Throughout my placement at ISV, I have had the privilege of listening to and learning from practitioners across a range of fields. This internship opened my eyes to the true power of community, and how often the voice of community is drowned out by large voices that have (maybe) too much say in a space they have never visited.
While attending the AbSec CAFs learning series, hosted by Coordinator for Cultural Programs John Byrne (AbSec) and Trainer Dane Callaghan (AbSec), I reflected on the message they were educating on: Working with First Australian Families and Communities.
John spoke of history, of the over 60,000 years of Indigenous knowledge, and of First Nations people who cared for and continue to care for the lands, waterways, and all ecosystems. John emphasised fundamental elements of Aboriginal cultures, such as the story of Tiddalik the frog, ensuring you only take what you need from the environment, and leaving what you do not.
He spoke about the importance of collectivist culture, where knowledge and responsibility are shared across family and community. John reflected on how Aboriginal children have traditionally learnt through relationships, observation and lived experience within community, rather than through the more individualised and institutional models often associated with Western education. Both Dane and John reflected on the need for practitioners working with Aboriginal families to understand the history that shapes their interactions with services, recognise the power they themselves hold within professional systems, and resist assuming that professional expertise should take precedence over community knowledge. This means understanding your own positionality, and allowing families and communities to lead decisions about what they need.
Decolonising practice is about listening to and learning from Aboriginal people, services and communities. Listening is a powerful tool, and as a practitioner, I believe an important part of our work is reflecting on who we are listening to. It means meaningfully acknowledging our own biases, listening to community knowledge, and putting what we learn into practice.
Another powerful reflection came from attending the CAFS Learning Series session Working with Diverse Communities, presented by Dina Petrakis, CEO of Ethnic Community Services. The session focused on working with families who have migrated to Australia, and again highlighted the power of listening.
A key theme was the importance of working alongside community with curiosity and respect. Practitioners can sometimes make assumptions about where people are coming from, what their experiences might be, or rely on others to guide them towards the “right” approach. Instead, Dina encouraged us to focus on the people in front of us, the people who want to be heard, and the communities we are working alongside.
Dina emphasised that safety, inclusion and respect are central to culturally responsive practice, and that practitioners should recognise and build on the history, knowledge and strengths within different cultural practices and communities.
A few questions I will leave you with from this article is;
- How do you show up for people from culturally diverse backgrounds every day, not just days of significance?
- Where is the language you are using coming from?
- How do you build trust?
- Who are you listening to?