of management/lead agency/manager;—local community representatives and—others who are likely to be involved in or affected

by the project.In order to protect the privacy of individuals, personal

names have often not been used when including directquotes from informants in the narrative accounts thathave been constructed.

Consistent with principles of participatory evaluation,each project was asked to check they agreed with thefinal narrative about their project, the themes thatemerged, and conclusions and implications that aredrawn. Discussion and input from the projectsinformed this final report.

TELSTRA FOUNDATION | RESEARCH REPORT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | PAGE 9

TELSTRA FOUNDATIONCOMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT FUND:INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

69 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT PROJECTSHAVE BEEN FUNDED SINCETHE LAUNCH OF TELSTRAFOUNDATION IN APRIL 2002 $3,876,200 HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO INDIGENOUSPROJECTS (INCLUDING2ND AND 3RD YEARFUNDING)*2005Aboriginal Child, Family and Community CareState Secretariat Action research to design bestpractice models of Indigenous kinship care NSW$180,000 over 3 yearsCape York Aboriginal Charitable Trust TraditionalKnowledge for Indigenous Youths in Schools – multi-media project for young Indigenous people QLD$80,000 over 2 yearsGurriny Yealamucka Health Services AboriginalCorporation Gurriny Healthy Family Eating –nutrition program for Indigenous families in YarrabahQLD $85,000 over 2 yearsNintiringganyi Cultural Training Centre Indigenousyouth pathways – skills development program foryoung people in Cape York communities QLD$39,000 over 2 years

*AS OF OCTOBER 2005

Reconciliation Australia Towards 2007 NationalReconciliation Convention – strategies to engageIndigenous young people National $120,000 over2 yearsSunrise Health Service Aboriginal Corporation withThe Fred Hollows Foundation Making Moves –nutrition and physical activity programs in theKatherine East region NT $80,000 over 2 yearsTangentyere Council Ayeye – multi-media projectin Alice Springs’ town camps NT $80,000 over 2 yearsUnity of First People of Australia Child diabetesprogram in Kimberley communities WA $50,000Yothu Yindi Foundation Keeping Our CulturalGateway – Garma Festival’s young people programNT $60,000 over 2 yearsLIST CONTINUES OVER PAGE

TELSTRA FOUNDATION | RESEARCH REPORT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT | PAGE 11

APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF PROJECTS INCLUDED IN

EARLY LEARNINGS VOLUME 2

OTHER INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

SUPPORTED BY THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT FUND

2004Bur-del Co-operative Advancement Society Bur-delComputer Café – IT skills development for Indigenousyouth in Ayr QLD $70,000 over 2 years Carnarvon Medical Service Aboriginal CorporationKwiny Mob – playgroups and parenting program toimprove well-being of young Indigenous childrenWA $40,000Forster Local Aboriginal Land Council Culturalcamps and on-going activities to develop responsibil-ity and appropriate behaviour in ‘at risk’ Indigenousboys NSW $40,000Ganbina Koori Economic Employment & TrainingAgency Jobs4U2– program to address low retentionrates of Indigenous students, low participation ratein school-industry programs and lack of access toemployment in the Shepparton / Mooroopna areaVIC $110,000 over 2 yearsGarnduwa Amboorny Wirnan Aboriginal CorporationKimberley Youth Leadership Program – training program,activities and support to develop future Indigenousleaders $30,000 over 2 yearsKoorie Heritage Trust Koorie Alive – an educationprogram to reconnect Indigenous young people fromSouth Eastern Australia with their culture VIC$62,000 over 2 years Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts withCome Out Festival Soaring – physical theatre projectexploring the relationship between traditional Kaurnastories and the lives of contemporary Indigenousyoung people SA $15,000Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation Familiesand Communities Supporting Children to School Project– pilot program to address low school attendanceof Indigenous community in Darwin area NT$101,000 over 2 years Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation AustralianBabies – early childhood books $40,000 over 2 yearsNgaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’sCouncil Aboriginal Corporation Tjilku Kunpuku –Strong Kids Project – early intervention and nutritionprogram in five remote communities in the Ngaanyatjarralands NT and WA $110,000 over 2 years

PACT Youth Theatre with Redfern, Waterloo andAlexandria Indigenous communities Gathering Words– collaborative writing and performance projectNSW $14,500 Queensland Institute of Medical ResearchInvestigation of Indigenous children with chronicmoist cough and children with bronchiectasisCentral Australia $60,000Queensland Music Festival with Cherbourgcommunity Ruby’s story – Ruby Hunter and ArchieRoach workshop and performance QLD $20,000 Queensland University of Technology withWoorabinda State School Woorabinda Digitalproject – digital production and multi-media skillsfor Indigenous students QLD $50,000 Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation IndigenousGroup Support Program – Indigenous parentingsupport program QLD $20,000South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare AboriginalCorporation Young Aboriginal Women at Risk – inten-sive support to young Indigenous women at risk ofentering the juvenile justice system NSW $22,000 University of Technology, Sydney and Secretariatof National Aboriginal and Islander Child CareResearch into risk and protective factors in Indigenouscommunities National $52,000 Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency IndigenousVolunteers & Elders Program – culturally appropriatesupport, friendship and practical assistance toAboriginal families VIC $120,000 over 3 yearsWaltja Tjurtargku Palyapayi Aboriginal AssociationPipirri Tjuta Palya Kanyila, Tjana Ngurru PalyaKanyintjaku (Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a BetterWorld) – child nutrition and community developmentprogram NT $110,000 over 2 yearsWorawa Aboriginal College Creative Learning Centre– development of individualised learning curriculum,including cultural activity and mentoring supportVIC $75,000 over 2 years Wunan Foundation Feasibility study to establish askills centre for young Indigenous people who areconsidered to be not job-ready or suited to TAFEin the East Kimberley WA $23,000

2003Cape York Aboriginal Charitable Trust Cape YorkYouth Network – to develop and mentor youngcommunity leaders QLD $60,000 over 2 yearsCentral Australian Aboriginal Media AssociationWe Gotta Be Strong – production of a youth videostarring the Indigenous superhero Cuz Congress –NT $40,000Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service Rebuilding Respect– program for youth focusing on building self-esteemand leadership skills NSW $13,400 Gudhum Wadjelah Aboriginal Association andRichmond River Historical Society Bush Learning– program using Bundjalung language and cultural traditions to improve outcomes for at-risk childrenand youth NSW $20,000 Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service Educationforums about issues affecting the well-being ofIndigenous youth NSW $35,000 over 2 yearsIndigenous Unit, UTS with Alexandria ParkCommunity School Indigenous Community LearningCentre – collaboration to increase literacy levels forIndigenous youth and their families NSW $35,700 Katherine Regional Arts Incorporated Arts: Get IntoIt! – alternative educational opportunities for youthat risk in the Katherine region NT $14,800 La Trobe University with Rumbalara Football andNetball Club Wanyara – media training for youngAboriginal in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley area to recordRumbalara Football and Netball Club’s sportinghistory and develop vocational skills VIC $35,000Learning Links Koori Kids – playgroups for youngchildren NSW $40,000 over 2 years Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-op Murray River Questfor Health – promoting healthy lifestyle and physicalactivity in primary schools VIC $10,500Ntaria Council (Hermannsburg) Community healtheducation and awareness program for Indigenousyouth NT $20,000 over 2 years Queensland Institute of Medical Research withIndigenous health organisations, Culturally-appro-priate paediatric asthma education for the TorresStrait region QLD $94,000 over 2 years

Queensland University of Technology withCherbourg State School Strong and Smart Digital Project – training Indigenous youth in informationtechnology production QLD $35,000Reconciliation Australia National Reconciliationthrough Education program for Indigenous and non-Indigeous young people National $130,000 over2 yearsSchool of Public Health, Queensland Universityof Technology with Indigenous communitiesDreamtime Games: Pathway for Our Youth – traditionalIndigenous games to increase physical activity andcultural knowledge in the Cunnamulla and Charlevillecommunities QLD $32,800 South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare AboriginalCorporation Healing programs to support Aboriginalgirls and young women deal with issues of violenceand abuse NSW $15,000The Scout Association of Australia, QueenslandBranch Community Activities Program through Education(CAPE) – community club recreation activities forCape York Indigenous children and young peopleQLD $70,000 over 3 years The Smith Family with the Balga Senior High SchoolThe Swan Nyungar Sports Education Project – drawingon sport and Nyungar culture to increase participationand educational outcomes for Indigenous studentsWA $55,000 over 2 yearsTracks with Ausdance NT UpFroNT – dance work-shops and targeted performances involving youngAboriginal people who are gifted NT $35,000 University of New England with CatholicEducation Office Wii Gaay project – early identificationof giftedness and ongoing educational support tounderachieving Aboriginal children NSW $140,000over 3 years University of Newcastle with Indigenous healthorganisations Development of research measuresof dietary intake and physical activity in Australia’sIndigenous rural children NSW $95,000 over 2 years Warmun Community (Turkey Creek) After schoolactivities to maintain and strengthen the traditionalculture of this very isolated community WA $10,000

2002Albany Aboriginal Corporation Programs for youngAboriginal men around issues of substance abuse,mental health and domestic violence WA $40,000 Arts Access Society with Victorian AboriginalCommunity Controlled Health Organisations VoiceMessages – an arts project, responding to Indigenousyouth suicide VIC $25,000 Asia Education Foundation, The University ofMelbourne Australia My Place – exhibition by youngpeople living in rural and remote areas National $30,000 Curtin University of Technology Early interventionpilot study program for Aboriginal youth identifiedas being at risk of depression and suicidal behavioursWA $85,000 for 3 years Gravity Discovery Centre Foundation Training andemployment of young people as presenters and tourguides for science and technology programs WA $35,000 Institute for Aboriginal Development Publish fourpicture dictionaries for Aboriginal children in com-munity languages NT $48,000Minimbah Aboriginal Pre-school CorporationEstablish a library that is culturally sensitive andaccessible to Aboriginal children NSW $12,000 Mapoon Aboriginal Council Project Youth – engaging/training young people to build their own youth centreusing local alternative building materials QLD $60,000Murri & Torres Strait Islander Network Jajumm –community development project for Indigenous youthsupport and skills development QLD $35,000 Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’sCouncil Aboriginal child health and well-being project– supporting at-risk young mothers in their children’searly years WA and NT $120,000 over 2 yearsPitjantjatjara Council Ara Irititja Archival Project –providing Anangu young people with access to learningresources that celebrate their cultural identity NT / SA /WA $115,000 over 3 yearsSchool of Public Health, Queensland Universityof Technology, Qld Queensland University ofTechnology with Indigenous communities ImprovingAboriginal children’s health through traditionalIndigenous games Rural QLD $36,500

St Philip’s College Voices from the Heart – creation ofan ‘outback museum’ in Alice Springs – involvingvocational training for Indigenous and bush studentsNT $40,000Tangentyere Council Establish an evening drop-incentre to provide a safe place and counselling forhomeless, at-risk young people in Alice SpringsNT $50,000The Scout Association of Australia, QueenslandBranch Development of community-club recreationactivities for Cape York Indigenous young peopleQLD $15,000The Western Australian Indigenous Arts ShowcaseManagement Committee, Perth International ArtsFestival (a division of the University of WA) WAIndigenous Arts Showcase – promoting WA’s youngIndigenous artists WA $25,000 UNICEF with Waltja Tjurtargku Palyapayi AboriginalAssociation Pipirri Tjuta Palya Kanyila, Tjana NgurraPalya Kanyintjaku: Keeping kids healthy makes a betterworld – child health and nutrition program NT$110,000 over 3 years

RECONCILIATION – ALL ABOUT US, RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA

SECTION 1CHILDREN:HEALTH,CULTURE & WELLBEING…GROWING UP INDIGENOUS CHILDREN WHO ARE PHYSICALLYHEALTHY, ENGAGED EDUCATIONALLY, AND CONNECTED TOTHEIR FAMILY, THEIR HISTORY, AND THEIR CULTURE

CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION

Nationally—and internationally—researchers andpolicy makers are focusing their attention on children’searly years. From birth, through to puberty, changeseems to be the only constancy in children’s lives.These are the formative years when children’s physicalgrowth and development is occurring. It is also paral-leled by cognitive and emotional development. Manypsychologists have outlined some of the key stages ofdevelopment as children mature and confront newdevelopmental tasks. In order to successfully negotiatethese stages, children need a good start, with adequateantenatal and post-natal care, nutrition, and educationalopportunities (DUFFIE AND ROGERS 2002).

However, it is also important to consider children’scultural needs: to learn about their identity, their people’spast, and to envisage a positive future. For Indigenouscommunities—many of which face significant health,economic and social disadvantage compared to othersections of Australian society—this is a difficult task.There are five projects funded by the Telstra Foundationdescribed in this first section that assist individuals andcommunities with their task of growing up Indigenouschildren who are physically healthy, engaged educa-tionally, and connected to their family, their history,and their culture.THE PROJECTS

The five projects focused on children’s health, culture and wellbeing are:—Torres Strait Paediatric Asthma Education;—Traditional Indigenous Games;—Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a Better World;—Children’s Picture Dictionaries; and—Ara Irititja Archive Project – Knowing the Past

to Strengthen Our Future.The Torres Strait Paediatric Asthma Education project

represents a collaborative effort between the healthand education sectors (led by the Queensland Instituteof Medical Research), addressing a crucial aspect ofchildren’s health: the prevention and management ofasthma. It highlights the importance of regionally spe-cific, culturally appropriate approaches to training andservice delivery.

Another aspect that is critical to children’s health is thelevel of physical activity. Obesity is recognised as anational priority issue – and one that particularly affectsIndigenous communities. The Traditional IndigenousGames project—developed by Indigenous staff in theQueensland University of Technology’s School of PublicHealth—was a community-based approach to increas-ing physical activity. The value of this project is thatit calls on the benefits of historic Aboriginal cultures

in utilising hunting games and other traditionalIndigenous games as the mechanism for building a sustainable physical education curriculum that isinclusive of traditional Indigenous culture.

Adopting a partnership approach to addressing theissue of child nutrition, UNICEF worked with a localIndigenous agency, Waltja, to implement their project“Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a Better World”. It was anevolving partnership, with UNICEF playing the lead,and then working to build the capacity of the localIndigenous organisation to sustain the program. Theproject worked with local communities to provideinformation, equipment and practical skills to grow,buy and cook nutritious food to ensure a healthy startto life for young Aboriginal children in remotecommunities in central Australia.

The Institute for Aboriginal Development was fundedby the Telstra Foundation to undertake the research,development and production of four children’s ‘picturedictionaries’ – educational tools that have been used toimprove the literacy of Indigenous children from com-munities in central Australia. The goal is to improveyoung people’s ability to read and write – not onlyin English, but also in their own local language.

The final project in this section was also focused oncultural reclamation: the Pitjantjatjara Council’s AraIrititja Archive Project: Knowing the Past to Strengthen OurFuture. Historic records (photos, letters, artefacts,recordings) in a digital archive, and can be searchedand retrieved by family members, or other people inthe community interested in their history. People fromthese central Australian communities can enter andretrieve information at a number of mobile stationsin their local area.KEY LEARNINGS

In the evaluations of these projects that follow, anumber of early learnings are described. Some ofthe important lessons learned by the organisationsinvolved included the importance – and benefit – ofcollaborating with other organisations. It takes timeto get to know communities when working with them.Project activities were most effective when they wereable to enhance the capacity of local indigenous grass-roots organisations and community groups - buildinglocal knowledge and confidence. An important learningwas the need for flexibility in designing and imple-menting programs. Finally, these projects highlightthe importance of enhancing opportunities to transmitlanguage and culture from one generation to the next,as well as respecting and linking activities toIndigenous cultures.

CHILDREN:HEALTH,CULTURE & WELLBEINGDARYL HIGGINS

A paediatric asthma education training package hasbeen developed primarily to build the capacity andcapability of local Torres Strait Islander Health workersto address childhood asthma in the Torres Strait region.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To develop and deliver a culturally appropriatepaediatric asthma education package for Torres StraitIslander health workers to assist them in educatingchildren and their parents/carers, complementingthe education on asthma planned by local TorresStrait Health Authorities.

—To provide education on childhood asthma for thelocal community and schools, to work towards achiev-ing accreditation as an ‘Asthma Friendly School’.

—To reinforce the knowledge and skills of healthworkers by follow-up consultations in their localcommunity.

FUNDING PERIOD TWO: YEARS (2003 TO 2005)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $94,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Asthma is one of the current national chronic diseasepriority areas. However, there was no formal culturallyappropriate asthma education program for the healthworkers and people of the Torres Strait Islands. It isknown internationally that racial and socio-economicfactors influence asthma severity, which is arguablyrelated to broad service delivery issues rather than areflection of intrinsic asthma severity. Studies havealso shown that treatment of these children can besubstantially improved and that asthma knowledgeis relatively poor.

Commencing in 1998, the Queensland Institute ofMedical Research (QIMR), Mater Children’s Hospitaland University of Queensland conducted a Short WindRespiratory Asthma Outreach Project in the TorresStrait Islands – a group of islands, between Cape YorkPeninsula (Australia) and Papua New Guinea. This wasfollowed in 1999 to 2000 with a prevalence study onchildhood asthma in the Torres region. This rigorousstudy demonstrated that, although prevalence wassimilar, asthma severity in children of this region is generally greater than that of children seen inurban areas.

The prevalence study provided an opportunity toengage with the Torres Strait and Northern PeninsulaArea Health Service District, Elders and communitymembers. The Regional Council was instrumental ininitiating a grass-root response and facilitated the col-laboration between the District Health Service, QIMR,the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and the AsthmaFoundation of Queensland.

Partners collaborated to develop a model (based onprimary health care principles) that combines com-munity education with clinical services, delivered primarily at the Primary Health Care Centre onThursday Island. The project was also linked to relevant health initiatives being developed by theTorres Strait Regional Health Authorities.

KEY PROCESSES

The principal activity was the development of a cul-turally appropriate Torres Strait Paediatric AsthmaEduction training package for local health workers.Funds from the Telstra Foundation are being used todevelop, implement and evaluate the package. Healthworkers play an important role in engaging communi-ties and are pivotal to improving and/or sustaininghealth outcomes at a local level. Contents of the train-ing package were sourced from existing accreditedtraining packages – the Asthma Foundation ofQueensland’s Course in Asthma Education andManagement and the Central Australian Course inPaediatric Respiratory Care. Extensive liaison withlocal Torres Strait Islander health staff ensured thatthe content and delivery of the training would beappropriate to suit the learning needs of health work-ers. For instance, after the first workshop, changeswere made to include more paediatric asthma infor-mation. The session on ‘triggers for asthma’ was alsomodified based on local information gathered at thefirst workshop. The package comprises:—culturally specific and paediatric-focused pamphlets;—an instructor training manual for health workers;—powerpoint presentations; and—educational booklets for children and young people.

The manual was designed as an educational/teach-ing tool for health workers to assist them in educatingparents and carers about asthma. It was designed on

PROJECT 1TORRES STRAITPAEDIATRICASTHMA EDUCATIONQUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, ROYAL CHILDREN’SHOSPITAL, ROYAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION QUEENSLAND,ASTHMA FOUNDATION OF QUEENSLAND WITH TORRES STRAITNORTHERN PENINSULA AREA HEALTH SERVICE DISTRICT, ANDDISTRICT HEALTH COUNCIL TORRES STRAIT AND NORTHERN PENINSULA AREA, QLDSANDI TAYLOR 1

TORRESSTRAITISLANDS

the premise that Indigenous health workers have a key role in promoting and maintaining health inTorres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities.

Using an adapted ‘train the trainer’ approach, QIMRstaff and a representative from the Asthma Foundationof Queensland engaged in developing a range of activ-ities for the three-day workshop. An initial trainingworkshop was delivered to 11 Torres Strait Islanderhealth workers and one nurse on Thursday Island.The training workshop was evaluated. QIMR staffand RCH doctors and health workers then workedtogether to provide clinical assessments to 90 childrenat Primary Health Care Centres on Thursday Islandand Horn Island. It is hoped that, in the future, healthworkers will gain qualifications in Certificate IV inAssessment and Workplace Training – and thendeliver the workshops independently.

A second training workshop was again convenedon Thursday Island. Ten health workers from theouter island communities participated, along withlocal health workers who had previously participatedin the first workshop. A number of health workersfacilitated relevant training sessions. In response tolocal need, the content of the training package wasmodified slightly, as doctors were keen for participantsto gain a better understanding of paediatric asthma.Following the workshop, participants spent two daysin the Primary Health Care Centre on ThursdayIsland assisting doctors with data collection, asthmaeducation and asthma management plans.Continuity of clinical care and education is thenmaintained via telemedicine.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The principal outcome of the Torres Strait PaediatricAsthma Education program was an increase in theskills transfer and professional development of localTorres Strait Islander health workers in relation topaediatric asthma identification, prevention and inter-vention. Community members—in particular fromBamaga—developed more confidence as patients toadminister their own asthma medication. The AsthmaFoundation of Queensland had an opportunity toconnect to local schools to introduce the CD-ROMof ‘Mission Asthma’ and encourage participation in

the national Asthma Friendly Schools Program in theTorres Education District.“The primary outcome is to reduce the number ofunscheduled hospital/doctor visits due to asthma exac-erbation for children. The secondary outcomes includeimproved awareness of asthma in the community,improved asthma management and use of AsthmaAction Plans by children and parents.” (DOCTOR, QIMR)

The QIMR, RCH and the Asthma Foundation ofQueensland project team intends to facilitate and/orconduct their own internal evaluation of the projectoutcomes and deliverables upon completion. Thisprocess has from the outset been built into the projectframework and will reinforce the educational outcomes.“The project is about local interventions that achievebetter outcomes and empower local health workers.”(PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

The remoteness of the Torres Strait region and its outerisland communities provided another opportunity torespond to local needs. A telephone hotline has beenestablished between RCH doctors and nurses and localhealth workers to resolve difficult asthma cases.

The Torres Strait Paediatric Asthma Education programgenerated wide interest and support from manydifferent sections of the community, including localand regional Indigenous people – and evenAboriginal people visiting from the Northern Territory.There has also been an opportunity to network atan international level to promote the project and itsoutcomes. As QIMR and RCH conduct multiple researchprojects in Indigenous health there are tendencies forthese project objectives to overlap. For example, aspectsof the Torres Strait Paediatric Asthma Education projectand the Bronchiectasis study (a chronic lung disease)has enabled the project team to connect to and possiblypartner in the future with medical research institutionsin New Zealand, Alaska, Canada and USA.

A key element in the success of the Torres StraitPaediatric Asthma Education project was the level ofinteraction that has been developed and built uponthroughout the duration of the project. “There have been improved relationships betweenlocal doctors and health workers to work more collaboratively on developing and/or deliveringeducational training. Also there has been positive

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 19

feedback from local health practitioners in relation tothe project. The net outcome could be that we definea completely different role for health delivery forhealth workers.” (PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Initially, staffing issues in both Brisbane and ThursdayIsland delayed the commencement of the project. Oncethese were overcome, the planning and implementationprocess began. The project is now proceeding in accor-dance with the proposed timeline. The joint nature ofthe project meant that good communication was neededbetween the partners, which posed its own challenges.The tyranny of distance between Brisbane and ThursdayIsland, combined with the logistical planning andcoordination between relevant stakeholders, providedthe project team with a number of issues to resolveor manage more effectively in the future.

Most importantly, the project provided the opportunityto raise the profile of childhood asthma in children ofthe Torres Strait region. The project not only enabledthe development of Indigenous-specific paediatricasthmatic educational resources, but also strengthenedprevious asthmatic health initiatives in the region. Theopportunities for international networking and engage-ment that the project provided will enhance the scopeand credibility of the project.

KEY LEARNINGS

When conducting collaborative projects withIndigenous communities, sufficient time for theengagement process between health services andcommunity groups is essential. The length of timeneeded is hard to predict. This project was one wherethe community determined the amount of time thatwas needed – and the project team had to allow for this.

The implementation phase of the project has runsmoothly due to the links already established betweenQIMR, RCH and the Torres Strait region. This projecthas had the advantage of the employment of Indigenousstaff as contact people at the administration and projectimplementation levels. Existing cultural and/or socialcapital can accelerate and value-add to building rela-tionships with local health workers while deliveringspecific educational training.

“During my time spent working and living on ThursdayIsland I appreciate the cultural differences and acknowl-edge that the process is on-going and will be achievedthrough communicating with each other at all times.”(PROJECT MANAGER/CONSULTANT)

Interaction with local health workers and community members enabled QIMR, RCH and theAsthma Foundation of Queensland staff to gain adeeper understanding and appreciation of TorresStrait Islander culture and lifestyles.“I have personally found my time spent on the projectand experience to be insightful and wonderful.”(PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

As more health workers are trained in this area itis acknowledged that training packages will continueto be revised and/or amended to suit the learningneeds of the target audience during the life of theproject and beyond. To ensure sustainability of proj-ects, it is fundamentally important that local healthworkers be integrally involved in holistic planningand development of health models, thereby guaran-teeing ownership.

“The training package has to be medically supportedat a specialty level. It can’t be dealt with in one hit,nor can it be sustained by health workers and doctors.For equity reasons alone it needs to be ongoing – partof a holistic approach. (PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

Targeting health workers who have demonstratedan interest in the field will ensure that paediatric asthma remains a priority after cessation of the project.This will strengthen further their capacity and capability to drive the process at the grass root level in communities.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE TORRES STRAIT

PAEDIATRIC ASTHMA EDUCATION PROGRAM, CONTACT:

JANELLE STIRLING, PROJECT COORDINATOR, INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND

RESEARCH PROGRAM, QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH,

ROYAL BRISBANE HOSPITAL.

PH (07) 3845 3576.

EMAIL JANELLE.STIRLING@QIMR.EDU.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 14TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 20

PROJECT 2TRADITIONALINDIGENOUS GAMESSCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, QLDSANDI TAYLOR

The key goal of the Traditional Indigenous Gamestraining program is to improve Indigenous healththrough the use of traditional Indigenous games. Thepurpose of the training program is to build communitycapacity primarily through the revitalisation of cultur-al knowledge – in the practise of traditional gamesfor fun, as well as incorporating them into physicaleducation curriculum within schools.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To improve Indigenous health through the use oftraditional Indigenous games.

—To develop the knowledge that Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander youth have about their cultural heritage.

—To train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people(particularly youth) in traditional games.

—To build connectivity to schools and their communities through shared cultural and physical activities.

—To scope the feasibility of convening a state-wideTraditional Indigenous Games Festival.

FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS

(WEIPA: 2002; CUNNAMULLA AND CHARLEVILLE: 2003)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $69,300

($36,500 TO THE PROJECT IN WEIPA AND $32,800 TO THE

PROJECT IN CUNNAMULLA AND CHARLEVILLE)

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Through historical events there has been significantbreakdown of traditional Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander families, tribes and communities. This socialdisintegration has had a negative impact on their social,cultural, physical and mental health. For Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander communities, strengtheningfamily and community pride, cultural identity andself-esteem are the foundations of empowerment andhealth. There is a public need to design innovativeprograms to fill this community void and to enhanceand promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander com-munity health and wellbeing. The aim of the projectwas to develop a number of strategies designed to meetthe outcomes of the original Traditional IndigenousGames pilot project: ‘Our Health Our Games: Backto the Future’. Primarily the project team worked in

partnership with a number of key community andeducational stakeholders in two regions of Queensland:the Southwest (Charleville and Cunnamulla) and thewestern side of Cape York Peninsula (Weipa and sur-rounding communities of Napranum, Mapoon andAurukun). The first process was for the School ofPublic Health at the Queensland University ofTechnology (QUT) to establish a community manage-ment forum in both locations to assist in project man-agement responsibilities. Identifying the right brokersin the community was essential to implementation ofthe project.

KEY PROCESSES – CAPE YORK PENINSULA

Located 838 km north of Cairns, Weipa is a miningtown with a population of over 3000 people. Althoughgeographically part of the Cooktown Shire (whichcovers 11.3 million hectares from Cooktown to theCape) it is run by a Weipa Town Office under a specialact of the Queensland Parliament which gave the townthe status of a Special Bauxite Mining Lease and hand-ed control over to Comalco Aluminium.

The Napranum Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT)covers 201,447 hectares and is approximately 700kilometres from Cairns. The Napranum communityhas a population of approximately 800 people, 95per cent of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.Mapoon is situated approximately 960 kilometres northwest of Cairns, with the last stretch consisting of anall year access road, a distance of 86 kilometres fromWeipa on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Mapoon was declareda Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) in 1998 and is heldby a group of nominated trustees. About 92 per centof the 200 residents are Indigenous. The shire ofAurukun has a population of approximately 1,100.It covers an area of 7,500 square kilometres and issituated about two-thirds of the way up the westernside of Cape York Peninsula between the communitiesof Pormpuraaw and Weipa.

In Weipa, the principal activity was the establishmentof a Traditional Indigenous Games training program.This program was developed as a two prongedapproach: firstly, to begin a process to develop youngAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into leadersand, secondly, to train people in traditional games.

2

WEIPACHARLEVILLECUNNAMULLA

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 22

Two three-day workshops were held. Two projectofficers (who happened to also be Indigenous physicaleducation teachers) were responsible to train allparticipants in a ‘train the trainer’ mode. The programtargeted the following people:—four physical education teachers from four different

primary schools;—one physical education high school teacher;—six high school students involved in a school-

based coaching program; and—community people involved in weekend sports.

The training was very successful. In particular, thesix high school students were invaluable in translatingthe games concepts to younger students and monitoringtheir skills developments. Each school was providedwith resources – flip chart, video and equipment.Each school incorporated the Traditional IndigenousGames activities into an Indigenous cultural day orphysical activity sessions. Over the week, 450-500students participated in playing traditional games.At Aurukun and Napranum, all 80 students wereinvolved in this activity.

An evaluation tool was developed and disseminatedto participants—students, teachers and parents—todetermine the extent to which traditional games couldbe implemented in schools, with 110 students andfive physical education teachers responding to thequestionnaire. The results are described below.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

– CAPE YORK PENINSULA

The training program achieved positive outcomes interms of transferring knowledge and skill, exposingIndigenous young people to a positive element of theircultural heritage. Some of the feedback from studentswas that:—66 students had not heard of the traditional

games prior to the sessions;—44 students had played the games before at the

Croc Festival in Weipa or the Thursday Island,Brisbane or Stradbroke Island Cultural days; and78 students would be keen to play the games inthe future, especially at school.

Similarly, all five teachers responded positively tothe program. They were confident to teach the gamesand knew where to acquire further information aboutthe games if they needed it. They commented thatthe games could be embedded into the school as unitsor part of physical activity sessions and/or used inthe future as special days and on weekends.

The ability for teachers to embed the traditional gamesinto current school activities and curricula is a keyelement of the sustainability of the TraditionalIndigenous Games training program, providing students not only with an enjoyable, healthy activitythat improves fitness and skill levels, but—most importantly —connection to their culture.

The games program was highly successful and drewtogether teachers and over 450 students in an innova-tive cultural program. There was tremendous supportfrom the Western Cape College. A strong communitymanagement forum was built in partnership with them.A broad cross section of age groups of childrenparticipated in a number of activities and there wasa strong desire to incorporate traditional games intothe physical education curriculum.

One particular game called ‘Gorri’ was a favouritewith the children. The trainers would firstly informthe children of the cultural history behind each game,then proceed to use a red exercise ball to symbolise thered kangaroo and a tennis ball to symbolise the spears:“Firstly they would sit and listen and as they gainedan understanding of the game – the whole group wouldget excited! It was wonderful watching the expressionson the kids’ faces. Their eyes would light up: they hadto aim their spears to hit the roo – they were goinghunting for tea!” (PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

All students received a t-shirt promoting the projectand all participating schools received equipment andresources. The project provided an opportunity torevitalise cultural pride in communities and encouragedfathers and sons in particular to bond through physicalactivity in a social and community setting.

“AWESOME”; “HAVING FUN”; “ENTHUSIASTIC”; “I BELONG TO THEABORIGINAL COMMUNITY”; “PROUD”; “GOOD TO BE ABORIGINALAND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER”, “EASY TO LEARN”; “A BREAKFROM NORMAL GAMES”; “ENERGETIC”; “ENJOYABLE”; “UNIQUEAND NEW”; “DEADLY”. (STUDENT PARTICIPANTS)

KEY PROCESSES – SOUTHWEST QUEENSLAND

Charleville is situated 766 kilometres west of Brisbaneon the banks of the Warrego River, which flows southinto the Darling River. The town has a population ofabout 3,100. Also situated on the Warrego River isCunnumulla: the southern gateway to the MatildaHighway and lies at the crossroads to the adventureway travelling west to Eulo and Yowah Opal fields andonto Thargomindah and Innamincka. The town hasa population ranging from 1200 to 1500. Cunnamullais an Aboriginal word meaning ‘long stretch of water’.Goondiwindi is situated on the Queensland/NewSouth Wales border 355 kilometres southwest ofBrisbane and 125 kilometres north of Moree.

In Charleville and Cunnamulla, the principalactivity was the development and implementation ofa traditional games festival. The project managementteam from QUT’s School of Public Health partneredwith a number of key stakeholders from each com-munity to facilitate the engagement process and toultimately organise a festival.

A pivotal factor to engaging any community isthrough identifying the appropriate people. Two highlyrespected members of the Aboriginal community wereemployed to engage and broker the project objectivesin each community. The training program, which wasfacilitated by key community members, was providedto both the Charleville and Cunnamulla communities.Throughout the duration of the project, additionalcommunity members were also invited to participateand assist. The role of respected Indigenous people inproviding leadership for the project was invaluable.The project manager, Beryl Meiklejohn—an Indigenouswoman from QUT’s School of Public Health—ensuredthat the project was being implemented appropriately– and facilitated excellent relationships with the localcommunities. The QUT team intentionally stayed sev-eral days in both communities to build relationshipsand to engage as many relevant stakeholders intothe process.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

– SOUTHWEST QUEENSLAND

The traditional games festival was highly successfuland drew together Indigenous and non-Indigenouspeople, particularly in the Cunnamulla communitywith 32 people attending the inaugural meeting.A community management forum was established inpartnership with schools, church groups, Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander community-based organisations, and Queensland Health.

The Cunnamulla community organised their owntraditional games festival after the success of the festivalin Charleville. Due to the high level of communityengagement, the festival generated an interest fromAboriginal communities from across the border inNSW: Toomelah and Boggabilla. Both these commu-nities were invited to participate in the festival atCunnamulla. Over 200 community members attendedthe community-organised festival breakfast atCunnamulla. A local DJ voluntarily contributed timeand equipment, creating a festival-type atmosphere.As the festival in Cunnamulla was held at the localfootball grounds, QUT provided public liability insur-ance cover for all participants. This alleviated the stresson the local council and ensured that the festival couldproceed knowing that public health and safety issueshad been taken into account and managed accordingly.

A broad cross-section of age groups of children andadults participated in a number of activities, whichmade it more fun and interactive. Without promptingfrom adults, local school children created their ownposters and banners depicting an alcohol-free andsmoke-free festival. This action alone provided a strongpositive feeling of pride and confidence in the youngpeople and adults alike that reverberated across theentire community. Community organisations receivedequipment and resources. The schools showed a strongcommitment to exploring ways to incorporate tradi-tional games into their physical education curriculum.There is still demand from communities for videos andresources associated with the project, as well as interestfrom other communities, such as the GoondiwindiPolice Citizen’s Youth Club, on the possible imple-mentation of traditional games into their program.Through this capacity-building process, health, social,

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 23

cultural and educational developments can occur thatstrengthen family and community cohesion.

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

A concurrent teachers-only professional developmentprogram planned for September 2003 did not eventu-ate because of other commitments and demands onthe teachers. Unfortunately, the inaugural QueenslandCommunity Traditional Indigenous Games Festivaldid not eventuate during the life of this project; how-ever, the project generated interest at a national levelin the convening of an Indigenous traditional gamesfestival in the future.

KEY LEARNINGS

Revitalising cultural games is extremely empoweringfor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people –particularly for the young people. This project provid-ed a way of validating Aboriginal culture, as sometraditional games are still played in remote commu-nities in Cape York. Some key learnings that haveemerged from implementing this project include theimportance of spending time in the community. Tosuccessfully engage communities, project workers needto stay in the community and get to know communitymembers over a period of days: you can’t just ‘fly inand fly out.’ Another key learning was the importanceof how programs are ‘packaged’ to young people. Tosuccessfully engage communities (in particular, youngpeople), branding is important. One of the keys to theproject’s success was learning early on not to refer tothe activities as ‘physical education’, but rather as‘games’.

The project provided an opportunity to introduce afresh and fun concept into communities – to reinvig-orate community members in a different way. Thisapproach enabled the project to be supported andeventually owned by each community throughoutthe life of the project. Some of the traditional gamescarried other messages such as being non-competitive,and provided skills for life: it enabled young peopleto gain a better understanding of their possible rolesas carers and/or nurturers in the future.

These games have the potential to build communitycapacity. Four key factors are: (1) the games are

inclusive of all ages and family groups within Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander communities; (2) the gamesare derived from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderculture – the intellectual property of Indigenous peo-ples; (3) the low cost involved in creating equipmentand/or equipment can be easily replicated; and (4)the games can be played for small groups of 1-5 people, or large teams of up to 20.

“All kids enjoyed the traditional activities andmarvelled at the equipment left behind and youcould sense the excitement once they realised thatfuture fun could be had with these games via theresources that had been provided for them. It wasclearly evident that via physical activity and byusing traditional games as a vehicle, large groups of individuals were brought closer together, unitingunder a common banner of culture and fun.”(INDIGENOUS GAMES RESEARCH CONSULTANT, AUSTRALIAN

SPORTS COMMISSION AND QUT POSTGRADUATE STUDENT)

Traditional games—such Kolap, Kee’an, Wana, Puuny,Taktyerrain, Kai, Koolchee, Weme, and Gorri—havethe potential to be incorporated into physical educationcurricula. They can be easily adapted by communities,can be driven at the grass-root level, and can besustainable.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL

INDIGENOUS GAMES TRAINING PROGRAM,

CONTACT: MS BERYL MEIKLEJOHN, PROJECT MANAGER,

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF

TECHNOLOGY (KELVIN GROVE CAMPUS).

PH (07) 3864 3528.

EMAIL B.MEIKLEJOHN@QUT.EDU.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 24

The Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a Better WorldIndigenous child health and nutrition program inremote communities in the Northern Territory wasinitiated by Aboriginal community members whoattended a presentation given by another Aboriginalcommunity in Alice Springs. The communities wantedto target the health of 0-5 year old children in theirown communities in Central Australia through thedevelopment of a culturally appropriate and sustainable community-based nutrition program.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To improve the health of 0-5 year olds living in remote Aboriginal communities through thedevelopment of appropriate and sustainable community-based nutrition programs.

—To establish sustainable community designed and driven nutrition programs in Mt Liebig(Amurrndurngu), Titjikala, Willowra and Nyirripi.

—To increase general community awareness of thenutritional needs of children.

—To create support networks for community programsutilising community and external services ofUNICEF.

—To collate lessons learnt and share these with otherservices for expansion into further communities.

UNICEF — FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2002 TO 2004)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $110,000

WALTJA — FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2004 TO 2006)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $110,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

UNICEF is an international aid and communitydevelopment organisation that has traditionally focusedon promoting sustainable economic and social enhance-ment to improve the standard of living of people, par-ticularly women and children, in developing countries.UNICEF, in partnership with Waltja TjutargkuPalyapayi Aboriginal Association (Waltja), sought funding from the Telstra Foundation to extend childnutrition programs in remote communities.

Waltja was established in 1997, but was formerlyknown as the Central Australian Family ResourceCentre. When funding for the Family Resource Centre

was withdrawn in 1997, the members decided to formthe Waltja Tjutargku Palyapayi Aboriginal Association.Tjutargku Palyapayi means “doing good work forfamilies”. Waltja services remote communities across700,000 square kilometres in Central Australia. Themembers of Waltja are all Aboriginal women who livein remote communities in Central Australia. All members actively participate in Waltja projects, workshops, training and community-based activities.Each of the participating communities is different,even though they may be geographically close toeach other.

Mt Liebig (Amurrndurngu) is located 340 kilometreswest of Alice Springs. Access to the community is byroad, the majority of which is unsealed and often ina poor condition, and by a weekly mail plane flight.The community of 250 people is comprised mainly ofPintupi/Luritja language groups with very strong tra-ditional roots. Mt Liebig is governed by a CommunityGovernment Council elected by local residents. Thecommunity has a Council office, a store, an aged-careservice, a child-care service, a clinic and a church. MtLiebig also has a primary school. Secondary studentsare required to stay in Alice Springs, Darwin orAdelaide to continue their studies. The NorthernTerritory Government operates the school and theclinic; all other local services are community ownedand operated.

The Mt Liebig community suffers from a number offamily related issues including high instances of infantgastro-intestinal disease, alcohol and substance misuse,family violence and youth self-harm issues. Thecommunity has consistently approached Waltja overa number of years for assistance in developing pro-grams to address these issues, as well as training andsupport for child care and aged care. Waltja has a strongmember base in the community and those memberssought Mt Liebig’s inclusion in Waltja’s nutrition pro-gram at the pre-submission stage. Mt Liebig had anutrition program funded by the Northern TerritoryGovernment; however, funding was insufficient, andthe program only operates intermittently and is sub-ject to the direct support of current clinic staff.

Titjikala is located 115 kilometres by road southof Alice Springs. Access to the community of approxi-

PROJECT 3KEEPING KIDS HEALTHYMAKES A BETTER WORLDUNICEF WITH WALTJA TJURTARGKU PALYAPAYI ABORIGINAL ASSOCIATIONALICE SPRINGS, NTLEANNE RAMSAMY

3

WILLOWRATITJIKAKIMT LIEBIGNYIRRIPI

mately 200 people is via a dirt road, which is of poorstandard for much of the year. The road is impassablewith minimal amounts of rain. Although the commu-nity is situated within the Arrernte language zone,Luritja is the predominant language spoken. A councilelected by local residents governs the community.Unlike Mt Liebig, Titjikala has a Commonwealth-fund-ed Community Development and Employment Programwith a wide range of work activities undertaken. Thecommunity has infrastructure, including a community-owned store, women’s centre, men’s centre, aged-careservice, child-care service, clinic, primary school anda church. The Northern Territory Government runsboth the clinic and the school.

Titjikala suffers similar issues to the other targetcommunities. Clinic staff note that infant gastro-intestinal disease and failure to thrive are commonproblems to be addressed. Although inhalant sub-stance misuse is not an issue, alcohol and other drugsare. Waltja’s members from Titjikala have soughtassistance for some time in developing a community-based nutrition program.

Willowra is a remote community based approximately350 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs. It has apopulation of approximately 300 people. The com-munity has suffered from a lack of services since itscouncil was de-funded in 2001 from poor adminis-tration over its financial affairs (now administered bythe Yuendumu Council, which is 180 kilometres away).As a result of this, the community has suffered greatlyfrom a lack of services. The current services in Willowraare a primary school, a community store and a com-munity health service. Issues such as alcohol misuse,gambling and family problems and – recently – a deathdue to petrol sniffing affect the community. Due tothe lack of services for women or children, poorhealth is a major issue.

Nyirripi is located 450 kilometres northwest of AliceSprings. Access is by a mainly unsealed road, whichis often in a poor condition, and by a once weeklymail plane flight. The community of 250 people ispredominantly from the Warlpiri language group.Nyirripi is governed by a Community GovernmentCouncil. Local services include a council office, clinic,primary school, community-owned store, church, and

a limited aged-care service. The school and the clinicare both operated by the Northern TerritoryGovernment. The community also has a non-func-tional women’s centre and are hoping to develop achild-care service in the near future. Instances of thesocial issues identified for Mt Liebig (with the exceptionof inhalant misuse) are also prominent in Nyirripi.

KEY PROCESSES

Strategies included:—developing the partnership between UNICEF

and Waltja to implement the program, with Waltjaas the lead agency;

—establishing a Nutrition Steering Committee tooversee the project implementation, development,and evaluation;

—employing a coordinator and local Aboriginalnutrition workers in each of the four communities;

—training workers in the nutritional needs of children; —establishing a brokerage fund to support a range

of purchases, such as gardening utensils.The Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a Better World

Indigenous child health and nutrition program forremote communities in Central Australia was an earlyintervention approach to child health. The programaddresses risk factors experienced by Aboriginal childrenaged between 0-5 years living in remote communities.The main focus was to identify and address factorsassociated with poverty, failure to thrive and poorhealth outcomes for Aboriginal children. Some of the main early intervention strategies included:—supporting communities to adopt activities to

improve nutrition for youth and children, includingprovision of healthy lunches or dinners for childrento prevent health crises (for example, needing to behospitalised in Alice Springs);

—establishing community gardens;—cooking demonstrations of health foods;—information days and regional workshop to educate

local Aboriginal community members (in particular,women); and

—lobbying for the availability of affordable andhealthy foods.

‘The nutrition program at the child-care centre worksin partnership with the clinic, the staff share health

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 26

“PIPIRRI TJUTA PALYA KANYILA, TJANA NGURRA PALYA KANYINT–JAKU” – KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY MAKES A BETTER WORLD.

information about kids which helps in dealing withnutrition issues’. (NYIRRIPI CLINIC)

It was important that the project included all childrenand families, not just high-risk children or families,as this may have singled out certain children andfamilies and would not have been as successful, dueto a limited number of families being targeted andpossible shaming of those at risk. The success of theintervention was due to the level of local communityparticipation and input into healthy food choices forthe children: both bush and store foods.

“It was important that the local people were decidingon what was best for themselves rather than outsidersdeciding on what was best for them.”(PROJECT COORDINATOR, WALTJA)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

A community development emphasis was evidentthrough the level of active community participationand involvement of the project within each community.Some of the main community development strategiesincluded providing the opportunity for Elders toeducate young people through going on bush trips tosource bush medicines and bush foods. Communitymembers worked with the local community storemanager to develop a health store policy towards thetypes of food that are stocked. Store training wasprovided for local Aboriginal community members.More broadly, local Aboriginal community memberswere trained to assist in improving the nutritional needsof women, young children and the wider community.A child-care centre was also established in Nyirripi.Titjikala won a National Heart Foundation Awardfor their vegetable garden under the category ‘Policy for Structural Change’.

Although the project was initially focused on nutrition,it has broadened its focus to wellbeing of children.Consequently, the outcomes of the project went beyondjust nutrition for children. Social outcomes includedstorytelling, photos and the production of a cookbook,and the employment of local nutrition workers in eachof the communities.

“There has been proof that failure to thrive kids haveactually decreased in communities, families are moreaware of the nutrition needs of kids, which has also

had an influence on the stores with more fruit andvegetables, and different campaigns happening in theschools as well around food and healthy breakfastprograms”. (INDIGENOUS PROJECT OFFICER, UNICEF)

Aboriginal Health Workers and Registered Nursesin Nyirripi, Watiyawanu (Mt Liebig), Willowra andTitjikala have observed an increase in the number ofhealthier children in the community and an increasein knowledge among community members participatingin the project on nutrition and healthy eating.

“The nutrition program contributes to better healthoutcomes for the kids. Due to education around nutri-tion, women are buying more fruit and vegetables andthe kids are eating healthier meals. The program hashelped to decrease the amount of anaemia cases notjust through meals but also through education aroundnutrition.” (NYIRRIPI CLINIC)

The project has lead to an increase in the nutritionawareness in communities, particularly among women.Community members have an increased confidencein raising issues with the community store managerand ordering in more healthy snacks and fresh vegeta-bles. Practical cooking demonstrations are conductedshowing healthy and affordable ways to prepare freshfruit and vegetables, as well as holding nutrition andhealth awareness days. Some families are making dif-ferent choices about how they use their money,choosing to purchase nutritious food for their children,rather than, for example, using their money for gam-bling. Men are becoming more involved in the programin various ways, such as gardening, dropping thechildren off at childcare, sitting with them at lunchtimeand cooking meals. Men have reported that they wantto be more involved in family life as it makes them feelgood and they are able to identify a role for themselves.

“The community are now running their own nutritionprogram through the childcare centre, this has beenempowering for the program workers and the com-munity as a whole.” (NYIRRIPI CLINIC)

Community volunteers have become involved innutrition activities. These volunteers have also attendedtraining workshops in areas of nutrition, foodpreparation and healthy living. This has strengthenedpartnerships and coordination between community-based organisations in support of each community

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 27

nutrition program. It has also provided an appropriateforum for young families to start talking about otherpressing issues, such as domestic violence and alcoholand other drugs. This has meant a closer workingrelationship with local partners such as Alcohol andOther Drugs, The Heart Foundation, Sexual Healthand Family Planning, and Family and Children’sServices.

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

A practical obstacle to running some of the programwas the weather. Due to the remote location of thecommunities and poor road accessibility, rain ofteninterferes with particular activities that have beenplanned.

Some of the other barriers experienced throughoutthe project included achieving community ownershipof all nutrition activities and therefore sustainabilityof the project benefits. A key element of this processwas encouraging remote community clinics to supportlocal nutrition workers. Local community workers needto be trained in administration so that they are ableto report accurately to Waltja and request assistanceas required.

Future opportunities for the ongoing success ofWaltja’s Keeping Kids Healthy Makes a Better Worldprogram will be to sustain the level of communityinvolvement through implementation of a ‘train thetrainer’ model, accurate budgeting, and continuingto run the new child-care centre.

There are also opportunities for community nutritionprograms to be independently managed and operatedby the local community. In the future a project suchas this would be best conducted in fewer communitiesat a time, as the amount of time the project coordina-tor spent in the various communities—as well as thetime on administration, travel, and follow-up—waslimited. Improvements need to be considered for mon-itoring the project, and increased opportunities forlocal Aboriginal community members to have accessto accredited training courses, for example, ‘train thetrainer’ programs and training in food and nutrition.

One of the major challenges of the program has beengetting specific data on the health and nutrition of thechildren who are supported through the program.The main issue has been the confidentiality of thisinformation in the small communities that we areworking in. Even providing numbers can identify thechild and there is a lot of shame surrounding poornutrition of children. At present the project membershave observed the changes in attitude and behaviourof participants in each community. There has been noformal collection of quantitative data, however UNICEFis exploring options with Waltja and government

counterparts how to improve the monitoring and datacollection systems in each community to assist infuture evaluation by monitoring and reporting onhealth outcomes associated with the project.

“The project has had a strong focus on capacitybuilding of local partners such as Waltja. In 2004,after two years of Telstra Foundation funding UNICEFAustralia to implement the nutrition program withWaltja, there was a shift in funding and the supportwas provided directly to Waltja. UNICEF Australiacontinues to support Waltja with capacity building,reporting writing, monitoring and evaluation.”(INDIGENOUS PROJECT OFFICER, UNICEF)

KEY LEARNINGS

The most important lesson learnt was patience. It isalso important to shift ownership of projects to thecommunity to ensure sustainability. The process wasimportant and flexibility was essential to the overalloutcome. It was also important to understand thatcircumstances within each community were dictatedby its particular social issues. For example, one com-munity had limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables– so they decided to build a vegetable garden.

“Promoting bush and healthy store foods helped tomaintain a positive approach advocating traditionalways of looking after children”. (PROJECT COORDINATOR,

WALTJA)

Local community members have a high regard fornutrition in the community and some of the communitymembers are more confident in approaching their ownlocal community members about nutrition issues; pre-viously community members would only talk to thenurse or a doctor. There is more of an integratedapproach to nutrition between the local communitybased agencies (the council, school, store and healthcentre), and the children and their families in theselected communities due to the project.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY

MAKES A BETTER WORLD PROJECT,

CONTACT KATIE ALLEN, PROJECT COORDINATOR.

PH (08) 8953 4488.

EMAIL KATIE.ALLEN@WALTJA.ORG.AU

GRACE HERMAWAN, INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND ADVOCACY

OFFICER, UNICEF AUSTRALIA.

PH (08) 8953 5942.

EMAIL GRACE.HERMAWAN@HEARTFOUNDATION.COM.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 28

In 1969, the Uniting Church in Australia establishedthe Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD) to assistwith community development for Aboriginal people.IAD is now an independent Aboriginal community-controlled education and language resource centrein Alice Springs. In order to improve literacy ofIndigenous children in remote communities, the IADpublished a series of children’s picture dictionaries,based on the template of the Central AnmatyerrPicture Dictionary.PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To address the immediate educational disadvantageof Aboriginal children in remote communities bypublishing and distributing literacy resources relevantto their language and culture.

—To contribute to a general culture of literacy andincrease the body of written resources available inEnglish and the vernacular in remote communities.

—To research and publish picture dictionaries forAboriginal children in local community languages.

FUNDING PERIOD: ONE YEAR (2002)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $48,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

The Institute for Indigenous Development (IAD)identified the need for ‘picture dictionaries’ in a rangeof Indigenous communities. IAD argued that in remoteAboriginal communities in Central Australia there islittle functional literacy and little use of literacyresources. Formal schooling was not established untilthe 1960s in the majority of remote communities inthe Northern Territory. Even today, there are fewlanguage literacy resources available to remoteAboriginal school communities. A ‘picture dictionary’would be a user-friendly resource to assist local communities address this problem with literacy.

Funding was sought to conduct the research anddevelopment, design and publication of picture dic-tionaries in local Aboriginal languages. The goal wasto design and develop a culturally appropriate literacyresource with the aim to provide remote Aboriginalschools with a literacy resource in the first languagespoken by the students, and address educational dis-advantage through publishing and distributing literacyresources relevant to their language and culture.

KEY PROCESSES

The first key stage in the process of implementing theChildren’s Picture Dictionaries project was the publicationof the pilot project, the “Central Anmatyerr PictureDictionary”. The “Central Anmatyerr Picture Dictionary”(compiled by Jenny Green with Ti Tree, MountAllan and Laramba communities) was publishedin 2003. It included illustrations, vocabulary andexample sentences. It was the first developed out ofthe series of 12 picture dictionaries, four of whichwere funded by the Telstra Foundation. Project strate-gies included involving community members in theproduction of dictionaries—language speakers, lin-guists, education workers and Elders—to adapt theexample sentences to fit language requirements of thespecific local communities.

The Central Anmatyerr Picture Dictionary wasdesigned and developed as a template to assist in thedevelopment of a series of picture dictionaries. The Telstra Foundation grant was used to fund theproduction costs of the Central Anmatyerr, Kaytetyeand Warumungu Picture Dictionaries (the fourthdictionary to be published soon using funds fromTelstra Foundation is the Eastern and Central ArrentePicture Dictionary). Additional drawings were com-missioned to suit regional variations. Once the finalmanuscripts were edited and sent to the designer/production manager for design and layout, they wentto a limited print run.

The success of the intervention was due to the activeinvolvement of Aboriginal community-based languagespeakers and their determination to have input intothe current and future education needs of childrenwithin their local communities. The dictionaries havebeen effective in teaching English as a second language.The project focused on the local Aboriginal peoplehaving control over the current and future educationof their children attending the kindergarten and pri-mary school within the communities. Early interventionstrategies include the maintenance of local languageand culture, use of the kindergarten and primary schoolchildren, and the development and use of teacher notes.

As part of the project’s community developmentstrategy, local Aboriginal people were used through-out the project and paid for their contribution.

PROJECT 4CHILDREN’SPICTURE DICTIONARIESINSTITUTE FOR ABORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT ALICE SPRINGS, NTLEANNE RAMSAMY

4

CENTRALAUSTRALIA

Aboriginal community members view the school as thefocal point in the community. This allowed communityengagement of community members with their chil-dren throughout the development of the dictionaries.

“There is no sustainable funding for the developmentfor dictionary projects, this means that you cannotoffer any sensible employment or career for Aboriginallanguage speakers.” (LINGUIST, IAD PRESS)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

So far, three of the picture dictionaries funded by theTelstra Foundation have been published, with a fourthunderway. In total, IAD Press is publishing 12 picturedictionaries for children. Future outcomes will be tosustain the partnership developed throughout the proj-ect. The templates could be used in other parts ofAustralia to assist other Indigenous communities.

Throughout the development of each picture diction-ary, local Aboriginal community members modifiedtheir particular dictionary to reflect cultural differences.Local workshops were conducted in each communityto assist in the development of the picture dictionaries.Reports from each workshop were provided to theNorthern Territory Education Department. Throughoutthe workshops, the team from IAD Press conductedobservational evaluations. These indicated that thepractical use of the picture dictionaries had increased.The picture dictionaries are used from pre-school toupper primary school. Adults also use the resource.

“Most of the schools that are doing a series of language programs are using the picture dictionaries.” (LANGUAGE RESOURCE OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF

EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING)

Linguists who worked on the project have reportedthe Central Anmatyerr Picture Dictionary is being usedin schools and communities at Mt Allan, Laramba,Ti Tree and Pulardi outstation by approximately 850Indigenous students, 12 Indigenous teaching staff, 12non-Indigenous teachers, and 30-50 Indigenous par-ents. The Kaytetye Picture Dictionary is being used by50 Indigenous students, two non-Indigenous teachers,four Indigenous teaching staff, ten Indigenous adultscoming to the schools, and 120 other Indigenousadults. The Warumungu Picture Dictionary is beingused in one primary school and one high school inTennant Creek and one bush school (RockhamptonDowns) by approximately 120 Indigenous students,eight non-Indigenous teachers, four Indigenous lan-guage workers, and eight language workers training atthe Papulu apparr-kari Language and Culture Centre,Tennant Creek.

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Some of the difficulties experienced throughout theproject related to the timeframes and the unantici-pated process of using the Central Anmatyerr PictureDictionary as a template, obtaining illustrations andthe correct spelling of Aboriginal words.

The timeframe of 12 months to produce the newpicture dictionaries was unrealistic as the Institute forAboriginal Development Press only had a small team,two of whom were part time. It was assumed thatusing a template would expedite the publication ofthe subsequent picture dictionaries; however, this wasnot the case. The use of the template was useful incollecting language words, sentences and illustrations,but did not significantly reduce the time requiredwithin each community.

Illustrations for each picture dictionary had to berelevant to each community. This meant more time wasrequired in each community to obtain the informationneeded, and confirmation and approval for each picture.

The spelling of Aboriginal words has only beenrecently researched and developed. Throughout theproject, spelling became a major focal point for thelinguists with unanticipated increased hours workingout the correct spelling of words. The linguists con-ducted community-based workshops and special visits

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to confirm the correct spelling of words with theElders and local Aboriginal language speakers.

The picture dictionaries are a tangible resource forlocal Aboriginal people – one that benefits the wholecommunity. Improvements in the future would be toproduce a digital version and an interactive picturedictionary with sounds and graphics that can be usedin the local pre-schools and primary schools, and alsofor adult learning. During the development of thepicture dictionaries, a teachers’ guide was also beingdeveloped to complement each picture dictionary.

KEY LEARNINGS

One important lesson that the project learnt was thatrigid scheduling is not always possible. It is importantto work in a culturally appropriate manner withcommunities, which includes being flexible in theexpectations of language speakers within communities.

The original instructions that were prepared andgiven to linguists were comprehensive and includeda template into which each linguist only needed toenter the information gained from language speakersin the community. As a result of feedback, theseoriginal instructions were revised and updated inMay 2005 in order to make the template more user-friendly. The use of templates saved some time andmoney. For example, it cost twice as much to developthe first picture dictionary than subsequent ones.

The key role that Aboriginal people played inplanning, developing and implementing solutionsfor themselves was vital.

In her 12 years employed as the IndigenousPublisher at the Institute for Aboriginal Development,Josie Douglas was impressed with the picture dictionaryproject because it was an intergenerational projectwhere the very young through to the elderly workedtogether to produce the same outcome. The picturedictionary was really valued because it is about main-taining language and culture and the passing downof language and cultural heritage.

“In one of the communities a local Aboriginal femaletaught herself how to read and write using the localKaytetye Picture Dictionary.” (JOSIE DOUGLAS, FORMER PUBLISHER IAD PRESS)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE CHILDREN’S PICTURE DICTIONARY PROJECT,

CONTACT JILL WALSH, PUBLISHER, EDITOR,

INSTITUTE FOR ABORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT.

PH (08) 8951 1335.

EMAIL PUBLISHER@IAD.EDU.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 31

The Ara Irititja Archival Project – Knowing the Past toStrengthen Our Future project developed 11 yearsago from concerns Anangu and three non-Anangupeople had regarding the preservation and repatriationof important historical records that were removed fromAnangu lands over many decades. Ara Irititja is a mul-timedia cultural database of Anangu and non-Ananguvisitors to the Anangu lands, as well as a current andexpanding database for Indigenous youth to accessand contribute their own records.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To locate material of historical importance to Anangu.—To enable Anangu people to have access to a

multimedia cultural database and facilitate peopleadding their own information to the archive.

—To teach young people how to use digital technologyand provide transferable educational skills.

—To promote community networking and a strong sense of Indigenous identity.

FUNDING PERIOD: THREE YEARS (2003 TO 2005)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $115,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Since 1976, the Pitjantjatjara Council has been a serviceprovider to Anangu (Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjarapeople). Anangu communities and outstations cover350,000 square kilometres across Western Australia,South Australia and the Northern Territory, extendingfrom Coober Pedy (SA) to west of Warburton (WA),and up to Finke (NT). It includes communities suchas Kenmore Park, Fregon, and Ernabella – the olderand largest community.

Photographic records of outsiders entering Anangulands date back to 1884. Since then there has been anever-increasing frequency of contact with Anangu.Most visitors to Anangu lands made some record oftheir visit in the form of journals, diaries, movies,photographs or audio recordings. Many of these recordsare important to recover because they date back tofirst and early contact between Anangu and non-Anangu.

Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara children haveseverely limited access to educational materials thatvalue and reflect their cultural identity. The Elderswere anxious to reinforce the value of traditional

knowledge and community history. The Ara IrititjaArchival Project was developed to provide an importantarchive that can be used as an educational and culturalresource.

KEY PROCESSES

Telstra Foundation funding has been used to developthe content for the project. The first stage was to collectand repatriate cultural and historic materials: photographs, sound recordings, movie footage andother documents that are of particular relevance forAnangu youth. The historic materials were then digitised, and entered onto the Ara Irititja archive.

An integral part of the project is to train Anangu intheir home communities to operate the electronicdatabase and to enable Elders and children to partici-pate together in accessing the archive. The archive ispresented to Anangu communities in a variety of for-mats. Some communities use a desktop, others use aportable unit (a ‘Niri-niri’), which includes the archivecomputer, printer, projector and battery power pack.Anangu have ready access to their electronic databaseand can obtain prints from it. To date, 15 Anangucommunities, in South Australia, Western Australiaand the Northern Territory have an Ara Irititja archive.‘Niri-niri’ means ‘beetle’ in the Pitjantjatjara language.‘Ara Irititja’ means ‘stories from a long time ago’.

The formats used in Ara Irititja have been developedthrough consultation with Anangu over many years.The archive had to be user friendly. Access to thearchive, however, had to cater to various cultural sen-sitivities. For example, certain access codes had to becreated to cater for such factors as ‘sorrow’ (imagesof deceased Anangu). Ceremonial material requiredparticular attention and special treatment to enableappropriate access. With input from the community,culturally appropriate formats for accessing the AraIrititja archive were developed.

Icons used on screen are in the vernacular – the locallanguage. Information can be recorded in either thevernacular or in English. A hidden grid was incorpo-rated so that Anangu only have to click the cursor ontothe face of an individual to read or enter that person’sname. By the same process, the user can enlarge animage to enable closer examination. The Ara Irititja

5

ANANGULANDS

PROJECT 5ARA IRITITJAARCHIVAL PROJECT KNOWING THE PAST TOSTRENGTHEN OUR FUTURESOCIAL HISTORY UNIT PITJANTJATJARA COUNCIL, NT/ SA / WA MARLENE BURCHILL, LEAH BROMFIELD AND DARYL HIGGINS

archive is a ‘live’ archive that, in addition to beingviewed by the community, is constantly being updatedand expanded to provide greater detail and accuracy.The archive format has developed and has beenenhanced through consultation, expert advice, appli-cation, trial and error and by feedback from Anangucommunities.

This project enables Anangu and the generations thatfollow to access and to be able to see photos andmovies of their ancestors or of themselves when theywere young. They can also see letters, artwork, arte-facts and listen to singing and oral history which isstored in their archive.

“It was used by a wide variety of age groups, rangingfrom teenagers, right through the elderly communitymembers who came to the school to look at the mate-rials. They relied on the younger ones to manipulatethe computer, and talked about what they were seeing.Young people enjoyed being able to show off theirskills. It was used during school time, but also afterschool. Using the archive would reinforce the familyties. Family members would talk about the relation-ships people had with each other through the imagesthey witnessed, which is an interesting way of usingimages to look at what happened in the past. Thearchive is very positive: it reinforces the concepts ofthe family group and the way communities are struc-tured, as they are able to look at photos of differentpeople and places – to look at what the place lookedlike 50 years ago. People and family groups seemedto be the main focus.” (FORMER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL,

KENMORE PARK ANANGU SCHOOL)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The most satisfying outcome has been to see thedelight Anangu display when they see and interactwith their archive. Very often a whole family comestogether to look at the photos shown on screen. Theyhave never seen most of these photos before. Parentscan listen to themselves reading in school from a 1963recording, and can share that with their children. Theycan add information to any record and, where neces-sary, change incorrect or inappropriate informationpreviously recorded.

“I like Ara Irititja. It makes me feel good when I

see old people. I like learning on the Ara Irititja com-puter. It is good to use the things like printing,putting names and looking at photos of my familyand friends. It is very great.” (17-YEAR OLD SCHOOL STU-

DENT, PUKATJA SCHOOL)

Another significant outcome has been generatinga willingness among those people and institutions whohold material to which Anangu want access. The AraIrititja project has established a vast and expandingnetwork of donors and lenders of material for inclu-sion in the archive. Anangu regularly suggest namesof people for project members to contact for accessto collections.

There are now more than 50,000 multimedia recordsin the archive, including thousands of audio recordings,document copies, movie clips and copies of objects.This is an ever-expanding database. Rarely have Ananguhad the opportunity to see or hear these records. AraIrititja makes this possible. Anangu are now able tosee first and early contact photos. They can listen torecordings of important ceremonies. They can readletters written in the vernacular by their grandparents.They can add their own stories to the archived records.They can now, for the first time, share all of this withtheir children and grandchildren. This access andinteraction gives Anangu a great deal of pleasure andself-pride. The project has assisted in drawing togethergenerations, with the Anangu young people typicallyoperating the computer and inputting data describedorally by Elders and others older family members. Theproject has been successful in facilitating intergenera-tional sharing within an educational environment.

“The kids just love looking at it – they love sitting infamily groups, and the older people explaining who’swho. We’ll start using it more as a teaching resource.If you do a topic on ‘work’ or ‘transport’ you cancompare modern day with the past – because the photosare there. Because the young people are visual learners,and it’s highly relevant for them, it’s a great learning aid.It captures their interest.” (PRINCIPAL, FREGAN ANANGU

SCHOOL)

Involvement with the archive at the community levelenables Anangu youth to actively share learningexperiences with Elders and family and improve theircomputer and literacy skills. Through accessing the

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 33

multimedia cultural database, young people have beendeveloping an increased sense of pride in their ancestryand environment, as well as developing an interest inphotography and recording important events. Theirinvolvement with the Ara Irititja archive enhances theirsense of themselves as young Anangu in a moderntechnological world.

“I like looking at the olden times things that I don’tknow about. I like having the memory of my grand-mother through seeing her in the photos, hearing thestories she tells and being able to look at her.Sometimes it’s OK for family to look at their familieswho have passed away.” (TRAINEE TEACHER, PUKATJA)

Many of the activities centred around schools, suchas the Wiltja secondary school program in Adelaide, andmany of the Anangu community schools. At Wiltja,the archive is available to Anangu students in the schoolas well as in their dormitory, encouraging them tocontribute to the archive by documenting their ownexperiences. Later, as graduates move back to theirvarious home communities, they can continue contributing and accessing data.

Anangu youth now have access to a unique andimportant record of their secondary schooling overthree decades, and will be able to contribute to thedocumentation of these important personal historicrecords. The Ara Irititja Archive Project representssignificant progress towards building a unique culturalresource, promoting intergenerational sharing, anddeveloping information technology and multimediaskills. These achievements are important protectivefactors for youth who are recognised as being vulnerableto a range of social problems affecting Indigenouscommunities.

One of the aims of the project was to promotecommunity networking and a strong sense ofIndigenous identity, as well as to teach young peopletransferable multimedia skills. These are powerful protective factors that are likely to reduce the risk of unemployment, illiteracy, isolation, cultural alienation and disenfranchisement.

“The project was successful for the children whoare engaged in school and community life: a positivereinforcement tool. However, it did not have as muchimpact on those who were already marginalised, asit depended on being able to use the computer to getthe benefit. For those who lacked the interest, theywouldn’t access it. Later in the year, however, werelocated the computer from the school down to thecommunity centre, which made it more accessible(although the wear and tear could be a lot higher).It was a positive, worthwhile thing – to have theseimages that have been collected over the decades bywestern people (missionaries, teachers and medicalstaff). I was quite impressed with the quality and detailof the referencing contained in the archive.” (FORMER

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, KENMORE PARK ANANGU SCHOOL)

At Ernabella (1300 kilometres northwest of Adelaide,on the land bordering South Australia, WesternAustralia and the Northern Territory), the archive islocated at the AnTEP (Anangu Tertiary EducationProgram, a branch of the University of South Australia),where students have been trained to walk peoplethrough it. They monitor the session, and help usersweave their way through the archive. A lot of peoplehave accessed it to log their family photos (as photosdo not last).

“I used it as a really useful resource when we lookingat pathways out of school and into work. We are acommunity that currently has no work. So we pulledout of the archive photos and stories of Anangu atwork in the past. We found photos of people doinguniversity lectures by long distance education; photosof the church being built (along with whitefellas);running a butcher shop; felling trees and so on. Thatwas a great support to the unit I was teaching. I thinkit gives a sense of what is possible: we can do things.A lot of teachers use it as a resource to discuss issuesabout family, work... all sorts of stuff.” (DEPUTY PRINCIPAL, ERNABELLA)

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 34

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

There have been no real barriers during the devel-opment of the Ara Irititja Archive Project. On thecontrary, team members have been encouraged bythe enthusiasm and support from Anangu, institu-tions and individuals who have contributed to thedevelopment of the archive. There have, of course,been considerable challenges during the project’sdevelopment but these challenges have all been met orare in the process of being addressed. For example, thepower supplies on Anangu communities are unreli-able, so battery power packs were incorporated intothe archive hardware to avoid damage to the database.

The one long-standing and continuing frustration hasbeen a lack of ongoing funding, despite generoussupport from the Telstra Foundation and governmentagencies. For example, the project has not been ableto secure funding dedicated to retrieval of archivedmaterial, nor has it been able to secure a guaranteedongoing source of funding to enable its long-term plansto be implemented. This means such essential tasksas recruiting and training Anangu people to becomeand remain actively involved with the archive havebeen curtailed.

KEY LEARNINGS

In the early stages of the project’s development itbecame apparent (mainly because team members hadall experienced life on Anangu communities) thatcertain environmental realities had to be addressed. Forexample, the remote Anangu communities do not havegood quality fixed-line telephone and Internet access.Ara Irititja has developed close community liaison andconducts regular field trips to facilitate the updatingof the computer databases. The database softwareincorporates a synchronisation process so that infor-mation entered at the community level is amalgamatedwith that entered in other places and all archiveworkstations are updated on a regular basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE ARA IRITITJA

– KNOWING THE PAST TO STRENGTHEN OUR FUTURE PROJECT,

CONTACT JOHN DALLWITZ, MANAGER,

SOCIAL HISTORY UNIT, PITJANTJATJARA COUNCIL

PH (08) 8226 4873

EMAIL INFO@IRITITJA.COM

WEB WWW.IRITITJA.COM

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION ONE | PAGE 35

SECTION 2 YOUTH:PARTICIPATION & LEADERSHIP…YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION: CREATINGOPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERGENERATIONAL SKILLS TRANSFER;DEVELOPING DETERMINATION; FOSTERING HOPE

SOARING: KURRURU INDIGENOUS YOUTH PERFORMING ARTS

INTRODUCTION

One of the key principles of community developmentis building the capacity of local individuals, organisa-tions and communities to identify problems, developsolutions, and engage in actions to implement thesesolutions. This requires creativity, vision, and—mostimportantly—leadership. Leadership needs to berecognised and developed in local communities.

In order to sustain changes, however, it is criticalto look to the next generation – and to equip youngpeople with training and experiences in order to foster leadership skills. This involves having vision –but also empowering young people to envisage theirown future. For skills to be transferred to the nextgeneration, they need to be modelled, and youngpeople mentored by existing leaders.

Building capacity for the next generation, therefore,means youth engagement and participation: creatingopportunities for intergenerational skill transfer;developing self-determination; fostering hope.

THE PROJECTS

The five projects in this evaluation that were primarilyfocused on enhancing participation of youth in the lifeof the community, and facilitating opportunities forleadership were:—Jarjum Youth Group;—Soaring;—Reconciliation through Education;—Cape York Youth Network; and—After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre.

The Murri and Torres Strait Islander Network’s JarjumYouth Group provided opportunities for Indigenousyoung people in the Logan area of Brisbane to meetwith each other, participate in cultural activities andreceive mentoring. As well as explicitly building lead-ership among the young people, it enhanced familyand cultural pride.

Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts’ perform-ance of Soaring provided another example of a project-based activity, engaging young people in producinga creative theatre piece, performed at the Come Out2005 festival in Adelaide. One of the unique aspectswas the collaboration with a non-Indigenous circustroupe – fostering intercultural exchange and respect,which are key elements of the reconciliation process.Their arts participation experience also providesIndigenous young people with exposure to the prospectof a career in arts or arts administration. This isconsistent with international research showing theimportance of working together on shared tasks tobreak down prejudice and misunderstanding(HIGGINS, KING AND WITTHAUS 2001).

In a similar vein to Kurruru, Reconciliation Australia’s‘Reconciliation through Education’ aims to facilitateface-to-face exchange of ideas, and to build relation-ships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youththrough a series of forums and activities across thenation. Through their participation in the forums, non-Indigenous young people who may have never havehad the chance to meet (let alone work with) anIndigenous young person, were able to hear storiesand share experiences – breaking down barriers. Youngpeople were also exposed to role models, and providedwith mentoring opportunities from politicians, Elders,and other community leaders.

In a more targeted local region, the Cape York YouthNetwork also focused on engaging young people toparticipate fully in their community. Through a website,skills training, and engagement in community devel-opment activities by youth workers, young peoplewere encouraged with positive alternatives to drugand alcohol abuse or welfare dependency.

In some ways, the final project – the After-hoursYouth Drop-in Centre in Alice Springs – does notfit as comfortably with this group of projects focusedon youth leadership and participation. The drop-incentre is focused on protection of at-risk vulnerableyouth, rather than leadership. It is about preventingharm in young people (to self and others) and helpingthem participate in programs that are going to reducerisks, and increase the sense of community and hope,and to connect them with other services. In this sense,it is about participation and engagement with appropri-ate services. It is not until such critical needs are metfor vulnerable youth that they will feel they are fullyparticipating in their community, or that they thosewith leadership capabilities are likely to emerge.

KEY LEARNINGS

Two key themes that emerged in these projects werethe importance of engaging young people in positiveactivities, and providing opportunities for culturalexchange between non-Indigenous and Indigenousyoung people. Positive activities ranged from learningabout their culture (e.g., Jarjum), arts participation(Soaring), educational workshops and forums(Reconciliation through Education), or training andskill-development (Cape York Youth Network). Theopportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenousyoung people to work together on arts projects, orto share their stories and experiences, foster empathy.Tolerance, respect and valuing of diversity occur whenpeople work along side each other towards a commongoal, and no longer perceive someone from anotherethnic/cultural group as ‘other’.

YOUTH:PARTICIPATION & LEADERSHIPDARYL HIGGINS

The Jarjum Youth Group project worked in partnershipwith local high schools to empower Indigenous youthand to strengthen links to their culture. The key targetgroup was Indigenous young people who are likely tobe experiencing suicidal thoughts, exhibiting negativebehavioural patterns, low self-esteem, lack under-standing of their own Aboriginality, or who are experiencing high levels of racism.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To develop and implement a range of youth-specificcultural, social, educational and sporting strategiesand/or tools to support and strengthen family andcommunity cohesion at a local level.

—To facilitate effective networking, mentoring, andleadership between Indigenous young people andthe sponsor organisation and other relevant agencies.

—To empower the community volunteer group toaccess early intervention training.

—To develop ownership through involvement inplanning and coordination with relevant localagencies, including schools.

—To develop a participatory model that appropriatelyengages with a range of government and communi-ty stakeholders, Elders and, in particular, at-riskyoung people and their families.

FUNDING PERIOD: ONE YEAR (2002)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $35,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Logan is situated between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.There are over 5000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople living in Logan. The area has the second largestIndigenous population in Queensland. However, thesepeople come from all over the country – includingfrom different remote Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander communities, towns and cities from acrossdifferent states and territories. As a result of movementfrom traditional countries to relocate in Logan, thereare few local traditional Elders living in Logan.

Although the Indigenous adults in the Logan areaare very familiar and socialise with each other, thesame community spirit did not resonate in theiryoung people. The Murri and Torres Strait IslanderNetwork identified a need to build the cultural

capacities of Indigenous young people and their familiesin their local area. The Network had identified this gapthrough the community capacity-building work theyhad already done, such as:—working with families in the community

to build up strong relationships;—raising the profile of youth in the Logan community;—overcoming the splintering and disenfranchisement

of groups in the community; —rebuilding pride in Aboriginal culture;—working toward building faith, hope and

trust in the community; and—organising regular social functions (such as sport

and cultural activities for families, children, youthand Elders together).Initially a focus group was established and volunteers

from the local community justice group were enlistedto engage young people. The group learnt that manyyoung Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplewere dislocated from their Indigenous heritage andoften felt ashamed of their Aboriginality because of negative media attention or stereotyping. Theyexpressed concerns that they could not relate to olderpeople from their community, yet so many of theirfriends from other ethnic backgrounds had strongassociations with their community leaders.

A key aim of the Murri and Torres Strait IslanderNetwork was to identify disenfranchised young peopleand improve their social, cultural and educationalenvironments within the Logan area. In order to reachout to connect with these young people it was appropriate to involve young people themselves as the facilitators to enable the process to begin.

KEY PROCESSES

The principal activity in establishing the Jarjum YouthGroup was employment of a part-time youth workerusing the funds received from the Telstra Foundation.The applicant had to be under 25 years old. The nextstep was to engage with local schools and recruit youngvolunteers in the Logan community. The project activities included:—running lunch-time activities

at a number of high schools;—meetings after school;

PROJECT 6JARJUM YOUTH GROUPMURRI & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NETWORK LOGAN, QLDDARYL HIGGINS, SANDI TAYLOR, MARLENE BURCHILL, LEANNE RAMSAMY

6

LOGAN

“JARJUM” IS A YUGAMBEH WORD MEANING “CHILDREN”

—sporting activities, such as a 3-on-3 basketballprogram;

—cultural reclamation and self-identity camps; and—family fun days and celebrations – providing

opportunities for families to come together.The Murri and Torres Strait Islander Network also

developed a 12-month strategic plan to mentor anddevelop the skills of three young people and to pro-mote the Jarjum Youth Group to relevant stakeholdersin the local area.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Jarjum is now firmly established, and is clearly sus-tainable into the future. Examples of some of the meas-ures of success reported by the Network include:—a full-time traineeship offered to one

of the youth workers;—part-time work secured with the local community

justice group for two youth workers;—a decrease in the number of young Aboriginal and/

or Torres Strait Islander boys/girls reported by theschool to be at risk of school drop-out;

—highly successful youth discos for 14 – 17 year oldyoung people;

—highly successful sporting events and projectsdeveloped to engage young people; and

—establishment of a micro business – DJ Services –where the young people purchased equipment toprovide entertainment for local discos and partyhire on behalf of organisations and communitymembers in the southeast Queensland region (incomeis used to fund ongoing costs for the youth group).Jarjum has identified good strong youth in the

community who are role models for younger people,as well as for others their own age. Some evidence ofthe ongoing influence of the mentoring that Jarjumprovided was that the young people conducted theirown survey to identify needs and appropriate commu-nity facilities that are available in the local area foryoung people. They went on to participate at a NationalYouth Conference in Sydney and presented surveyfindings. One volunteer won “Youth Citizen of theYear 2004” from the Logan City Council. Some ofthe youth workers are used as mentors in children’syouth camps. From a core group of ten young peo-ple, three youths emerged to be recognised by theirpeers as being potential future community leaders.

As well as these practical and tangible outcomes,a number of other important achievements havebeen noted in the community, and in the youngpeople involved with Jarjum:—improvement in the emotional, social and spiritual

wellbeing of the Aboriginal young people;—improvement in the young people’s relationships,

the functioning of their families and their future prospects;

—recognition by peers of the contribution to community young people can make;

—increased self-esteem, pride and cultural identity in participants; and

—increased support for the “Young Aboriginal Boys at risk” program (Yab-a-Gar).“I wanted to see youth around the community

have fun. Give them something to do. I got involvedbecause there is absolutely nothing to do in Logan. I love working with youth: putting on events; orcoming up with new ideas.” (YOUTH WORKER)

Another improvement attributed to Jarjum is thatyoung Indigenous people will now naturally gravitateto the Elders Group for advice and support on localyouth initiatives. Parallel to the Jarjum program isthe cultural activity days run by the Murri and TorresStrait Islander Network, involving 11 ‘cultural trainers’.These are highly successful with parents and childrenbeing involved. Participation rates at the workshopsby mid-2005 were 55 children and 25 adults. Peoplelearnt weaving, spears, jewellery, painting, dance,cooking. Film nights at the centre are also very popular.Workbooks have been developed for children to fillin every day when they visit the Network for activitiesand programs (these workbooks could be utilised asevaluation instruments at a later date). A critical successfactor is the support of local Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander community members effectively trans-ferring cultural knowledge and values to Indigenousyoung people. Cultural capacity building is an organicprocess that entails self-paced learning through increasingthe awareness of the individual’s self-esteem andtheir own perceptions about family and communitysupport to build trust and pride.

“We have seen direct community outcomes for the young people, as well as indirect outcomes forthe broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Jarjum is an integral part of the Network.”(MURRI AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NETWORK BOARD

CHAIRPERSON)

One of the key elements in the success of Jarjum wasthe collaboration with schools. Indigenous teacher aideswere crucial partners, as they were able to effectivelyfollow-up if students are absent from school.

The establishment of the Jarjum Youth Group at theMurri and Torres Strait Islander Network and theimproved partnerships between the school and thecommunity resulted in the following outcomes:—improved confidence and sense of pride;—students motivated to undertake schoolwork; —identification of new referral pathways (the Catholic

Church manages an alternate schooling centre where

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 39

The primary activity of Kurruru’s theatre project,Soaring, is to create change for Indigenous children,young people and their families. A creative approachhas been adopted by a group of energetic andenthusiastic individuals – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The focus of Soaring is to bringfamilies together to build bridges by encouragingcreative movement for children, to foster self-expression,to develop confidence and to increase self-esteem.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To share history and foster reconciliation betweenIndigenous and non-Indigenous children.

—To provide an opportunity for children to developtheir performance skills.

—To involve youth, their parents, their extendedfamilies, their schools, their wider communities.

—To refine social skills and develop self-confidence.FUNDING PERIOD: ONE YEAR (2004)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $15,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Kurruru is a community-based dance company, whosefocus is Indigenous children and young people. Themission of Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Artsis “to present positive role models by developing andpresenting works of artistic merit and excellentcommunity cultural development outcomes.”Kurruru has a board of management consisting of 12people: ten Indigenous and two non-Indigenous boardmembers. In addition, Kurruru has a youth councilmade up of older members of the company who meetfortnightly to monthly to discuss the issues they feelare important to the company. The youth council haveinput through a youth member sitting on the board.The local Aboriginal community steers how the projectsare run.

“As a community-based arts body, Kurruru identifiescommunity needs and responds to community requestswith responsible, positive, supportive and culturally-aware programming.” (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)

Soaring was a collaborative performance piece. Theprocess of creating and performing Soaring was consistent with the goals and principles of Kurruru.Soaring originated from an idea by Sally Chance,

the Come Out 2005 Festival Director, for a jointperformance piece by Indigenous and non-Indigenouschildren. Kurruru were approached about doing ashow in collaboration with a circus troupe:“Cirkidz”. Kurruru partnered with Cirkidz and ComeOut 2005 to seek funding for a workshop-based projectin which the children would work towards a perform-ance for schools and the public as part of the ComeOut 2005 – one of the largest Australian youth artsfestivals, held in Adelaide (8-19 March, 2005).

KEY PROCESSES

Soaring was a production performed at Come Out2005, the biannual Australian Festival for Young Peopleheld in Adelaide. The performance provided theopportunity to achieve the important goal of havingan Indigenous presence among the other performancesat the festival. The show was performed by 20Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people fromboth Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts andyoung people from the Cirkidz Circus School andPerforming Troop. The Soaring performance pieceincorporated circus skills, movement and dance. Someof the highlights were the children walking on 2.4metre stilts and climbing black ‘tissues’ (fabric)hanging from the ceiling. It looked at the traditionalAboriginal stories as a starting point for their themes.A related goal was for the young people (Indigenousand non-Indigenous) to develop a sense of pride inIndigenous history rather than focusing on thenegative aspects of the recent history of Aboriginalpeople in Australia.

The cast comprised approximately half Indigenousand half non-Indigenous children. One of the primarygoals was for the project to provide an opportunityfor young people to get to work together and in theprocess to develop more understanding of each other.Soaring provided an opportunity for the children towork with a professional artist, to develop their per-formance skills and to be a part of a key professionalperformance at a major festival (Soaring was performedat one of the main theatres for Come Out 2005. Theproject included youth, their parents, their extendedfamilies, their schools, their wider communities, andthe many people involved in the operation of Kurruru.

PROJECT 7SOARING:KURRURU INDIGENOUS YOUTH PERFORMING ARTSPORT ADELAIDE, SALEAH BROMFIELD AND MARLENE BURCHILL

7

PORTADELAIDE

30% are Indigenous young people);—decreased expulsions;—some young people have entered higher education;—increase in parents participating with their children

in cultural/community activities;—under the Partners for Success strategy, community

Elders and teachers have collaborated to increasethe young people’s numeracy and literacy skills; and

—Indigenous young people are staying at school longer(retention of students to year 12 has increased) andmore often (absenteeism had dropped).

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Jarjum operated from the Murri and Torres StraitIslander Network during a time when some of the otherorganisations affiliated with the network were de-funded.A housing agency and a child-safety agency were shutdown, and families then had to deal directly with thestate department for services. This created doubt aboutwhat would happen to other programs such as Jarjum.However, the youth were dedicated; they now kneweach other, and could support each other.

The level of funding for the Network as a whole, andfor the Jarjum project represented both a barrier andan opportunity. Key organisational personnel werevery positive about the community’s ability to beresourceful and survive by drawing on the resourcesavailable to them. Shortfalls were met by relying ondonations of materials from people within the communi-ty. It also created the conditions for an entrepreneurialapproach to ongoing support for the project. They usedtheir own initiative to always do the best they canwith limited resources. When asked directly, theyacknowledged that the program was under-resourced,yet the resilience of the community shone through.The initial funding from the Telstra Foundation enabledJarjum to establish itself and build capacity to obtainsubsequent funding from the Foundation for YoungAustralians.

KEY LEARNINGS

To successfully engage Indigenous young people, itis important to involve Elders and cultural activitiesin the same mix in an environment that is appropriatefor the learning styles and dynamics of the target group.The method that worked well for Jarjum was startingwith school-based activities, and using music and sport.These were useful ‘engagement tools’ for young people.

The Murri and Torres Strait Islander Network wascritical to the developmental and implementationprocess of the Jarjum Youth Group project. The organ-isation was primarily responsible for creating thechange amongst community members. The network

has a strong infrastructure and service provisionhistory over the past ten years, which meant it had thecapacity to support the Jarjum project. Without theirsupport, the project outcomes would not have beenachieved. But it is not all a one-way street: having awell-established organisation was essential for get-ting Jarjum off the ground but, equally, having theJarjum project running out of the Network helped toconsolidate the Network’s strategic and operationalgoals, objectives and activities to such a point that allstakeholders and community members became moreunited and partnered more effectively to build com-munity capacity.

“The network has been running a range of programsand services for the community over the past ten years.So it was easy to get Jarjum up and running becausewe’ve done it before.” (MURRI AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NETWORK CEO)

The establishment of an Elders Group has enabledthe Indigenous communities in the Logan area—andtheir young people—to maintain a cultural referencepoint that guides the entire community in a holisticand coordinated approach. To ensure sustainabilityof the project, it is important to strategically partnerwith other local community-based organisations toenable youth workers to be mentored and/or employedto continue the good work and maintain a strong workethic.

Much weight is placed on supporting young peopleto be proud of their cultural identity in Logan. Manyof the young people are the children of parents andgrandparents stolen from their families, dispersed acrossthe country and often reared in isolation from theircultural identity. More often than not, they felt ashamedof their Aboriginality and culture. The youth involvedin the Jarjum project are making inroads; their messageis a positive one for Aboriginal adolescents whocontinue to struggle with their Aboriginality. Theirmessage is: Reclaim your cultural identity; don’t beashamed; stand up, be proud; take your placealongside others with confidence.

“Once they know who they are, they can stand upand be proud. Often they are the grandchildren ofthe stolen generation, who have to discover forthemselves their cultural heritage: A foot in eachworld.” (MURRI AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NETWORK CEO)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE JARJUM YOUTH PROJECT,

CONTACT BARRY WATSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

MURRI & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NETWORK.

PH (07) 3209 4220

EMAIL MTSINET@TPG.COM.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 40

A FOOT IN EACH WORLDMURRI AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CEO

In the months leading up to the festival, the youngperformers had BBQs with all of their families andthe Aboriginal community. Elders led traditionalstory-telling sessions. These events assisted the youngpeople in getting to know each other and encouragedcultural sharing and understanding. The involvementof Elders and the telling of traditional stories providedall of the young people with positive Indigenous rolemodels and encouraged life morals such as respectof self and others. This provided opportunities forpersonal development: refining social skills anddeveloping self-confidence. The project also involvedthe participation of the schools, families and extendedcommunities.

The project required children aged 8-12 years tocommit to months of practicing and eventually per-forming. Soaring was not a performance of a traditionalstory; however, the traditional stories were used as astarting point in workshops for the concept of theperformance. The development of mutual understandingwas a constant theme throughout the workshops andperformance rehearsals. An Indigenous professionalartist came down twice to work with the young peopleduring the workshops. In the performance Soaring,flight was a metaphor for growing up, learning lessons,and taking off. Dreams and aspirations were a very bigthing. The performance itself used traditional danceand lots of imagery of birds and flight.

“Children and young people need space in their livesto explore who they are and to make sense of thecomplex world around them. Arts participation helpschildren and young people to interpret events, to dealwith diversity and to become confident communicators.”(JOHN HILL, MINISTER ASSISTING THE PREMIER IN THE ARTS, SA)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Kurruru would like to continue working with Cirkidzand further develop the skills of the young peopleinvolved. However, the realities of doing anotherseason of Soaring and touring with 20 young people– considering the expense and logistics involved – maybe a setback. Instead, Kurruru are investigating theoption of doing a Soaring film that could be used tolaunch the next Come Out Festival or be screened atthe Adelaide Film Festival. Kurruru has a commitment

and willingness to keep the Soaring spark alive, asthey invested a lot of time, effort and funding into theoriginal production, and would like to see its benefitsreproduced in the future. The process of reconciliationtakes a long time and they would like to continueworking towards this through performance-basedcommunity development projects.

“It’s great to be using the skills of two of the state’smost important youth performing companies to exploreissues of Indigenous culture and reconciliation. Thearts are about interpreting who we are as individualsand as a society. Taking part in the arts helps makesense of the layers of complexity in all human beings.”(COME OUT FESTIVAL DIRECTOR)

A goal of Kurruru has been to create real pathwaysfor emerging Indigenous artists and art administrators.Over the past 20 years, Kurruru (previously known asthe Port Youth Theatre Workshop) has helped childrenin both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communityachieve these dreams. Many of the children who haveparticipated in the programs have gone on to besuccessful in major Australian productions, includingthe films Australian Rules and Rabbit Proof Fence,the television program All Saints, and the mini- seriesJessica. Kurruru is a project that has been investedin over a long period of time.

“When the children were evaluated on theirimpressions of the group they were very honest andall expressed the desire to keep working together asa team. This came as a surprise, as the project team hadexpected some children to want to return to their originalgroups. By the final performance – seeing them workingtogether and doing each others’ hair and makeup –the children were truly united as one.” (ARTISTIC

DIRECTOR)

The children were able to perform a professionalshow in a major venue and festival while conqueringtheir fears together. The show itself was a big success:Soaring was the first show of the Come Out 2005festival to sell out. Some of the children’s local schools,as well as children from schools in remote areas withhigh Indigenous populations, such as Ceduna andYalta, attended the performance. The show sold outso quickly that children from a lot of the schools didnot get to see it.

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 42

“2004 was a whirlwind of performances, projectand profile raising for the company in all aspectsof our work. The Indigenous staff gained greaterconfidence and ownership of the Kurruru and therewas an increasing interest from the Indigenous com-munity about programs and future events.” (CULTURAL DIRECTOR)

For the young people involved, the Soaring projectwas an amazing experience. Both parents and grand-parents have reported the significant changes in theirchildren’s confidence and behaviour.

The success of Soaring was a source of pride for theAboriginal community, particularly given the invest-ment the community made in its success. The projectalso has the potential to have a longer-term impact on the community by giving the youth a source ofpurpose, confidence and pride – factors that mayassist in turning the tide of the over-representationof Aboriginal youth in negative domains such as youthoffending. The project also provided employment forthe local community. Some of these positions havebeen able to be continued after the completion of theSoaring project.

The involvement of the Elders, the use of traditionalstories and dance as starting points for Soaring, provided the opportunity for the Indigenous youngpeople to reconnect with their culture, and for thenon-Indigenous children to learn about and interactwith aspects of Aboriginal culture.

“The kids’ performance was terrific. To bring twogroups of kids together who wouldn’t normally meet,get them to work as a team and produce a great pieceof theatre is fantastic. This is a step towards recon-ciliation – I wish I had had this opportunity when Iwas younger.” (AUDIENCE MEMBER)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The major limitation that is holding back the Kurruruproject is security of funding. Every activity run byKurruru is dependent on funding, including buses fortransporting young people to rehearsals and per-formances, salaries and commercial rent. Kurruru are not prepared to commit to a project unless it isadequately funded as they fear that without adequatefunding they are setting projects up to fail. As one of

few Indigenous youth arts programs in Australia,Kurruru would like to eventually create a website toexpand what they can offer to the community.

Working with a mainstream festival was a fantasticopportunity, and the festival organisers were verysupportive. However, when you are undertaking aperformance as part of a community developmentproject, and things happen within that communitythat cannot be planned for (for example, performersnot able to be located for a period of time), it can bechallenging to meet the demands of a mainstreamfestival framework (for example, deadlines). This needsto be a negotiated process in order for the mainstreamfestival to better meet the needs of the Aboriginalcommunity, but also for Kurruru to improve itscapacity to meet deadlines.

“When you are working towards a performance andpromotional material to support that performancethere are some deadlines that are non-negotiable.”(CULTURAL DIRECTOR)

KEY LEARNINGS

Challenges were not unexpected in the steps towardsreconciliation: however, these challenges served tohighlight the need for this project. In the beginningthere were some difficulties experienced as a conse-quence of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous groupsnot understanding each other. However, as time passedthe groups got to know each other and began workingtogether. The need for consistency in the staff andindividuals supporting the project was highlighted:when staff changes occurred, projects were sloweddown, making it difficult to achieve deadlines.

With a project like this, the performance may receivepublic accolades, highlighting its success. This is onlypart of the project, however; it does not show thebackground of the production. While you strive forartistic excellence, the path for young people isequally important.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT SOARING,

CONTACT DEBRA THORSON, MANAGER,

KURRURU INDIGENOUS YOUTH PERFORMING ARTS INC,

PORT ADELAIDE, SA

PH (08) 8341 1150

EMAIL KURRURU@CHARIOT.NET.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 43

The Reconciliation through Education project aims toput reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people on the agenda for young people.The activities target young people primarily in schoolsthrough forums, workshops and the development ofyouth reconciliation networks. Through their partic-ipation, Indigenous and non-Indigenous young peopleare playing an active role in the reconciliation process.The project is underpinned by the premise that edu-cation is the key to making reconciliation meaningfuland enduring.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To assist young people to gain knowledge anddevelop ideas on reconciliation through exposureto information and different points of view.

—To empower and encourage young people to articulate and share their views.

—To build relationships between young Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

—To promote understanding of issues of oppression, marginalisation and injustice.

—To develop young people’s leadership skills.—To develop recommendations to be presented

to decision-makers and promoted as part of thereconciliation process.

—To consult with young people on their views on a treaty or framework agreement.

FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2003 TO 2005)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $130,000

(IN 2005 THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION MADE A FURTHER COM-

MITMENT OF $120,000 OVER TWO YEARS TO DEVELOP AND

IMPLEMENT AN INDIGENOUS YOUTH PARTICIPATION STRATEGY,

INCLUDING PARTICIPATION IN THE PROPOSED 2007 NATIONAL

RECONCILIATION CONVENTION.)

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation established in January 2001 to leadthe national movement for reconciliation betweennon-Indigenous and Indigenous people. Its missionis to forge alliances that enable exploration of newways to tackle problems and deliver measurable andtangible outcomes for reconciliation. It was establishedfollowing the completion of the ten-year term of the

Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, which had been a statutory body fully funded by the AustralianGovernment. Since then, there has been littleopportunity to engage young people in the processof reconciliation.

Issues relating to engagement of young people, youthparticipation and education are crucial in relation toreconciliation. There was no existing national recon-ciliation project in this field, so it was important forReconciliation Australia to meet this need.

The process of engaging in reconciliation activitiescan have powerful positive consequences for youngpeople. For Indigenous students, it provides oppor-tunities to build confidence and self-esteem. For non-Indigenous students, it allows for knowledge,insight and respect to replace commonly held miscon-ceptions about the history and the context of present disadvantage for Indigenous people.

The Reconciliation through Education project has setthe scene and has acted as a national mechanism thatenables and engages Indigenous and non-Indigenousyoung people into further shaping and defining thereconciliation process from their own perspectivesand actions.

“Ultimately reconciliation is about how best torecognise the right of Indigenous people to beIndigenous people within the complexity of ourwestern democratic structure and to accommodatethat rather than to suppress it.” (PATRICK DODSON,

LINGIARI FOUNDATION)

KEY PROCESSES

Funds from the Telstra Foundation were used toemploy a project coordinator devoted to youth andeducation, building partnerships with organisations,and building the capacity of young Indigenous people.In consultation with colleagues from ReconciliationAustralia, a strategic work plan was developed toaddress three key areas:—developing programs that engage young people in

existing reconciliation activities such as NationalReconciliation Week;

—working with existing state and regional reconcili-ation groups to encourage them to develop youthparticipation strategies; and

PROJECT 8RECONCILIATION THROUGH EDUCATIONRECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA, PARKES, ACTSANDI TAYLOR

8

TOWNSVILLECANBERRASHEPPARTONLAUNCESTONADELAIDEPERTH

—working with youth organisations and schools toheighten their awareness of Indigenous and recon-ciliation issues and develop youth-only activities. Through the development of a youth-specific

participatory model, the project coordinator andcolleagues engaged with existing state and regionalreconciliation groups, youth organisations, Indigenouscommunities and organisations, educational bodies,schools, and local government and agencies to buildthe capacity of young people. Reconciliation Australia’sReconciliation through Education program started theprocess of building networks and relationships witheducational bodies, youth networks, and existingreconciliation groups.

“Activities such as understanding history and learningabout Aboriginal people to stop misunderstandingsbegin from primary school. Acknowledging Aboriginalpeople’s culture and their contributions need to betaught in our schools.” (YOUTH PARTICIPANTS)

At an operational level, the Project Coordinator’s rolewas to organise forums and provide opportunities forIndigenous and non-Indigenous young people to sitdown with local Indigenous leaders and togetherconsider issues relevant to practical and symbolicreconciliation in their own communities across differ-ent regions of Australia. Some of the issues discussedwould include recognition of culture and history andhaving a better understanding of the context of currentproblems of real and perceived disadvantages.Strategies were deployed for people at all levels towork together to create stronger communities.

Reconciliation through Education initiatives have beendeveloped over the two-year period across diverseregional communities of Australia. Over 3000 youngpeople have participated in this project.Some key examples are listed below.

TASMANIA

In August 2004, a workshop was convened at theUniversity of Tasmania’s Launceston Campus. Thefocus was on identity and future action. Attendanceincluded 40 young Indigenous and non-Indigenouspeople, 15 Elders, school teachers, representativesfrom Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation(ANTaR), and community members. The workshop

was very successful in engaging young people, in particular with the establishment of a YouthReconciliation Network with young people identifyingthat they need to be involved in peer-education.

“A network needs to be youth-driven and youngpeople need to be involved in teaching other youngpeople.” (INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS YOUTH

PARTICIPANTS)

Another initiative was the convening of a YouthWeek Conference that incorporated an educationaltheme. Young people’s statements reflect the level of engagement and insight.

“There should be camps and reconciliation walks forIndigenous and non-Indigenous people. There is aneed in the future to employ more Aboriginal peoplein key educational areas – not just as educators, buthave Elders-in-residence at schools and createIndigenous student representatives; to develop andembed an Aboriginal perspective into the educationalcurriculum.” (YOUTH PARTICIPANTS)

The conference provided an opportunity foryoung people to engage with key political leaders,community leaders, and Elders. Comments fromyoung people participating were varied and positive:

“Politicians should be invited to schools to talkabout reconciliation and we should involve the sup-port of parliamentarians such as Kathryn Hay tohelp us. It is important to ‘know the rules’ and learnhow government and decision makers work andoperate.” (YOUTH PARTICIPANT)

The workshop would not have been as successfulwithout the wisdom and added incentives from theadults and Elders within the Aboriginal community,who chose to reconcile differences among themselvesin order to work together in the best interests ofyoung people.

TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND

In February 2004, Reconciliation Australia,Reconciliation Queensland and 60 members of theTownsville community gathered for a youth-focusedreconciliation event. The main aim of the ‘PeopleMeeting People’ event was to discuss educational andlegal issues and their impact on Indigenous youngpeople. One young Aboriginal lady recounted a

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 45

situation relating to her dealing with the local Police:“If they see a group of Indigenous young people they

think they are making trouble. They should be moreaware of what’s happening. They tend to ignore ourside of the story.” (INDIGENOUS YOUTH PARTICIPANT)

Discussions relating to racial taunts and bullying inschools highlight the variability in exposure that youngpeople have to each other’s culture. This highlights acrucial step in Reconciliation Australia’s approach toovercoming prejudice and breaking down barriers tocommunication: facilitating face-to-face contactbetween Indigenous and non-Indigenous youths.

“A lot of non-Indigenous students that go to private schools might never come into contactwith Indigenous people.” (ABORIGINAL PARENT)

It was highly successful and has led to the establishment of a group to focus on police issuesand their impact on Indigenous young people. An interim coordination group was formed to holdleadership-training forums for young people to furtherreconciliation.

SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA

The Reconciliation through Education project hascontinued to facilitate the development of a youthreconciliation initiative called “Word and Mouth” inShepparton with the Council of Greater Shepparton.An outcome of the work done to date has been theShepparton Council’s commitment to endorse andincorporate a Cultural Harmony Statement into their2005–2006 Strategic Plan.

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs andReconciliation Australia facilitated the convening ofa third Reconciliation Forum at Old Parliament Houseon 24 May 2005. The forum hosted 100 young peoplefrom different regions of South Australia.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Partnerships Acceptance Learning Sharing (PALS)program, which is managed by the State Departmentof Indigenous Affairs, continues to grow through theefforts of the Reconciliation Youth Coordinator,Reconciliation Australia and ANTaR Western Australia.

Linkages have been established between the PALSCoordinators and the national Dare to Lead Project(www.daretolead.edu.au). It is envisaged through thesepartnerships that strategies such as school-basedreconciliation programs and online resources will be developed to improve access to schools and communities at a local, regional and national level.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The project led to an increase in the diversity of rolemodels participating at local reconciliation forums andworkshops and the methods used to reach out toengage young people in metropolitan, rural and remotecommunities. The participatory model allowed forinnovative and fresh approaches to engage youngpeople in four distinctive ways. Firstly, it maximisedthe group dynamics of young people and created aspace to allow them to govern the process. Secondly,it provided role models with different perspectives anddivergent views on reconciliation issues to encouragehealthy debate. Thirdly, it facilitated stages of theprocess by using art to reflect their individual and/orcollective perceptions. Finally, it used information andcommunication technology to build capacity (e.g.,creating email groups, updating websites etc.).Reconciliation Australia is reconstructing their websiteto include additional youth-specific information, suchas policy statements, online resources, and enhanceddatabases. The website currently has 30,000 hits per week.

“The project involved over 3000 young people andengaged with organisations and communities aroundthe country. The project has been deemed an over-whelming success as Reconciliation Australia hascommitted to young people and education – not as aside issue, but central in all its work. It has firmly placedyoung people—particularly young Indigenous people—at the core of the reconciliation debate. There areanecdotal stories of young people involved in the projectwho have continued at school as a result of not justparticipating in events, but playing a central role in thedevelopment of the events.” (PROJECT COORDINATOR)

At times, the project coordinator had to adopt amediation role between different stakeholders prior tocommencement of a local reconciliation project incommunities. These mediations have always resulted

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 46

in good outcomes that are beneficial for all parties. The project has significantly impacted on changing the

culture within Reconciliation Australia at a strategicand operational level. Young people’s roles within theorganisation are incorporated into core business.Projects such as Governance, Banking, Violence, Treatyand Agreement Making, and Youth all contain a strongyouth element and role.

“The best way to engage young people is to keeptheir role functions and responsibilities embeddedin the organisational structures – across the entireorganisation at the core of the business not on thefringe.” (PROJECT MANAGER)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Initially, a large number of organisations relied heavilyon the Project Coordinator. Strategies are now in placeto build their capacity without compromising theprofessional relationship between parties. Politicaldifferences, communication difficulties and/or indif-ference among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeoples or with non-Indigenous people—as well asbetween different non-Indigenous groups—hinderedprogress. Being astute to read the social politicallandscape in each community prior to working withthem became an art form. This highlighted the impor-tance of not assuming that one group has a mandateto address social justice issues for all Australians:Indigenous or non-Indigenous. The Reconciliationthrough Education project was often the catalyst forgetting different groups in the one community talkingwith one another.

Working cooperatively and more strategically with keygovernment departments and programs (e.g., SharedResponsibility Agreements) responsible for social,cultural and economic development provides opportunities to value-add to Indigenous communitydevelopment projects such as Reconciliation throughEducation. School principals are key stakeholders: itis important to build their capacity to become thechange agents in their own school and communityenvironments. Engaging relevant stakeholders to assistReconciliation Australia to contribute to this strategicdirection would create opportunities for the projectcoordinator and young leaders around the country toprogress further.

KEY LEARNINGS

Education is the key to making reconciliation mean-ingful and enduring. The skills-transfer process is anorganic one that incorporates diverse learning modesin different community settings. For genuine engage-ment, it is important to create the time and space forIndigenous young people.

“The learning process in this is as important as theoutcomes. The fact that we have engaged young peoplefrom the beginning and not just as participants hasbeen important.” (YOUTH PROJECT COORDINATOR)

The feasibility of long-term partnerships with targetedorganisations across the country needs to be scoped.This should take into account the fact that a significantnumber of these organisations have limited capacityto develop, implement and sustain reconciliationinitiatives at the local level. To ensure sustainabilityit is imperative that strategic alliances are identifiedat a national, state, regional and local level, and thatcommunity education models are explored. Thelinchpin is to creatively pool the physical and financialresources, along with human and social capital.

“We would focus earlier on building the capacity ofthe organisations, rather than the final six months. Thatwould mean entering into relationships and partner-ships being clear that Reconciliation Australia was notgoing to ‘run’ these events but work with the organ-isations to build their capacity to do so.” (YOUTH PROJECT COORDINATOR)

“We have learnt an enormous amount but mostimportantly the value of young people. They are ableto contribute fully to the debate and should not be seenas a side issue, but central to and in the debate.”(YOUTH PROJECT COORDINATOR)

Local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youngpeople have been utilised as facilitators to engage theirown community with the reconciliation process. Theproject has been an innovative engagement tool in itselfas it has facilitated and pioneered the developmentof good governance models for this country into thenew millennium. The work achieved to date in thisproject has set the blueprint for this legacy to occur. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE RECONCILIATION THROUGH EDUCATION PROJECT,

CONTACT THE PROJECT COORDINATOR,

RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA. PH (02) 6273 9200

EMAIL INQUIRIES@RECONCILIATION.ORG.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 47

The Cape York Youth Network aims to identify andassist emerging young community leaders in Cape Yorkwho understand their community’s issues. Self-deter-mination is at the heart of this project. Through theirinvolvement in the network, it is hoped to empowerthese emerging leaders to engage in communitydevelopment

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To identify and empower young people aged 12 to25 to become active within their own communitiesand in the region.

—To encourage the ongoing participation ofIndigenous youth in education, training andemployment.

—To develop and assist with the establishment of viableyouth enterprises and an active digital mode ofcommunication and learning.

—To develop, nurture and mentor emerging youngcommunity leaders in Cape York.

FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2003 TO 2004)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $60,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

The Cape York Aboriginal Charitable Trust is a perpetualcharitable trust whose activities are aimed at raisingthe overall living standards of Aboriginal people inCape York, in Far North Queensland. The Trust doesnot manage projects itself but works with Cape YorkPartnerships who provide the day-to-day managementof the programs and activities of the Trust. Cape YorkPartnerships is a non-profit non-government agency.

The Cape York Youth Network aims to identity andassist emerging young community leaders in CapeYork who understand their community’s issues andare empowered to engage in community leadershipand development. The Cape York Youth Networkaims to:—identify and support young people aged 12 to 25

to become active within their own communitiesand in the region;

—allow young people to develop opportunitiesthat encourage their ongoing participation ineducation, training and employment; and

—develop and assist with the establishment of

viable youth enterprises and an active digitalmode of communication and learning.Cape York Partnerships generated the idea of the

Cape York Youth Network. Without the fundingfrom the Telstra Foundation, however, the CapeYork Youth Network may not have been possible.The funding from the Telstra Foundation was usedto assist in the initial implementation of the strategies.The goal was to engage people across Cape Yorkcommunities in communicating with each other:—about their history, their culture, and their current

issues. Networking between Indigenous communitiesacross the Cape is something that was previouslypart of the culture, but has been lost. The communityElders felt that the current generation of youngpeople do not appreciate that in the past peoplewere communicating across Cape York, as well aswith other communities outside of Cape York.

“There is a need to get on top of substance abuse.”(PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS)

A number of different strategies have been developedand refined by trial and error over the past coupleyears by the network. One critical strategy was thedevelopment of the Cape York Youth Network website(www.capeyorkpartnerships.com/computerculture/index.htm) that enables young people to demonstrate theirskills to their own communities as well as communi-cate with peers within the Cape and externally. Youngpeople are provided with project-based skills trainingand experience to improve literacy, numeracy anddigital skills. The network also worked on developinga range of youth enterprises to provide opportunitiesto develop skills and experience in employment,enterprise and project management activities. A keymechanism for providing these skills was mentoring,and fostering support for a regional community ofworkers with youth who share a common vision andcan benefit from working with each other and usesuccessful projects and ideas from each other.

KEY PROCESSES

The Cape York Youth Network developed a three-yearplan to pilot the program in four Cape York commu-nities. Overall funding was sought to employ twoAboriginal Youth Workers in Weipa. The funding was

PROJECT 9CAPE YORKYOUTH NETWORKCAPE YORK TRUST, CAIRNS, QLDLEANNE RAMSAMY

9

WEIPA

also used to provide funding for leadership camps, seedcapital for youth-led entrepreneurial projects, for youthworker network camps, and for a program review andreport. Funding was sought from the Telstra Foundationto develop, nurture and mentor emerging young community leaders in Cape York.

Key issues the project focused on included developingleadership skills, networking between youth in differentCape York communities, enterprise development,exposing young people to higher thinking and usingtechnology. Early intervention strategies included devel-oping leadership skills of Cape York youth. The projectalso focused on young people understanding their past,and how some of the present social behaviour andattitudes do not foster normal behaviour.

“Aboriginal people were not on CDEP twenty yearsago and they were not even on welfare thirty years ago.”(PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS)

One of the key issues raised at network eventswas the issue of ‘passive welfare dependency’. Theappalling social and economic circumstances thatexist today for Indigenous people in Cape York didnot exist 30 or 40 years ago. These conditions emergedwhen people in the Cape were pushed out of theworkforce. The lack of work opportunities and thedependence on a welfare-based economy has, overtime, led to a loss of key social values, such as a posi-tive work ethic, and valuing education. Being able toengage in work places a whole different context inpeople’s lives, providing socialisation experiences,and other positive benefits that are not only economic.

The network’s activities provided people with an intel-lectual understanding of the real issues with whichpeople are grappling on Cape York. It provided aforum for discussion on those topics – particularlyhow they are dealing with the critical issues such assubstance abuse and welfare dependency.

“Engaging in discussion about these issues has helpedyoung people to have hope in the future. The networkdidn’t provide employment, but it provided an intellec-tual understanding to help others go on. Using wordslike ‘enterprise’ or ‘business’ were not in the vocabularybefore.” (PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS)

The Cape York Youth Network believes that community development is all about developing people

– not buildings or structures. Strong people equalstrong communities. If you develop the skills ofindividuals, they can become strong communityleaders. Some of the activities conducted by youththroughout the project included learning how torun movie nights, set up stalls, leadership camps,and rent DVDs.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

There was active participation of youth in the project.This was evident in its achievements, including thedevelopment of a website, leadership camps, structuredactivities, computer skills, networking between CapeYork youth, reports, photos, and participation in theCape York expo.

The project is the first of its kind. It provided analternative to youth who were petrol sniffing, drinkingalcohol or smoking marijuana. The outcomes of theproject have contributed toward individuals gainingemployment, commencing traineeships, attending highschools in Brisbane, and participating in the Cape YorkFlight Path Program run by the Cape York Institute.

Future outcomes will be to sustain ongoing networksdeveloped through the project and increased promotionconcerning the importance of education.

“We need to develop projects at a community levelthat include normal functional behaviour and changepassive welfare attitudes.” (PROGRAM DIRECTOR,

CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS)

The focus on early intervention addressed the realityof social welfare attitudes and beliefs of Cape YorkYouth today. Many local people believe that relianceon government welfare has not always occurred; noris it the way of the future. Similarly, there are positiveattitudes about sobriety: “It’s not Aboriginal to bedrunk”.

“As a result of the network, some young peoplehave stayed at school, or taken up employmentopportunities.” (PROGRAM DIRECTOR)

The network got people talking across communities– re-establishing the fact that they have commonalities.It broke down barriers. Often this was done throughthe use of new technology to facilitate networking.

“Originally it was an opportunity for people tocommunicate.” (PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CAPE YORK

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 49

PARTNERSHIPS)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The project was not easy. It was intense work for thetwo youth workers who were employed in the projectto engage the communities. The focus to begin withwas on a smaller number of communities, in whichcase the Partnership worked with Western Cape Yorkcommunities and specifically looked at enterprise, workopportunities and developing strong leadership qualities,particularly when working against all odds. In thefuture, the Network needs to increase its focus oninvolving local people and less on external assistance.Ideally, networks within—and across—communitiesshould not rely on government funding. The focusshould be on enhancing existing networks and makingthem more functional.

As a result of their involvement in the Cape YorkYouth Network, there has been development in thethinking of young people. Understanding the basisof a number of the social and economic problemsfacing Indigenous communities in the Cape providesa context for young people to try and overcome theissues. Real jobs and employment were the main focus;however, project workers felt that, in the future, itwould be good to also address more explicitly the issueof petrol sniffing and substance abuse.

KEY LEARNINGS

It is important that youth have a sense of history andunderstand that things were never the way they arenow. Aboriginal communities in Cape York were sociallyfunctional thirty years ago, and—if youth arereminded of this—they may be capable of dealing withsome of the social problems that are experiencedwithin their communities, particularly substanceabuse and welfare dependency.A number of important lessons were learned throughthe establishment and ongoing functioning of the net-work. Those involved with the project recognisedthe following:—the importance of regional agencies being clear

about their purpose and role;—the benefits of investing time and effort into

developing Cape York youth; —the achievements that are possible from

community-based activities; and—the capacity to engage with youth to change the

context of community-based passive welfarebehaviour and attitudes.

During the project there was good contact with theTelstra Foundation who provided essential support.The project was instrumental in assisting the devel-opment of some skills and increasing educationalopportunities for some of the youth in Cape York.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE CAPE YORK YOUTH NETWORK PROJECT,

CONTACT TIM JAFFER, PROGRAM DIRECTOR,

CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS

PHONE (07) 4048 1424

EMAIL TJAFFER@CAPEYORKPARTNERSHIPS.COM

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 50

Tangentyere Council is an Indigenous resource andsocial service organisation servicing Aboriginal towncamps and Aboriginal people living in and aroundAlice Springs. The After-hours Youth Drop-in Centrewas established in response to the concerns expressedover many years by agencies about the increasingnumber of young people aged 12-17 years who wanderthe town centre until the early hours of the morning.These young people are often affected by alcohol, petrolsniffing and/or other drugs and grow into adulthoodwith significant drug misuse problems. They are alsoat significant risk of sexual and physical assaults.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To provide an after-hours youth drop-in centre inAlice Springs.

—To assess and quantify the number of vulnerableyoung people on the streets at night.

—To identify community service gaps and to ensureyoung people are linked to support services.

—To reduce in the long-term the level of juvenileoffending, drug/alcohol related problems and therisk of physical and sexual assaults on young peopleon the streets at night.

FUNDING PERIOD: ONE YEAR (2002)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $50,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

Alice Springs is atown in the centre of the Australiancontinent: it sits in the south of the Northern Territory,mid-way between Darwin and Adelaide. Historically,it was a meeting place for a number of differentIndigenous tribes from local areas, and further afield.

In Alice Springs, there was a desperate need for acrisis response service during the evening for youngpeople (at the time of the project, support serviceswere provided Monday to Friday during normalbusiness hours). The community identified the needfor an after hours youth drop-in centre, to operateparticularly over the weekends and during theevenings to support Aboriginal youth. It was identifiedthat they were at risk of drug and alcohol problems,engaging in offending behaviour, or being a victimof assault. This social need was identified in reportsand proposals over the preceding decade. More recently

the need was identified as a key recommendationresulting from the alcohol restriction debate in AliceSprings. Community agencies working with youngpeople formed a Steering Committee to establish a planto develop such a service.

The members of the Steering Committee were sourcedfrom key youth service providers in the region, includingTangentyere Council, Central Australian AboriginalCongress, Reconnect, Alice Springs YouthAccommodation Support Service, Bush Mob and theAlice Springs Youth Centre.

The Telstra Foundation contribution of funding wasfor the initial 12-month pilot period. Funds wererequired to employ a coordinator, operational cost forthe After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre program, and tosecure a venue. Additional funding was sourcedthrough the Alcohol Education RehabilitationFoundation, the Northern Territory Department ofFamily and Community Services, and in-kind servicesand operational materials (such as administrativesupport and materials, cars, staff resources) providedby youth service providers who participated on thesteering committee (including Tangentyere Council,Central Australian Aboriginal Congress – YouthOutreach Team, Alice Spring Youth AccommodationSupport Services and Reconnect).

The goal of the centre is to address the risks associatedwith 12-17 year olds who may be in crisis situations.Crisis situations may be defined as—but not limitedto—homelessness, abuse at home, petrol sniffing orsubstance abuse. The primary aim of the project is toprovide support to young people who are out at nightand who may be at risk of harm or requiring support.The After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre also providesyoung people with a safe place to go.

After many attempts to identify an appropriate venuein the centre of Alice Springs (without success), theSteering Committee considered the establishment ofa mobile caravan unit. While a suitable mobile wasbeing sourced, the Alice Springs Youth Centre offeredan unused demountable on their land at very low rent.This opportunity was taken up. The location of thedemountable was close to the Mall area in the centralbusiness district, which had been identified by policeand others as a hot spot for young people at night. In

PROJECT 10AFTER-HOURS YOUTH DROP-IN CENTRETANGENTYERE COUNCIL, ALICE SPRINGS, NTLEANNE RAMSAMY

10

ALICESPRINGS

the developmental phase of the project, young peoplewere consulted regarding their needs. They identifiedthe need for a fixed site venue in the town centre asa key component to meet their need for safety, accessto showers, washing facilities and access to after-hourssupport. The centre is open from 8pm to 1am, threenights a week.

KEY PROCESSES

The key issue the project aimed to address was thelarge number of youth in the town centre of AliceSprings throughout the evening until early hours of themorning. Although the project targeted the purchaseand introduction of a mobile unit this was not possibledue to the complexity of the youth issues. The fixedvenue, which was also outlined in the project brief,was achieved. The fixed venue is currently located atthe rear of the Alice Springs Youth Centre. The NorthernTerritory Alcohol and Drug Service currently fundsfour salaried positions for the After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre coordinator and two youth workers.Strategies included:—monthly meetings by the steering committee to

establish and implement the operation of theDrop-in Centre;

—liaising with partner youth agencies to develop aroster to cover after-hours staffing to supportyoung people;

—developing protocols and contractual arrangements between participating agencies;

—facilitating referrals and access of at-risk youth toyouth agencies to receive services;

—recruiting, supervising, training and coordinating staff;

—promoting the Drop-in Centre across the community;and examining sources of funding for the serviceand writing submissions to secure long-term fundingfor the continuation and expansion of the program.“It is great that organisations like the Telstra

Foundation are actually interested in these communityprograms. It’s definitely needed in this town or anytown, it has – and is – definitely making a difference.And I think that’s the bottom line isn’t it?”(COORDINATOR)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Success for the intervention was due to the intersectoralcollaboration that occurred between all key stakeholdersin Alice Springs, which included some of the following agencies:—Alice Springs Reconnect Program;—Alice Springs Youth Accommodation Support Program;—Northern Territory Police Department;—Department of Family and Children’s Services;—Youth Night Patrol Program;—Tangentyere Council Night Patrol Program;—Congress Youth Outreach Team;—Tangentyere Youth Service;—Aboriginal Child Care Agency;—local businesses; and—individual community members, including Aboriginal

Elders, grandmothers, aunties and young people.Early intervention included the establishment of the

After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre which was completedby linking crisis situations that occurred or werediscussed after hours to daytime crisis interventiongovernment and non government services for youth,in particular youth at risk.

“There is a fine line when you are trying to encourageyouth to come here. Basically, you’re trying to buildrelationships with the young people, so if they everfind themselves in need, they will feel they can drop in”.(COORDINATOR)

A community development emphasis was evidentthrough the input and active participation of grand-mothers, aunties and other carers in the early estab-lishment of the project and during the implementationof the project and now. Since it began, the After-hoursYouth Drop-in Centre has included some of the following services:—crisis counselling;—suicide prevention;—counselling and support regarding alcohol

and other drugs;—safe, free transport;—referrals to day-time government and

non-government services;—advocacy and support for youth on

issues relating to the law;—access to food, showers, toilet facilities and clothing;

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 52

—access to information about contraception and safesex (with condoms made available as required); and

—access to health information both through theyouth workers and written publications.

The After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre collects statisticaldata about the number of young people who are inthe central business district of Alice Springs and theDrop-in Centre at night, as well as documenting theissues they have at that particular time. Currently theCentre sees up to 30 young people a night. The Drop-in Centre also has a contact sheet for every youngperson who attends the centre. This includes detailsof their name, gender, address, whether they are affectedby a substance (and what type), other issues, name ofcontact person, and any other youth services withwhich the client is in contact. All information on clientsis confidential with the exception of mandatory notification requirements.

“The service has been of great support for youngpeople that would have otherwise not linked intosupport agencies that are available only during businesshours. Linking young people with educational supportand vocational services is important.” (COORDINATOR, RECONNECT)

“We have a core group of young women who activelyengage in inhalant drug misuse. Because of their misuse,often they will avoid services during the day. They arewards of the state. The drop in service can give a rundown of the wellbeing of the young person, and canget Reconnect—which is a Commonwealth-fundedearly intervention program for young people at-riskof homelessness—to do the follow-up.”(COORDINATOR, RECONNECT)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

One challenge experienced throughout the earlyestablishment phase was resistance from many of thelocal businesses and landlords with property in thecentral business district of Alice Springs.

Another obstacle in developing the program related tosecuring public liability insurance for the program.It took 12 months before any insurance companywould grant public liability insurance (amendmentsto the Northern Territory Government Legislation hadto occur which capped payouts on claims).

Variation to the initial funding agreement was soughtand granted and the program became operational inthe second year. These delays highlighted the naivetyregarding the program budget, which meant that it wasunder-funded and donations had to be sought fromlocal businesses to sustain the first year.

Organisational ownership and responsibility was alsoan issue. This was easily resolved through regularmonthly meetings of the Committee of Management

and signing off on the Memorandum of Understandingbetween members of the Committee of Management.The Memorandum of Understanding was written toreinforce the collaborative framework on which theproject was developed.

There is a good relationship between the Alice SpringsYouth Centre and the After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre.Future outcomes will be to sustain the current crisisintervention and operations. The Committee ofManagement is aware that there is an urgent needfor a recreational facility for young people in AliceSprings. Efforts will be made in the near future tosecure a suitable venue where the After-hours YouthDrop-in Centre can operate alongside a centre whereyoung people can simply ‘hang out’.

The After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre completereferrals to ‘Reconnect’, which does day-to-day followup of youth who attend the centre by night. Thismay include but not be restricted to client assessmentsand case management.

The After-hours Youth Drop-in-Centre has recentlyreceived funding from the Northern Territory AlcoholTobacco and Other Drugs to employ a coordinator andthree after-hours youth workers and to maintain theoperations of the program for a further 12 months.

KEY LEARNINGS

The project identified that youth are not accessingexisting daytime services. The public liability insuranceis very high for this type of service in the community.An important lesson learnt was that collaboration canoccur. Ownership and engagement by young peoplewas vital for sustainability. The Centre demonstratedthe ability of a cross-section of professionals andcommunity members to work together to improve thelives of young people. Linking with existing serviceproviders meant that a lot of infrastructure, knowledgeand expertise could be pooled. The After-hours YouthDrop-in Centre is an important part of the youthservices network in Alice Springs. A Memorandumof Understanding exists between the Committee ofManagement members, the guiding principle andpurpose of which is to develop a cooperative modelfor the management and provision of services to youngpeople through a multi-agency After-hours Youth Drop-in Centre. The Memorandum of Understanding isreviewed annually and addresses the rights and responsibilities of the participating organisations.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE AFTER-HOURS YOUTH DROP-IN CENTRE PROJECT,

CONTACT TONY CORCORAN, COORDINATOR

PH (08) 8952 7208; MOBILE 0439 387 001

EMAIL ASYDC@BIGPOND.COM

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION TWO | PAGE 53

SECTION 3 SCHOOLS: A SENTINEL SITEFOR CHANGE…ENGAGING INDIGENOUS YOUNG PEOPLE IN CULTURALLYAPPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS; PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIESFOR LEADERSHIP; GIVING HOPE FOR FUTURE EMPLOYMENT

RECONCILIATION – ALL ABOUT US, RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA

INTRODUCTION

The projects described in this evaluation are aimedat enhancing the communities in which Indigenousyoung people live. Communities are comprised of arange of different institutions and activities, one of themost important of which is schools. With compulsoryprimary and secondary education in Australia, schoolsare important for a variety of reasons. They are a placewhere young people spend a large amount of time. Theculture of a school—and the values that are transmittedto young people—can have an important influence ontheir lives. It is also a key way of engaging young peoplein the process of social change. A cross-cuttingtheme that emerged in nearly all of the projects, butparticularly the four described below, is the importanceof engaging with school communities in order to bringabout change.

Schools can be a sentinel site for the change process.Schools have the potential to assist with engagingIndigenous young people in culturally appropriateeducational programs; providing opportunities forleadership; giving hope for future employment.

THE PROJECTS

There were four projects in this evaluation that wereeither located in schools – or had a key focus on work-ing with teachers or Indigenous students to achievethe program goals. These were:—Early Intervention Program for Indigenous Youth;—Jobs 4U2 Indigenous School-to-work Project;—Swan Nyungar Sports Education Program; and—Strong and Smart Digital Project.

Curtin University of Technology’s Early InterventionProgram for Indigenous Youth is targeting those at riskof depression or suicide. Training models have beendeveloped for professionals working in schools, toprovide culturally appropriate early intervention. Inaddition, the program focuses on training up leadersamong the Indigenous youth to identify risk factorsearly, so that appropriate supports can be provided toyoung people identified as ‘at risk’.

Ganbina’s Jobs 4U2 project is based in schools in theShepparton region of north-central Victoria – an areaknown for its high levels of unemployment in the localAboriginal community. Pilot programs have been estab-lished to prepare students for vocations after they leaveschool. Ganbina – an Indigenous employment agency– used its contacts in the business community toprovide opportunities for students to meet with them

and learn about career prospects, and develop linksfor work experience or part-time paid employmentoutside of school.

In a northern suburb of Perth, WA, Balga High Schoolhas established its Swan Nyungar Sports EducationProgram. Recognising that Indigenous youth were athigh risk of dropping out of school, they focused onthe issues where many Indigenous young people wereexcelling – sport – and developed a unique curriculum.Starting with a boys program, the school has nowestablished a program for girls.

Cherbourg State School’s Strong and Smart DigitalProject links Indigenous students with their culturalheritage, developing pride in their identity, as well aspreparing them for living in the modern digital age.Production of a DVD is used as an educational andcultural tool by the school, and the broader community.

KEY LEARNINGS

One consistent theme that emerged from these projectswas the importance of taking time, working with localschools and communities, including Elders, local fam-ilies, and other key stakeholders. It takes time to buildtrust, to explain what the project is about, how it isintended to benefit the community, and what involve-ment from the community is required. Otherwise, itbecomes an intervention ‘to’ rather than ‘with’ a com-munity. True community development works whencommunities are assisted to identify the problems andimplement solutions themselves. Communities are notalways able to do this on their own. On the contrary– what we see in each of these projects are examplesof collaboration between the school and other keyagencies, universities, or other organisations to buildthe knowledge and capacity of those involved inrunning the program.

Programs need to be well integrated into the curriculum, and—where possible—to be run byIndigenous principals, teachers, teacher aides. They alsoneed to be supported by the broader school communityin order for them to work. This makes the developmentof a strong and skilled Indigenous education workforceabsolutely critical for students’ future success, andprovides the important example of role models of edu-cational, vocational and social achievement. Workingwith established agencies who have credibility in thelocal community—with families, or with local businesses—can assist in the process of gaining acceptance, andestablishing a sustainable program.

SCHOOLS: A SENTINEL SITEFOR CHANGEDARYL HIGGINS

The early intervention program for Aboriginal youthdeveloped by Indigenous Psychological Services andCurtin University of Technology is reported be thefirst of its kind developed in Australia for Indigenousyouth. The project is progressively being implementedin selected regions across Western Australia. The aimis to train professionals to identify Aboriginal adoles-cents who are at risk of depression or suicidal behaviourand to provide Indigenous-specific interventions toreduce these behaviours.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To conduct professional development with teachers,mental health professionals and key communitymembers.

—To identify Indigenous young people at risk of self-harm.

—To pilot a culturally specific Indigenous earlyintervention program to foster resilience.

FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2003 TO 2004)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $85,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

The early intervention program for Aboriginal youthhas been considered a unique cultural development.It was designed specifically to identify Aboriginal youthat risk of self-harm by implementing measures toreduce high-risk behaviour. The rising figures reportedon depression and suicidal tendencies amongAboriginal youth highlighted the need for a culturallysensitive program to reduce these behaviours. Dr TracyWesterman, Managing Director of IndigenousPsychological Services—a private psychological consulting service in Western Australia—is one of thefirst Indigenous people to achieve a PhD in clinicalpsychology in Australia. She developed a scale to assessAboriginal youth who are engaging in high-risk behav-iours or may be at risk of depression and self-harm:the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist – Youth(WASC-Y). This was the topic of Dr Westerman’sdoctoral thesis, supervised by Professor David Hayfrom the School of Psychology at Curtin Universityof Technology.

Many Aboriginal people view mainstream mentalhealth services to be culturally inappropriate and not

able to meet their needs. Rather than using existingmeasures of depression or risky behaviours that havenot been developed with Aboriginal people and theirculture in mind, a new scale was needed. The scalehas been developed to be culturally sensitive. The newmeasurement scale has progressed through thesupport of Aboriginal people.

KEY PROCESSES

Telstra Foundation funding has assisted in the develop-ment of content for a program: ‘Indicated Intervention’(the first of its kind in Australia) and pilot testing witha cohort of Indigenous youth. Primarily, the TelstraFoundation grant paid for development of the materials,and a part-time researcher to validate the content ofthe packages. Literature searches were conducted toensure that the content is based on ‘best practice’from a mainstream evidence base of what works withyouth who are experiencing the impact of depressionand suicidal feelings. These findings were also linkedto the limited Indigenous research and outcomes ofTracy Westerman’s PhD research. The package is able totherefore address Indigenous-specific and mainstreamrisk indicators while also focusing on the developmentand, in many instances, consolidation of culturalresilience as a more effective method of suicide riskreduction.

Additional funding from Healthway will take the projectinto 2007 to its full implementation. This will culminatein the full nine-week intervention program being runout of the Swan Education District in Perth. Fundsfrom the Telstra Foundation were used to employa researcher to assist in the development of specifictraining content and materials. The research assistantalso assisted in conducting professional developmentsessions to local service providers including teachers,mental health professionals and community. To date,this has included over 864 participants in five primary regions in Western Australia including thenorthwest, west Kimberley, Goldfields, and two regionsin the Northern Territory. The research assistantdeveloped content for the training modules in appropriate forms across these different regions (e.g.,web and multi-media formats). Community serviceproviders and youth have been trained around cultural

PROJECT 11EARLYINTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR ABORIGINAL YOUTHCURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY WITHINDIGENOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES, PERTH, WADARYL HIGGINS AND MARLENE BURCHILL

11

PERTH

awareness, depression, suicide, and anxiety. Teacherswere trained to look at how symptoms are expressed,because they can be very different in different cul-tural groups.

Development and implementation of an early intervention program involved:—developing and piloting a culturally appropriate

program for Aboriginal youth at risk that is sustainable in Aboriginal communities;

—consulting with local communities and Elders to ensure the project was seen as anAboriginal-run project;

—providing support and intervention to a groupof Aboriginal parents with children identified asbeing at risk of depression and suicidal behaviour;

—training Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal professionalpsychologists, teachers and Aboriginal health workersto use the program; and

—increasing the focus on positive attributes and existingprotective behaviours among Aboriginal youth.The modules that have been developed include:

—cultural identity; anger management; managing culturally based conflict (developing culturalresilience);

—knowledge of depression and suicide; coping andproblem solving skills; effective communication;and, finally,

—stress management and relaxation. All the modules have been piloted with a cohort ofAboriginal youth. The final phase was to deliverand evaluate these modules with a group ofIndigenous young people.“Tracy remains the proactive person responsible

in the development and implementations of the project.”(PROFESSIONAL MENTOR)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

To date, the project has required extensive consultationwith the Aboriginal community. Both professionals andother community members needed to be committedto support the project and its smooth flow throughoutthe various stages. An Aboriginal steering committeewas established to oversee the overall functioning ofthe project, while additional professional support hasbeen made available from academic staff from Curtin

University to support the developments with researchand project evaluation. Additional support comes fromgovernment and non-government organisations readyto assist and support the implementation of the culturallyappropriate intervention project in different regions.

The measurement scale for high-risk behaviours haspotential for wider use across Australia to assistAboriginal adolescents experiencing depression ordisplaying suicidal behaviour. The model has beendeveloped so that it is readily transferable into differentcommunities and contexts. The overarching aim of theproject has been to validate the content of the trainingpackages across different Aboriginal communities,making the content and process applicable for as manyregions in Australia that have issues related to Indigenoussuicide and depression. The long-term aim is to trainhealth and mental health professionals and parapro-fessionals in program delivery to affected youth.

“I feel like I have the confidence to talk about suicide,because in this workshop I have gained some skills totalk to kids, people, families...” (COMMUNITY MEMBER)

“I feel a lot more confident in being able to helppeople who might be feeling this way as a result of the training.” (COMMUNITY MEMBER)

The program has been implemented across selectedregions across Western Australia and in the NorthernTerritory. This has involved extensive consultation withAboriginal communities and allied health professionalsto complete the preliminary stages of the project. Theprogram coordinator, Dr Westerman, focused on gettingthe Aboriginal community ‘on board’ and working toensure that it was seen to be an Aboriginal-run project.The content has been validated for use in the northwestof Western Australia, Goldfields, Perth regions andthe Northern Territory, by conducting youth forums.As well as being used as a tool to validate the trainingmodules, pilot testing the materials on young peoplealso had positive psycho-educational outcomes for theyoung people involved.

This course Tracy has put together is easy to under-stand, not too high English like other courses. I foundthem too hard to understand. This course should beavailable to all Aboriginal people.” (INDIGENOUS YOUTH PARTICIPANT)

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 57

The key part of implementing the project is to equipteachers and health professionals to be able to recogniseand respond appropriately to signs of depression orsuicidal feelings in Aboriginal students. The trainingmodules will also assist to identify young Aboriginalpeople experiencing behavioural problems and to reduce high-risk behaviour among Aboriginal adolescents. Ultimately, the aim is to reduce the riskof depression and suicide among Aboriginal youth.

“The teachers at my school would be talking aboutthe feelings of Aboriginal people. Teachers would askabout suicidal feelings, knowing someone who hasbeen suicidal.” (HIGH SCHOOL DEPUTY PRINCIPAL)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

“The underlying philosophical orientation of theadaption of the early intervention programs is that itshould reflect familiar, commonsense concepts under-stood by Aboriginal people based on information fromour focus group. The value of using such common,colloquial terms is that they will have functionalvalidity or relevance to Aboriginal culture.” (CHIEF INVESTIGATOR)

A number of needs were identified during thedevelopment and implementation of the project.More Indigenous psychologists are needed. Supportsneed to be put in place – and a new generation ofleaders developed to prevent burnout in Aboriginalprofessionals. Web-based services are needed for peoplein rural and remote area, in order to link them toprofessionals online, and other supports and resources.More Indigenous people need to be trained in clinicalpsychology programs to supplement a mix of highlyqualified non-Aboriginal as well as non-psychologytrained Aboriginal staff. Finally, Indigenous measures ofdepression or other high-risk behaviours need to beused by health professionals and researchers, ratherthan using ‘white’ measures of mental health thatare not sensitive to cultural differences.

KEY LEARNINGS

Recent research and government reports demonstratehigh incidence of long-term unemployment, isolationand racism (both overt and covert). These factors havecontributed to the critical events experienced byAboriginal families and their young people in Australiatoday. These include not only incidents that have just

happened but also the ongoing effects of massive socialupheaval for Aboriginal people over generations.Professor Judy Atkinson, an Aboriginal academic, hasattempted to place “intervention” issues on the publicagenda since the early 1990s, citing “trans-generationaltrauma” as the key to understanding the complexissues currently confronting Aboriginal and youngpeople today (ATKINSON 2002).

“Tracy is the main link person in the projects. This isimportant because of the sensitivity of the issues, butstill takes time! We could clone Tracy ten times overand it still wouldn’t be enough.” (PROFESSIONAL MENTOR)

The rising number of Aboriginal young people whohave thought of killing themselves, or have actuallytried is very concerning. Prior to the development ofthe cultural assessment measure there was no interven-tion measure specifically for young Aboriginal peopleto identify those with high-risk behaviours. The financialassistance of the Telstra Foundation resulted in gettingthe pilot program off the ground. The program hasbeen well received in Western Australia, with signs ofrenewed confidence of young Aboriginal people andtheir families. The question of sustainability remainsan issue in the long term to ensure the interventioncontinues to be utilised.

One of the key learnings from development andimplementation of this program was the importanceof getting the process of engagement right – ensuringthat consultation is a primary part of the programdevelopment and delivery. Dr Westerman plannedfield visits to Aboriginal communities to work withschools, teachers and Aboriginal families to informthem about the intervention model and its long-termbenefits for Aboriginal communities. Her uniquecultural approach has been assisted in its developmentand progressed by Aboriginal people for Aboriginalyoung people at risk. She draws on key socio-historicalfactors contributing to the plight of Aboriginal peoplesuch as transgenerational trauma. Westerman adds anew dimension for Aboriginal people from anIndigenous clinical psychology perspective.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR ABORIGINAL YOUTH,

CONTACT DR.TRACY WESTERMAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR,

INDIGENOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES.

PH (08) 9362 2036

EMAIL TRACYW@IPS.IINET.NET.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 58

Ganbina runs the Jobs 4U2 Indigenous School-to-WorkProject. Ganbina is an incorporated Indigenous organi-sation established to support and provide pathwaysto employment for young Aboriginal people residingin Shepparton, Mooroopna and nearby towns in north-central Victoria – an area marked by high unemploy-ment among Indigenous people. The project has beendeveloped to increase career options for local Aboriginalsecondary students and encouraging them to remainat school longer.

“Ganbina” is a Yorta Yorta word meaning: “awaken,arise, or stand up”.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To understand and address the difficulties many Aboriginal students face when searching for employment.

—To increase self-esteem and confidence.—To assist and support students to remain

at school longer.—To increase awareness to a wider scope

of career opportunities.—To empower and encourage parents’

participation in their child’s education.—To develop students’ social and networking skills

with local industries, business and the local council.—To increase the prospect of future employment

and foster hope for Indigenous students.FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2004 TO 2005)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $110,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

In the Shepparton/Mooroopna area, the local Aboriginalcommunity numbers approximately 6,000. It is report-ed to be the largest Aboriginal group in Victoria out-side of metropolitan Melbourne (Alford 2002). Recentresearch conducted by Dr Katrina Alford from theUniversity of Melbourne confirmed local concernsabout the chronically high level of unemployment forAboriginal people in the Shepparton and Mooroopnaarea of north central Victoria. Alford (2002) reportedthat the unemployment rate for Aboriginal peopleliving in both these towns is 80% or higher. A lackof employment opportunities across all ages for sever-al decades has produced a sense of passivity evident

among many of the young Aboriginal people. This hasresulted in large numbers of young people choosingto leave school at a very young age – many in the firsttwo years of their secondary education. This becamea self-fulfilling prophecy: in most instances, leavingschool does reduce their career prospects and theirability to find work at all, confirming their perceptionthat unemployment is inevitable.

The primary aim is to facilitate the successful migrationof Indigenous young people into the workplace throughclose cooperation with small business and corporateemployers. The focus of Jobs 4U2 is on students fromYear 7 through to Year 10, proving them with indus-try introduction tours (Years 7 and 8); career planning(Year 9); and access to appropriate work experienceplacements and after-school employment opportuni-ties (Year 10). Students are encouraged to take upwork, or transition into Ganbina’s other school-to-workprogram: “Ladders to Success”, which assists seniorstudents to transition into the workforce. Prior to theintroduction of Jobs 4U2, however, Ganbina identifieda gap: many young Indigenous students were droppingout in the early high school years, and a continuumof support was needed to provide students with real-istic vision of future workforce participation.

“No one is getting jobs, so why should we stick atschool?” (LOCAL ABORIGINAL SCHOOL STUDENTS)

KEY PROCESSES

The program seeks to engage and educate the youngpeople, the families and the schools. The key aim ofthe Jobs 4U2 project is to establish networks encom-passing potential employment opportunities for localadolescents to gain work experience, and improve theirperceptions of the availability of meaningful careerpaths – and their educational pre-requisites. GanbinaKoorie Economic Employment and Training Agencyemployed a project officer who has been working hardto develop positive partnerships with local business,the local council and a number of industries.Principal activities have included:—establishing two pilot programs

with two high schools;—developing partnerships with

deputy principals at local high schools;

PROJECT 12JOBS4U2INDIGENOUS SCHOOL–TO–WORK PROJECT GANBINA KOORIE ECONOMIC EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING AGENCY, SHEPPARTON, VICDARYL HIGGINS AND MARLENE BURCHILL

SHEPPARTON

12

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 60

—working with Aboriginal educators located inthe high schools;

—identifying potential employment opportunities;—developing a 12-month strategic plan to measure

retention rates and changes in expectation ofemployment for all children over time; and

—encouraging parental involvement in their child’seducation by organising regular meeting for parents and actively promoting cultural awareness and family activities.

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Although the project is in its early stages, some keyoutcomes have already been achieved. Ganbina hasestablished an advisory board to provide advice, andto facilitate effective networking as Jobs 4U2 swingsinto action. The board is made up of local individuals—both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people—fromlocal industry, business and community who are com-mitted to change, and to create employment or careeropportunities for Aboriginal students in the Mooroopnaand Shepparton region. The project will be introducedfully into two high schools this year to support studentsfrom Year 7 to Year 10, with plans to introduce theproject into other schools in the future.

The project has been able to effectively establishpartnerships with a number of local industries, busi-nesses, and with local council to financially supportthe progress of the project.

“We just need time for the project to become knownin the Aboriginal community and the wider community– to strengthen the relationships on either side.” (CEO)

There has been an increased interest shown byparents to support their children. Some parents havebecome increasingly active in attending regular monthlymeeting at the school. Some parents have been activelypreparing their adolescents to attend classes to learnhow to drive a car, which is often a crucial skill forlater employment. Shepparton is a regional-basedcommunity with poor public transport – and peoplerely on cars for getting to work, or to access furtherstudy or vocational training opportunities.

There are signs of increased hope and self-confidencewith Aboriginal students. The students are keen tolearn more about planning for work experience andare actively involved with visiting sites and to followthrough with fieldwork activities. Jobs 4U2 is providingmotivation and a focus for planning school subjectselection carefully and to negotiate after-school workexperiences. Students are forming positive relationshipwith their peers, often requesting additional supportto assist with homework.

“This is one of the most proactive approaches –allowing students to see the benefits of education,and its tangible links to employment and opportunities especially within our region.” (CEO)

The CEO of Ganbina, who is responsible for theJobs 4U2 program describes the way the service workswith a typical Indigenous student:

“With one young girl in Year 10, we helped her tonarrow and define a suitable career path. We thenhelped to find work experience appropriate to thatcareer. She wants to do teaching, so we found her workexperience at a local primary school. Additionally, welinked her to after-school work so that she can benefitfrom a history of employment. We have also helpedher to study for her driver’s licence, and start buildingup some of the life skills that she will need, whethershe goes on to further training or employment itself.”(CEO)

While the project is in its seeding phase, staff involvedin the Jobs 4U2 project (in partnership with principalsand staff from local high schools) implemented strategiestargeting young Aboriginal students to remain atschool longer. For example, the project was promotedvia the ‘Koori grapevine’ (local word-of-mouth), andarrangements were made for students to attend “JobFair Day”. The results of these promotional activities—within both high schools and through the Koorigrapevine—provide evidence of change. Students are:more open to new ideas and challenges;—self-motivated to access the vocational

preference self -assessment forms;—taking responsibility in organising and preparing

themselves by developing a checklist of things todo and things they will need to have with themwhen seeking employment, such as bank accountdetails, birth certificate, tax file number, driver’slicence and their resume;

—keen to discuss vocational areas they are likely to be interested in;

—proactively participating in programs; —requesting assistance with their homework and

more able to see or plan their futures by remainingat school longer; and

—moving from passivity to hope.As part of the Jobs 4U2 project, students went and

looked at one of the key local industries: the fruitprocessing industry. They saw a lot of career positionswithin the industry that they had previously notenvisaged.

“I was very pleased with what the day offered. I wassurprised in what the industry offers, as comparedwith what I thought was the main or common jobs.”(YEAR 8 INDIGENOUS GIRL)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The main thrust of the Jobs 4U2 project is to increasethe educational standing of young students in theMooroopna/Shepparton region. The aim is to reducea mind-set accustomed to failure and disenfranchise-ment for both young Aboriginal people and theirparents.

“After six years—once we have had six groups ofyoung people come through—there may not be a needfor the program, or we may be able to wind it down.”(CEO)

The concept of Jobs 4U2 has been slow to getunderway in the secondary schools. In the main,this was due to delays in securing the full fundingthat was needed to implement the project. Fundsfrom the Telstra Foundation were used to leverageadditional funds from other organisations to supportthe establishment of Jobs 4U2 – but this took longerthan anticipated. But it can also be difficult to establisha truly collaborative relationship, where the processis not ‘owned’ by the schools. In addition, schoolsdo not necessarily have the connections or the abilityto relate to the business world. Having the Jobs 4U2program run and managed by Ganbina—a recognisedIndigenous employment support agency—gave theproject credibility with the business community, basedon pre-existing working relationships.

Another difficulty that was faced in establishing theproject was finding an Aboriginal person who had theskills required to lead the project and to be able toconfidently relate to people across all levels: education,business and community. Finding a suitable projectofficer with the necessary skills was often hamperedby the very issues for which the project had been devel-oped to address: namely, that many local Indigenouspeople had not remained in school or gained the workexperiences necessary for the role.

Forming positive partnerships with local business andwith industry was a challenge for the project staff.In particular, it was difficult to change the mindsetof many of the local employers who—in the past—have not facilitated Aboriginal people gaining employ-ment. Because of its links with industries, Ganbinawas able to facilitate better interactions: historicallyschools and industries did not work well together.

“One of the barriers for the project has been thetime taken to get the project into schools.” (CEO)

The availability of Aboriginal educators and teachers’

aides is an important factor affecting the program. Onlythose schools that have Aboriginal educators orteachers’ aides have embraced the program.

Presently Ganbina is looking at a culturally appropriateassessment tool to be used with Aboriginal studentsin Australia to measure individual strengths and weak-nesses. A similar model has been developed by DrRichard Vedan, a First Nation representative from theUniversity of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

KEY LEARNINGS

For a vision to become a reality, Ganbina needed tosecure funding for the project. The Telstra Foundationplayed a vital role and has encouraged leverage offurther funding from other agencies. Without thisphilanthropic assistance, the project would have beenheld back. At the same time, those involved in thepilot realise new things take time to be understoodand accepted within the Aboriginal community. Equallyimportant to the project’s establishment is the awarenessof past practices experienced by Aboriginal parents,who often felt intimidated by past failure with theeducation system and attempts to gain employment.

“A lot of parents want to support their kids to goahead, but don’t know how to do it. If we can helpthem support one child, they’ll be better positionedto support other children.” (PROJECT WORKER)

The “school-to-work” concept is a useful way ofaddressing the difficulties Aboriginal students may facein competition with non-Indigenous students seekingthe same jobs or work experience opportunities. It isimportant to form lasting partnerships with localindustry, business, professionals and local council,and to share resources equally between mainstreamjob seekers and Aboriginal students in a transparentmanner.

“What would we do differently? Definitely have theProject Officer from Ganbina more aligned with theschool, rather than have Koori Education Officersinvolved in the work of the Project Officer, pickingup on the tasks required for the project.” (DEPUTY PRINCIPAL)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

GANBINA’S JOBS 4U2 PROJECT

CONTACT ADRIAN APPO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GANBINA

PH (03) 5821 7333

EMAIL JOBS4U2@GANBINA.COM.AU

WEBSITE WWW.GANBINA.COM.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 61

An innovative approach has been taken by the Principalat Balga Senior High School in partnership with tworespected Nyungar Elders from the Swan Region andother significant individuals to expand their culturallyappropriate curriculum for young Nyungar boys byhaving a parallel program for girls. The Swan NyungarSports Education Program combines sport within aconventional educational curriculum.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To develop and implement a sports-focused alternateeducational program for local Indigenous girls.

—To retain Nyungar young people in the educationsystem.

—To incorporate cultural activities into the educational curriculum to promote acceptance of Indigenous culture.

—To engage with parents, the local Indigenouscommunity, and the broader business community in the education process.

—To foster life skills, responsibilities and positiveattitudes to educational and vocational engagement.

FUNDING PERIOD: TWO YEARS (2003 TO 2005)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $140,000

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

The lives of the Nyungar people are often compoundedby a continuous struggle: poverty, high unemployment,overcrowded households, drug and alcohol problems,feuding families, and harmful incidents of familyviolence all add to the malaise that exist for manyyoung Nyungar people in the Swan region of Perth.Often Nyungar youth respond with hopelessness andapathy in the face of the lack of work prospectsavailable to them, and drop out of school early.

The Smith Family partnered with the Balga SeniorHigh School to implement an intervention programdesigned to encourage Aboriginal adolescents in theSwan Region (covering the northern suburbs of Perth)to attend school regularly. Balga Senior High Schoolhas a total of 525 students, including 74 in the SwanNyungar Sports Education Program. Balga is consid-ered a multicultural school, with students represent-ing 40 different cultures. The largest cultural groupis the local Indigenous people: Nyungars.

The Smith Family, Balga Senior High School andrespected local Elders worked together to establish theoriginal boys’ program. The Smith Family conductedan independent evaluation of the boys’ sports programin 2002, showing improvements in a range of outcomesfor the boys, such as: attendance, retention, education-al achievement, health standards, self-confidence andawareness of Nyungar language and culture.

It was recognised that separate programs are neededto address the needs of Indigenous boys and girls. Mostboys are brought up by their mothers and maintaina close connection with them. Fathers are often absentfrom Nyungar families. In many instances, girls disconnect from their mother, forming closer ties withgrandmothers or aunts. Aboriginal girls often becomevictims of abuse, or become mothers at a very earlyage. All of these social factors need to be consideredwhen working with Nyungar families and communitiesto support young people engaging in the educationalprocess.

PROJECT 13SWAN NYUNGARSPORTS EDUCATIONPROGRAMBALGA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLWITH THE SMITH FAMILY, PERTH, WADARYL HIGGINS AND MARLENE BURCHILL

13

BALGA

Balga Senior High School began its Swan NyungarSports Education Program by first targeting boys. Theprogram was based around participation in football,as well as a range of other sports. Funds from the TelstraFoundation were used to expand the program byimplementing a parallel stream for girls, focusing onnetball.

KEY PROCESSES

Supports have been put in place to assist Indigenousyoung people to complete their secondary schooling.The program sets some standards regarding personalresponsibilities that are to be upheld by young peopleand their families. The aim is to increase youngIndigenous students’ presence at a secondary schoollevel and to prepare others to enter university basedon their academic achievements.

The professional expertise of the Swan Nyungar SportEducation Program (SNSEP) involved partners suchas teachers, psychologists, local business and industriesto share their knowledge and to support the progressof the project. As well as employing a Deputy Principalresponsible for the boys’ and girls’ programs, BalgaHigh School also employs a Student Support Manager.This role is to be expanded by involving some com-munity psychology post-graduate students to workwith the young people in the program, as well astheir families.

The program is designed to encourage Aboriginal(boys and girls) to attend school on a regular basis,combining their sporting prowess within a curricu-lum designed to sustain their interest throughout theirsecondary education and to develop self confidence,self-esteem and leadership skills. The approach is cul-turally sensitive, to gain trust and to inform Aboriginalfamilies about the benefits of education. Families haveexpressed a desire to meet with other parents—in aparent support group—for other things that arehappening in the community and within their personal lives.

“Getting an education and getting jobs for Aboriginalstudents is the key process of the project. Thoseinvolved in the project realise that not all students willadvance on to tertiary education – instead, their optionswill be explored and supported during their secondaryeducation. A guarantee of work in a career of theirchoice has motivated students that a dream can becomea reality by way of taking on personal responsibilityand to gain their own independence by getting a job.”(PRINCIPAL)

“We’re not a school that says you can only go to unito be successful.” (PRINCIPAL)

The Smith Family and Centrelink played animportant role in the community venture by providingstudent scholarships. According to the Principal, theAustralian Government welfare agency ‘Centrelink’identified that they have an image problem in the regionamong the Nyungar people, and wanted to change theirculture to work more closely with Aboriginal familiesto remove these barriers. Young Aboriginal adolescentshave been assisted to realise the benefits that come withcompleting their education. Every young Aboriginalperson who graduates from the program will beguaranteed a job.

“Every young person that graduates from the programis guaranteed a job with Newmont Mining – the secondbiggest gold mining company in the world. For some,the jobs won’t suit… but at least it’s a promise that’son the table.” (PRINCIPAL)

Potential new students are selected into the programbased on sporting, literacy and numeracy ability, butthey are then assisted with scholarships. The focus ison building leadership and life skills, and linking youngpeople to vocational and educational opportunities.

“We don’t tolerate non-compliance. This may meanorganising transport for a student to take them to work.One of the conditions is parental support. We needto engage the parents to work with us. It’s a challenge,because they are so disadvantaged.” (PRINCIPAL)

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 63

The Year 11 students attend the school premises threedays per week. The other two days they are out in theworkforce learning life skills or doing TAFE subjects.Balga Senior High School reports that they have hasa 100% compliance with this arrangement because itis a necessary part of the training. It gives students asense of belonging. According to the Principal, theyrarely miss a day.

“Here, Aboriginal students have worked hard, theyhave shown leadership skills, they have prepared anddone presentations to the Dockers (an AFL footballteam) often being selected in the underage footballteams. We are actually influencing the parents oftomorrow. If we can get some of the elements rightwith these kids, we stand a much better chance ofhaving parents who are equipped.” (STUDENT SUPPORT

MANAGER).

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2004, researchers from the Institute for the ServiceProfessions, Edith Cowan University published anevaluation of the SNSEP (Louden and Marsh 2004).They showed a number of key improvements forIndigenous students involved with the program.Average attendance rates for boys and girls in theprogram ranged from 82 to 85 per cent, whereasAboriginal students in the same year levels in BalgaHigh School’s mainstream program had attendancerates as low as 53 per cent. Attendance rates are wellin excess of the average for Indigenous students inWestern Australia, which is compelling evidence ofSNSEP’s success in engaging students’ interest. Althoughstudents in the SNSEP were attending more frequentlythan their counterparts, retention rates from one yearto the next were not as positive as had been hoped,usually the result of significant behavioural problems.Achievement measures (numeracy and literacy) alsoshow significant improvements for both girls and boys,particularly the low achieving students. The authorsof the report concluded that outcomes for SNSEP stu-dents were positive, with students improving academ-ically, developing life skills, and learning about theirculture.

“To see the dance troupe operate is a real joy. Theyperform at our assembly and the next step will be into

the broader community or elsewhere. The dance troupeis self-funded. The students fund their own paint andequipment. An Indigenous dance troupe is actuallya career path! It’s so positive. The next step is toimprove the parenting skills.” (DEPUTY PRINCIPAL)

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

“You don’t close the door to someone who has hada history! We haven’t been afraid to give the opportunityto someone who wants to have a go. We never removekids out of the program and let them go their own way.We try to find another suitable program for students.Or domestic living arrangements may change – whichcan be tough for us. That change can mean they willfind it hard to continue.” (PRINCIPAL)

Although the girls are highly intelligent, teachers havenoted that they bring a lot of ‘baggage’ with them –often battling with the authorities, or each other. Asone teacher noted: “The girls don’t work well togeth-er as a whole, except on the netball court.” The femalescontrol a lot within the community, but finding positivefemale role models can be difficult, which is why itis important for the SNSEP program for girls to iden-tify female Indigenous sporting figures, as well as otherNyungars who are achieving—vocationally or educa-tionally—to whom they can look for inspiration.

“Culturally, the females are a long way behind themales. Opportunities are pigeon-holed. Getting a groupof Nyungar girls together, you have the family feudingissues to content with. The girls have a completelydifferent culture from the boys. It’s a tough program.It’s ten times harder than the boys’ program.” (PRINCIPAL)

At the moment, individuals involved with the projectstruggle to encourage parents to participate in theschool’s cultural activities or to support their child.However this changes if you put on a Swan NyungarSports Education Program football or netball match, atwhich 200 or 300 parents attend.

There are a number of barriers to be overcome. Theschool needs more Indigenous Education Officers,more mentors for the young people, and more parentcontact (the first steps have been put in place with theestablishment of a parent support group). However,all these things have an administrative cost. There arealso the practical costs: if a student gets picked for the

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 64

state side with football or netball, the school has tosupport them with the cost of flights, accommodation,entry fees, and so on. However, it is not possible todo this with every sport.

“Recruiting students to get the right mix can bedifficult. To get a balance between academic back-ground, sporting, and behaviour is time consuming.Our program has a lot of expectations from thecommunity. Instead of being an educational facility,we have community issues that come into the school.It puts us in a difficult environment. Our studentsare labour-intensive. You have to go and talk to themand to be prepared to spend an hour having a yarn.But it’s what is necessary to try and create opportu-nities.” (DEPUTY PRINCIPAL)

Partnerships have been a key to the success of theprogram. Linking funds from the Telstra Foundationto the support from The Smith Family is likely tomean the program can be sustained – and replicated inother areas. Critical partnerships were also formed withtwo respected Nyungar Elders from the Swan Region,which ensured the cultural sensitivity of the curriculum– and, most importantly, the support from the localNyungar community.

KEY LEARNINGS

Merging sport and cultural relevancy into an alternateschool-based educational curriculum will supportNyungar students—both male and female—to remainat school longer. This approach increases the attendanceof Nyungar Aboriginal students who are consideredto be the most disadvantaged group in the Swan regionof Perth. The Swan region itself has some of the mostdisadvantaged students in Western Australia. Theprogram provides early intervention to enhance edu-cational engagement and prevent young Aboriginaladolescents from dropping out of the educational sys-tem. The project plan targeted every Aboriginal stu-dent in the Swan region and ran a comprehensive andrigorous promotional campaign aimed at potentialAboriginal students and their parents or families toconsider the benefits education has to offer, and theadvantages that come with an education in findingemployment.

Staff who want to be involved in SNSEP must becommitted. If a staff member is involved against theirwill (without any expression of interest in workingwith Indigenous young people), the students pick upon it. A core principle of working in an educationenvironment with Aboriginal youth is that relation-ships are the most important thing.

Finally, the program highlights the importanceof gender and ways in which gender issues areaddressed in the design and implementation of theprogram. The factors that influence gender-roles inthe classroom—and in the home—need to be consid-ered when working with Nyungar families and com-munities to support young people engaging in theeducational process. Staff involved in the SwanNyungar Sports Education Program learnt some keylessons about the importance of finding ways to engagegirls, and to not ignore the realities of family feudsor other cultural factors that impacted on their behav-iour at school and their engagement in the program.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE SWAN NYUNGAR SPORTS EDUCATION PROGRAM,

CONTACT MERVYN HAMMOND, PRINCIPAL,

BALGA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

PH (08) 9247 0222

EMAIL MERV.HAMMOND@DET.WA.EDU.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 65

Through the Strong and Smart Digital Project, Indigenousyoung people are being trained in digital contentproduction. The development and implementation ofStrong and Smart in Cherbourg is delivering a sus-tainable educational, cultural and economic resource.The skills the students learn empower them to reclaimthe positive aspects of their cultural and artisticheritage and create independent knowledge workers,skilled for survival in both rural and urban economies.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

—To tackle technological illiteracy amongst ruralIndigenous children and their communities throughskills development in current communication mediaand digital technology.

—To facilitate the development of production, projectmanagement and general multi-media skills amongyoung people, staff and community members.

—To produce a broad spectrum of interactive digitalprogram content.

FUNDING PERIOD: ONE YEAR (2003 TO 2004)

FUNDING AMOUNT: $35,000

(IN 2004 THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION SUPPORTED QUT IN

PARTNERSHIP WITH WOORABINDA STATE SCHOOL TO EXPAND

THE STRONG AND SMART DIGITAL PROJECT TO THE COMMUNITY

OF WOORABINDA. THE TELSTRA FOUNDATION ALSO SUPPORT-

ED THE DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF RUBY’S STORY

AS PART OF THE 2005 QUEENSLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL THAT

INVOLVED STUDENTS FROM CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL.)

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

In 2002, members of the Queensland University ofTechnology’s department of Film and Television part-nered with the Cherbourg State School to produce afilm called ‘Strong and Smart’. It tells the story of therise of the Cherbourg State School from a situationof aimless despair to an institution with a sense ofpurpose, direction and unity. The ‘Strong and Smart’theme reflected in the film is embedded in the school’scurriculum, activities and teaching methods. Theseare centred on motivating Indigenous children andyoung people to be strong and smart Australians. TheCherbourg State School comprises Indigenous andnon-Indigenous teaching staff, Indigenous teacheraides, and 250 students.

Cherbourg is one of 16 ‘deed of grant in trust com-munities’ within Queensland. Prior to becoming a‘deed of grant in trust community’ (DOGIT) in 1986,Cherbourg (formerly known as Barambah) was admin-istered by the State Government Department ofCommunity Services and its predecessor agenciesincluding the Chief Protector of Aboriginals Officeand the Director of Native Affairs Office. The orginalreserve was gazetted in 1900 at the request of WilliamThompson, a member of the Salvation Army. In 1901the reserve area was moved three miles to its presentlocation. In 1905, the Ipswich Aboriginal ProtectionSociety who had been supporting William Thompsonrelinquished control of the settlement to the govern-ment. Over 2600 people who were ‘under the Act’were removed to Cherbourg between the period 1901and 1971.

Cherbourg is located in the South Burnett regionand is approximately 250 kilometres west of Brisbane.The community has a population of about 2-3,000and is managed by a locally elected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Council. A majority of community members are employed under theCommonwealth’s Indigenous employment assistanceprogram: Community Development Employment Project(CDEP). The major employer is the Community Council.

The Cherbourg community experiences considerableeconomic and social disadvantage, including domesticviolence, alcohol and substance misuse, and child abuse.The school community recognised that an interventionwas needed to address these issues. The Principal atthe time, Mr Chris Sarra—who was instrumental ininitiating the digital project—is keen to recognise thatthese social problems are not the result of Aboriginalculture; these things are the legacies of the other his-torical and sociological processes. However, a programwas needed to reinforce positive Indigenous culture,to promote literacy, technological skills, and a senseof pride and achievement for community members.

PROJECT 14STRONG & SMART DIGITAL PROJECTQUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGYWITH CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL, QLDSANDI TAYLOR

14

CHERBOURG

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 67

“It’s one thing to get the kids to school and to sit inclassrooms, but you’ve got to do more. You’ve got tochange what’s happening inside the school and I thinkthe digital project has made the school a more excitingplace to be, where kids can engage in those activities.They’re going to be excited about coming to schoolwhether that attendance incentive is there or not.”(FORMER PRINCIPAL, CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL)

KEY PROCESSES

Funds from the Telstra Foundation were used to pur-chase a digital camera and to fund components of thesalaries of the Project Manager, Coordinator and threetutors in editing, camera and sound. Combined withother funding, the principal activity for the project asa whole was to engage with 250 school children, 46 staffand 3000 community members in supporting anddeveloping further a range of digital resources to buildinformation/communication capabilities at a local level.

Community members, children and young peoplewere consulted and engaged in developing appro-priate resources that reflected their knowledge needsof their own community. Through this process, highparticipation and ownership was created and sustained.

The project strategy consisted of five elements:materials production, staff and student training, devel-opment of a digital domain, positioning the school inthe broader community, and finally, distribution andpromotion of the DVD. The goal was to produce abroad spectrum of interactive digital program content– ranging from inserts from the original ‘Strong andSmart’ DVD film (full length interviews) to newlycreated content like historical archives of Aboriginalstudies and social issues such as domestic violenceand truancy.

“If learning is contextualised, culturally relevant, andauthentic, students will become more engaged in theireducation.” (HICKLING-HUDSON AND AHLQUIST 2003, P. 88).

The development of literacy skills is a central priorityand the school aims to generate educational outcomescomparable to other schools in Queensland, while atthe same time nurturing a strong and positive senseof what it means to be Aboriginal in today’s society.The Strong and Smart Digital Project has helped addressan important aspect of literacy—digital literacy andcomputer skills—that will equip the young people whohave participated with life skills in communicationand media technologies.

“The pursuit of information and communicationtechnology excellence is something that we’ve alwaysinsisted on. I’ve always described it to our kids and ourstaff as the ‘new literacy’. And as I say to them:

‘We’ve got left behind in the old literacy and we’renot going to be left behind in this one.” (FORMER

PRINCIPAL, CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL)

OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The project successfully engaged all target groups, inparticular students from Grades 5, 6, and 7. The stu-dents acquired the skills to produce a DVD of shortfilms – which was positively received by communitymembers and revitalised cultural pride.

“The kids like being in front of the camera. Oh yes,they love it. I think the older kids got a lot out of it.One of the children that did it is my niece and she’sbeen helping me learn to use the camera. And anoth-er thing too, a lot of our children and people in thecommunity – they’re not afraid now to be filmed.”(COMMUNITY MEMBER)

Many families viewed the DVDs in their own homeenvironment with all family members. This createdstronger ties among each other and validated culturaland family histories from their own Indigenous per-spectives.

“It’s bringing back the history, you know, making itaccessible to people again. By using the DVD we cantell the truth about our history.” (SCHOOL LIAISON OFFICER)

The project provided motivation tinged with curiosityamong the student population and enabled improvedrelationships between all students and the teachingstaff. It also significantly improved students’ attendanceand participation rates. The project facilitated anintroduction to new technological concepts throughalignment and adding value to existing educationalstrategic priorities within the Cherbourg State School.

In a formal, independent evaluation of Cherbourg’sdigital project published in 2005, Dr Martin Hirstdocumented the achievements of the project againsteach of the stated aims. All the stakeholders and par-ticipants he interviewed for the evaluation were positiveabout the DVD and the ‘Strong and Smart’ vision forthe Cherbourg community. Dr Hirst (2005) writes:

“It is clear from the comments offered during myinterviews with key members of the Cherbourg com-munity that the DVD is seen as an important achieve-ment and something that the community as a wholecan feel proud of. I was constantly told anecdotal storiesof families gathering around the television to watchthe DVD and many community members commentedthat the private screenings elicited strong emotionalresponses from those who viewed it. For participants,an increase in their own self-worth—described asfeelings of ‘pride’—was a constant point emphasisedin our interviews.” (DR HIRST, INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR;

EXTRACT TAKEN FROM P. 12 OF THE REPORT)

Other key outcomes noted in the report include:—use of the DVD as a teaching aid not only in the

Cherbourg State School, but also by other educational administrators;

—use of the DVD in training Indigenous staff;—providing skills to both pupils and teachers;—improving student attendance;—improving school retention and literacy rates; —and involvement of the broader community in

life of the school.

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The creation of a ‘digital domain’ for the Cherbourgcommunity is a long-term goal. This project will assistto build the skills and infrastructure necessary for thenext phase. However, it will take a more concertedeffort from governments and educational players towork more collaboratively with the Cherbourg com-munity and the school to realise this goal and vision.The challenge in the medium term is to keep themomentum going, to keep the interest alive and fresh,and to create new dynamics and fusion with youngpeople and community members. This is possible, asthere are other relevant State Government and commu-nity initiatives planned for the Cherbourg community.At present the State Library of Queensland is establishingan Indigenous Knowledge Centre at the school. Thiscentre will ultimately strengthen and facilitate and/orpartner on existing and future information and communication technology project initiatives inCherbourg. The model of a Knowledge Centre isbased on three main functions:—a community library model;—a cultural heritage keeping place repository; and —a research and business unit.

The Community Council is supportive of the establishment of an Indigenous Knowledge Centre anda small museum in the community. Close cooperationbetween different community groups in these develop-ments will ensure alignment to strategic directionsrelating to cultural knowledge is consistent with theaims and aspirations of the Elders and communitymembers of Cherbourg.

The significant advances that have been achieved inCherbourg School, and more broadly in the communityhave created the opportunity for the establishment ofthe Institute for Indigenous Leadership andDevelopment, directed by the former Principal ofCherbourg State School, Mr Chris Sarra – an inspiringIndigenous educator who is soon to be awarded hisPhD. In particular, the personal profile that Chris Sarrahas as winner of the Queenslander of the Year 2004has translated into broader interest in the Cherbourgmodel. The Institute was established in order to meetthe growing need for identifying and communicating

culturally appropriate models of leadership forCherbourg and beyond. The Strong and Smart DigitalProject included opportunities for Cherbourg to initiatetraining groups in other Queensland communities.

Because of the wider exposure the Strong and SmartDigital Project has created for the Cherbourg community,the positive impacts of the project can be seen asinfluencing the process of reconciliation.

“Cherbourg has entered the consciousness ofQueensland... I think we’ve made a significant contribution to reconciliation because [throughthe DVD] we’ve moved the Indigenous communityof Cherbourg from being the despised ‘Other’ to a different kind of ‘Other’, one that’s more positive.”(STRONG AND SMART DIGITAL PROJECT TEAM MEMBER)

KEY LEARNINGS

Local schools in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander‘deed of grant in trust communities’ can—and do—playa pivotal role in engaging and building the capacitiesof community members. The hook is through inno-vative projects that focus on skill development ofstudents and young people.

The Strong and Smart Digital Project is linked to aphilosophy of education that is holistic, emphasisingthe connection and overlap between different ‘Western’compartmentalised disciplines, with unstructured andinformal opportunities for learning that relate to wherestudents are at. The Cherbourg State School is readyand able to tackle new technologies in the classroomand beyond – the setting is conducive to this newmedium. The project has shown that Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander people do have the solutions tobuilding capacity in their own communities as longas cultural values and perspectives underpin theapproaches. Planning needs to be done from the onsetwith the local community. Creative partnering withinthe community and external environments need to beforged. Most importantly, Aboriginal people need tobe in control of the process.

The Telstra Foundation’s inaugural funding forCherbourg has had significant flow-on effects. Giventhe success of Strong and Smart Digital Project and themodel of Indigenous leadership provided by Chris Sarra,Cherbourg has been successful in attracting furtherphilanthropic funding. The importance to the commu-nity of having a role model of a successful young Murrimale should not be underestimated.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT

THE STRONG AND SMART DIGITAL PROJECT

CONTACT MARK NEWMAN, PROJECT COORDINATOR, EDUCATION

FACULTY, KELVIN GROVE, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

PH (07) 3864 5558

EMAIL M.NEWMAN@QUT.EDU.AU

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 68

CHERBOURG STATE SCHOOL: STRONG AND SMART DIGITAL PROJECT

There were a number of key learnings that emergedfor the local communities, their leaders, and the eval-uation team. These are identified in each of the projectnarratives, and are summarised briefly here. Thesekey messages emerging from the project evaluationswill assist the Telstra Foundation in its goal to supportcommunity organisations with their research and eval-uation capacity, and to enhance the accountability of theTelstra Foundation to its various stakeholders by meas-uring the impact and effectiveness of its grants. Theyalso have implications for future program developmentand implementation, not only by Telstra Foundation,but other philanthropic bodies, government bodies,businesses or community development agencies.

TRUST

It takes time to build relationships. Project workerswho come in from outside the community need tospend time in the community to get to know the localpeople and how their community operates. This isimportant not only in building trust, but also in beingable to tailor a program to meet the specific needs ofthe community. A critical aspect of building trust is toidentify community brokers – key people in the com-munity who are aware of the importance of the project,perhaps know of the project worker’s credentialselsewhere, and who can ‘vouch’ for the program andthe individuals involved.

But trust goes both ways: it is not only about tryingto foster the trust of Indigenous communities, butabout funding bodies and project workers also trustingthe local community. This means having good rela-tionships with Elders and other key players, takingthe time to communicate, explain, allay fears, and thento trust that communities not only understand besttheir problems, but also are the ones who can beempowered to identify and work with solutions.

Trust needs to exist between the funding body, theprojects, and the communities. It needs to be a close-ly -knit triangle for community development projectsto work effectively and be responsive to local conditionsand local needs. This involves listening to—and respect-ing—the vision of local Indigenous communities, butalso having patience. Lasting change doesn’t happenovernight.

One project coordinator said:“It is great that companies like Telstra are actually

interested in these community programs. It’s definitelyneeded in this town – or any town, but it has definitelymade a difference and I think that’s the bottom lineisn’t it?”

FLEXIBILITY

One overall learning that emerged from the evaluationswas that the boundaries do blur between many of thecommunity development activities in which localorganisations are engaged. Many of the projects fund-ed under the Telstra Foundation scheme were locat-ed in organisations that were busy, often on a rangeof programs and projects.

“The network has been running a range of programsand services for the community over the past ten years.So it was easy to get the project up and runningbecause we’ve done it before.”

Using established community networks as a platformto establish new services means that you enjoy thebenefits of ‘economies of scale’, as long as you under-stand that programs often become intertwined. Fundingbodies need to build in flexibility to their objectivesand the deliverables they require, and value the typeof integration between services that naturally occurswhen services organically develop within the contextof a local organisation working in the community andresponding to its needs.

For example, a number of agencies were providinga broad range of services for children, and it wassometimes hard to delineate which parts of the projectswere strictly falling within the funding arrangements,and which ones were not. The important message isthat it should not be important. If project funding canadd value to existing projects, and this leads to tangibleoutcomes for the community, then it has met the overallobjectives of the funding scheme. The beauty ofphilanthropy is that projects do not necessarily haveto be as tied to pre-determined deliverables as somegovernment-funded schemes. The flexibility of aphilanthropic trust should be employed to its fulladvantage to add value to such community activities.

THE VALUE OF PHILANTHROPYMESSAGES FROM THE PROJECTSDARYL HIGGINS

LEVERAGE

Related to the issue of flexibility is the ability to usefunds to leverage further investment in the community.This can be literally leveraging additional funds, orutilising the changes brought about by a small programto introduce systemic change in communities. A primeexample of this is working with schools. Small changesin curriculum or support programs not only can makelife changes for individuals; they build a sustainablebase for ongoing changes in the community, as eachnew cohort of students move through the school system. These can be crucial early steps towards thebroader goal of reconciliaton.

We saw examples of how the Telstra Foundationfunding has credentialed projects to get more capacityand set them up well to get funding from otherfunding schemes, such as the Australian YouthFoundation.

We saw significant evidence of how project fundingfrom the Telstra Foundation meant existing projectscould be expanded or continued, how a funded-projectled to the establishment of a new project, or howseeding funds led to the procurement of additionalfunding from other sources.

INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP

The need to build a connection to their culture forIndigenous young people was a key element in mostof the projects. This involves identifying potential lead-ers in the young people who can take on the role oflearning, fostering, respecting and communicating theirculture to their own generation – and into the future.

Leadership is a two-edged sword: it is importantto identify and use community leaders to bringabout change; however, too many demands caneasily be placed on key individuals. There is muchtruth to the old adage: “If you want a job done, give itto someone who is busy”. Many projects were beingsupported by—or implemented by—key leaders intheir local communities. Burnout needs to be avoidedby expanding the leadership base.

The good practices, significant developments andopportunities for leverage described in these 14 proj-ects are due in no small part to the key Indigenousleaders who are exemplified here. In particular, there

is evidence that many of the needs would not havebeen identified—nor the projects developed—withoutthe leadership of inspiring, hard working and skilledIndigenous people. This is true not only for those keypeople responsible for developing the projects, or liaisingwith communities, but also for the many Indigenousworkers and members of the local communities whoassisted with implementation at each stage of theproject. By relying on leadership from within localIndigenous communities, many of the issues identifiedhere as critical success factors—trust, flexibility, lever-age and building sustainability—were incorporatedinto the project.

The key message that emerges from these projectsis that community development activities need to buildleadership in the next generation. Intergenerationalcommunication and skill-transfer is important. Thisis crucial for sharing the load, and for ensuring sus-tainability. Many of the projects utilised principles ofintergenerational transfer – exposing young people tothe ideas and experiences of Elders, project coordina-tors and other leaders.

But leadership is not just something demonstrated atthe community level. It is also something that needsto be fostered within individuals. Each person can beencouraged to show initiative, and to take leadershipof their own life, their family, and the areas within theircommunity where they can have influence. Importantmechanisms for this are building cultural pride, self-esteem, and self-determination. This is done throughprojects that focus on youth engagement and youthparticipation: fostering different models of leadershipand different styles of communication.

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 71

BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY

Finally, a crosscutting theme was the importance of sustainability. “Sustainability is a key issue forIndigenous communities” (Dodson 2002, p. 25).Many Indigenous communities are hurting from hav-ing their hopes raised that good things will happen,only to have funding dry up, programs peter out, andchanges come to a standstill. One of the key criteriafor funding projects was that they had the capacity forsustainability. In working with the communities, oneof the goals of the evaluation team was to assist com-munities in reflecting on—and documenting—howtheir projects were able to build in elements of sus-tainability.

In order to ensure a broad impact, the evaluationstrategy also focused on working with projects to helpthem document their capacity for modelling a newapproach for wider application. Yes, many projectswould like ongoing funding. And many deserve ongo-ing funding. But the critical issue is that lasting resourceshave been developed. One critical mechanism forensuring sustained community change was to targetschools: either to locate the program in the school,or to work cooperatively with schools to support theprogram. Educational resources, curriculum enhance-ments, economically self-sustaining youth groups, work-er education kits, teacher guides, networks, archivesand relationships are all critical outcomes that ensurethe sustainability of the excellent work that we wit-nessed in the communities across the country.

Building sustainability is important if we are toturn around the poor social indicators highlightedearlier. As one project worker noted:

“Philanthropic trusts – and any entity looking attriple bottom line or wanting to repay social dividends– need to be involved. They will want a workforcethat otherwise won’t be there. If only 2% of the Aboriginalpopulation can be in the workforce, we have a problem!It may not affect people in Canberra and Melbourneyet, but its big time here!”

Resources or training packages will need to continueto be revised and/or amended to suit the learning needsof the target audience. But the most critical mechanismfor ensuring sustainability is whole-of-communityinvolvement, utilisation of local knowledge, local

resources and local personnel, and adopting a holisticapproach to planning and development of projects inorder to guarantee ownership.

Philanthropy can play an important role in assistingIndigenous communities to develop and change.However, Dodson (2002) also noted the value—inreturn—of Indigenous partnerships to philanthropicorganisations and businesses involved in philanthro-py. It provides opportunities for meaningful relation-ships with Indigenous Australia, opportunities to initi-ate cultural awareness training for staff, and to breakdown perceptions among Indigenous Australians ofthe corporate world being the “other”. He writes:

“If together we can build the capacity of Indigenouspeople to move from a position of impoverishmentto one of prosperity; if together we can help Indigenouspeople to participate fully in the social, political andeconomic activities of our nation; and if, together, we can do all of this without compromising Indigenouscultures and identities – that will be cause for celebration.” (DODSON 2002, P. 25).

TELSTRA FOUNDATION RESEARCH REPORT SECTION THREE | PAGE 72

CDEP – COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EMPLOYMENT PROJECT.

CDEP is the Australian Government’s Indigenousemployment assistance program. A major employerin the CDEP scheme is often the local communitycouncil.COMMUNITY – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople live in rural and remote communities, provincialand regional towns, and urban /metropolitan areas.ELDER – A respected person within the specificIndigenous community is termed an Elder. Eldersare turned to for advice – both by their own commu-nities, and by non-Indigenous people wishing toconsult with and engage with local communities.MISSIONS – The term mission is usually used to describeformer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reserves,which were administered by either the goverment ora religous organisation. In Queensland, many ‘Deedof Grant in Trust’ (DOGIT) communities historicallywere missions and government-controlled reserves(1986 Act in Qld). Many other state and territorygovernments have changed the status of missions orreserves in each jurisdiction.

INDIGENOUS – This is an internationally recognised wordreferring to the native/historic inhabitants of a landthat has been subjected to invasion or colonisation byanother ethnic group. Many of the native/historicinhabitants of Australia prior to European colonisationprefer not to use the word “Indigenous”, but either“Aboriginal” or “Torres Strait Islander”, or a genericterms for people from their area. In this report, the term‘Indigenous’ will be used interchangeably with the terms‘Aboriginal, or ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’.When talking about Indigenous people in a particularlocal context, the appropriate word for people thatregion may also be used.KOORIE (OR KOORI) – the generic word for Indigenouspeople from southeast Australia (mainly Victoria andNew South Wales).MURRI – the generic word for Indigenous people inmost of Queensland, except Cape York where ‘Bama’is used.BAMA – the generic word for Indigenous people fromCape York region.NYUNGAR (OR NUNGAH, NYOONGA, NOONGA) – the genericword for Indigenous people from Western Australia.NUNGA – the generic word for Indigenous people fromSouth Australia.ANANGU is used to identify the Pitjantjatjara andYankuntjatjara people of Central Australia.

SUGGESTED CITATION METHOD FOR THE WHOLE REPORT:

Higgins, D. J. (Ed.) (2005), Indigenous Community Development

Projects: Early Learnings Research Report, Vol. 2.

Telstra Foundation, Melbourne.

FOR AN INDIVIDUAL SECTION:

Burchill, M. L. & Higgins, D. J. (2005), “Indigenous community

development,” in D. J. Higgins (Ed.), Indigenous Community

Development Projects: Early Learnings Research Report, Vol. 2

(pp. 4–15). Telstra Foundation, Melbourne.

Taylor, S. (2005), “Torres Strait Paediatric Asthma Education”.

In D. J. Higgins (Ed.), Indigenous Community Development

Projects: Early Learnings Research Report, Vol. 2

(pp. 18–20). Telstra Foundation, Melbourne.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (ABS) (2003), The healthand welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples, Australian Government Press, Canberra.AIHW (2001), The health and welfare of Australia’sAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. ALFORD, K. (2002), Shepparton Regional IndigenousCommunity Employment and Development Strategies: A report to the Koori Economic Employment and TrainingAgency, University of Melbourne, Melbourne. ANDERSON, A. (2002), “‘Our reality’: Why and howIndigenous communities relate to the non-Indigenousworld”, Journal of Indigenous Policy, no. 2, pp. 34-36.ATKINSON, J. (2002), Trauma trails, recreating song lines: the transgenerational effects of trauma in IndigenousAustralia, Spinifex Press, North Melbourne.BURCHILL, M. (2004), “Enough talking – more walking –achieving deadly outcomes”, Stronger FamiliesLearning Exchange Bulletin, no. 6, pp. 6-9.CADD, M. (2002), “Working with Indigenous Children andFamilies: What do services need to know to provideeffective support to protect Indigenous children, pro-vide care and strengthen Indigenous Communities”,Paper presented at What Works? Evidence BasedPractice in Child & Family Services Conference, Sydney. CHAPMAN, M. (2002), “History of government policies andeffect on Indigenous communities: Practical reconcil-iation”, Journal of Indigenous Policy, no. 2, pp. 26-33.DODSON, M. (2002), “Partnerships – a one way street?Partnerships between Indigenous Australia and thephilanthropic and corporate community”, Journal ofIndigenous Policy, no. 2, pp. 22-25.DUFFIE, J. & ROGERS, R. (2002), “The Community PartnershipsProject: working towards comprehensive coordinatedearly childhood service systems”, in Early ChildhoodMatters Conference–Starting Strong–making themost of the first eight years, Melbourne, VictorianDepartment of Human Services. Available athttp://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/earlychildhoodmatters/docs/conference_papers/session49_duffie_%20Rogers.pdf

GRAY, M. & ALTMAN, J. (2005), “The CDEP scheme:A flexible and innovative employment and communitydevelopment program for Indigenous Australians”, Paperpresented at Transitions and risk: New directions insocial policy, 25-27 February. Available at www.public-policy.unimelb.edu.au/conference2005/Gra1.pdf HICKLING-HUDSON, A. & AHLQUIST, R. (2003), “Contesting the curriculum in the schooling of Indigenous children inAustralia and the United States: From Eurocentrismto culturally powerful pedagogies”, ComparativeEducation Review, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 64-89.HIGGINS, D. J., KING, R. M. & WITTHAUS, D. E. (2001), “Pride andprejudice: Facilitating change in the attitudes of studentstoward gay men and lesbians”, Health PromotionJournal of Australia, vol. 12, pp. 238-241.HIRST, M. (2005), Towards a Digital Dreamtime: An Independent Evaluation of the Cherbourg DigitalProject. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane.LOUDEN, W. & MARSH, M. (2004), Evaluation of the SwanNyungar Sport Education Project (SNSEP): Final Report,Institute for the Service Professionals, Edith CowanUniversity, Perth. NATIONAL CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH LAW CENTRE AND

DEFENCE FOR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALIA) (2005),

The non -government report on the implementation ofthe United Nations Convention on the rights of the childin Australia, Author. O’DONOGHUE, L. (2000), “Aboriginal health: Can leader-ship and innovation make a difference? Part 1”, AustralianFamily Physician, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 722-724.PEARSON, N. (2001), A nanny state won’t liberateAborigines, The Age (Opinion), p. 18. PERKINS, C. (1990), “Welfare and Aboriginal people inAustralia: Time for a new direction”, Paper presentedat The Fifth Archibald Memorial Lecture, 8thOctober, Armidale. SAM, M. (1992), Through black eyes: A handbook of familyviolence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander com-munities, Secretariat National Aboriginal Islander ChildCare (SNAICC), Melbourne.SHERWOOD, J. (1999), “What is community develop-ment?” Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal,vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 7-8.

REFERENCES

INDIGENOUS RESEARCHERS:

MARLENE BURCHILL, BSW, DIP.FAM.THERAPY, MA (SOCIAL WORK)

Marlene Burchill is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Werongwoman from central Victoria. She completed her Masterof Social Work on Healthy Workplace Practices inIndigenous family preservation programs in 2003.Marlene has worked as a social worker and trainedFamily Therapist. Her roles included managing the BurriFamily Preservation and Extended Care Programs runby the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative (Dec 1997- Jan 2001), and as a counsellor at the GoulburnValley Community Health Service. Marlene workedfor the Australian Institute of Family Studies from2004-5 where she was responsible for working withlocal family support and community development proj-ects around Australia to support their action researchactivities, and to assist with evaluation of these projects.

LEANNE RAMSAMY, BA (HEALTH PROMOTION)

Leanne Ramsamy is a Kukaji, Western Yulungi andWalkerman woman from the Gulf and Western CapeYork Peninsula areas. She has over 15 years experiencein management and consultancy services to Aboriginal-controlled health services. She has held governmentpositions in health policy and planning, health promotionand community development. Leanne has excellentskills in networking, facilitating and report writing,having worked as a consultant with many organisa-tions working with rural and remote Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander communities. She has extensiveexperience in conducting community consultationsand organisational reviews.

SANDI TAYLOR, ASSOC.DIP. CHILD CARE

Sandi Taylor is a Kalkadoon, Ngnwun and Yirandaliwoman from northwest Queensland. Over a twenty-year period, Sandi has contributing to the developmentand enhancement of key service provision primarilyfor Indigenous Peoples which is owned, driven andsustained by Indigenous people and their communities.She has extensive experience in service provision in

such areas as Women’s Services – Domestic Violenceand Legal Advocacy, Health Training, Employment andEducation, Youth Services and more recently facilitatingaccess and equity to library and information serviceson a statewide basis. Within Queensland, she hasworked across a range of Indigenous community-controlled organisations and within dedicated andmainstream units within government departmentsat state and regional levels. Sandi has an extensivein-depth of knowledge and experience in communitydevelopment and planning processes from anIndigenous perspective.

NON-INDIGENOUS RESEARCHERS:

DARYL HIGGINS, BA (HONS), GRAD.DIP.PAST.COUNSL., PHD, MAPS

Dr Higgins joined the Australian Institute of FamilyStudies to manage the National Child ProtectionClearinghouse in 2004, after having been a SeniorLecturer in the School of Psychology at DeakinUniversity. He is a Registered Psychologist and has beenresearching in the field of child and family wellbeing,family functioning and child abuse and neglect forover 12 years. Daryl has been the recipient of a num-ber of research grants and has more than 20 articlespublished in peer-review journals. He has given morethan 60 invited addresses, or presented papers atnational and international conferences.

LEAH BROMFIELD, B.APP.SCI (HONS)

Leah Bromfield joined the Australian Institute of FamilyStudies in September 2004 as a Senior Research Officerfor the National Child Protection Clearinghouse. Shehas recently submitted her PhD on the topic of chronicchild maltreatment in statutory child protection serv-ices. Prior to her appointment at the Institute, Leahwas Research Coordinator at Barwon Health PaediatricAdolescent Support Service where she undertookresearch in the area of paediatric psychology. Since herappointment she has been involved in various com-missioned research reports, including out-of-home careissues for Indigenous communities.

LEFT TO RIGHT DARYL HIGGINS, LEANNE RAMSAMY,

MARLENE BURCHILL, SANDI TAYLOR (ABSENT LEAH BROMFIELD)

PROFILE OF CONTRIBUTORS

LOCKED BAG 5680 MELBOURNE 3001 PHONE 1800 208 378 WWW.TELSTRAFOUNDATION.COM

MAKING A POSITIVE ANDLASTING DIFFERENCE TOTHE LIVES OF AUSTRALIANCHILDREN AND YOUNGPEOPLE