Many of those who attended found the conference both powerful and moving. So much so that we though it would be valuable to review some of the lessons for an SFN session. Even those of us who don't work directly with Aboriginal communities, discovered precious insights that are relevant to our own practices.
The conference also launched "Towards an indigenous-informed facilitation practice: Questions we can ask ourselves as facilitators with and between cultures. The questions were an AFN inspired project, three years in the making, and will be used, as part of this session, to explore cross-cultural facilitation.
The session will be led by Charlie Trindall and Regan Jensen, indigenous facilitators who are Sydney based. The are uspported by a small group of conference attendees - Ian Colley, Kingsley Nowell, Kate Scholl, Hedy Bryant and Donna Bevan.
About the Facilitators
Charlie is a Gamilaroi man from north western NSW and works in Healing and Reparations Directorate in the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
As NSW is the only state in Australia to have healing as part of their Aboriginal Affairs strategy, Charlie's role is to work with the Healing Foundation to coordinate facilitated discussion forums on healing between Government, NGO's and Aboriginal communities.
Charlie has a long interest in the area of facilitation since learning ToP methods with members of the Institute of Cultural Affairs.
He has continued to broaden his facilitation training, interest and skills over the years in a diverse ranges of area including government meetings, community discussions, song writing workshops, cultural awareness workshops and martial arts training.
Regan is a Larrakian woman who grew up in the Inner West and Western suburbs of NSW. Larrakia Nation is based in Darwin, Northern Territory. Regan is currently with the Department of Industry, working to increase Aboriginal participation in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Regan is very passionate about facilitating specifically focusing on increasing mental health literacy of communities through the delivery of Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid.
INDIGENOUS-INFORMED PRACTICE
“How can the AFN develop an indigenous-informed practice?”
This was the challenge laid down by Carol Vale, an Indigenous facilitator, at the AFN conference in 2014 in Alice Springs.
It began a series of discussions out of which a set of questions was developed. These questions were introduced at the 2016 AFN conference held at Whaingaroa, New Zealand, and published in time for the 2017 AFN conference held on the traditional lands of the Dharawal people at Stanwell Tops in New South Wales, Australia.
They are provided here for the benefit of all facilitators working with and between cultures in Australia and New Zealand.
Towards an indigenous-informed facilitation practice:
Questions we can ask ourselves as facilitators working with and between cultures.
Download PDF A5backed Brochure format
Download PDFA1 Poster format
Venue: [We will be at UTS]
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Jones Street, Ultimo corner Thomas Street. Room 5.580 Level 5, Building 10, Take the lift to level 5, cross the atrium footbridge, walk straight ahead to room 580.
Time:
From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up | Donation $5
Enquiries | Eoin Higgins eoin.p.higgins@gmail.com ; 0407 411 684
Call for Guest Facilitators:
If you have an idea or know someone who has an idea for a session at a Facilitators Network meeting in please contact Eoin Higgins 0407 411 684 eoin.p.higgins@gmail.com
