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Why we need a Reconciliation Action Plan

Bendigo & District Aboriginal Cooperative Smoking Ceremony at Malmsbury Camp

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Taylah Jones and I am a proud Palawa women. I am currently in my final year of my Bachelor of Arts at Melbourne University majoring in Criminology and Sociology. I have been a part of the Doxa family going on five years now. First as a cadet and now I’m also an employee in the Partnerships & Corporate Affairs team, working on Doxa’s Reconciliation Action Plan or RAP. 

“In this time, I have seen and experienced the amazing work that Doxa does for young people in our community, and now I am proud to say that we are working towards reconciliation with the community in the development of our first ever RAP.”

What is a RAP?

A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. There are four different types of RAP; Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Even though we are still in the developmental stages our first RAP, Reconciliation Australia has advised us to move from a ‘reflect’ RAP to an ‘innovate’ RAP. Although this may seem like a small feat it is cause for celebration. This advancement marks Doxa’s first accomplishment in reconciliation. We have observed and evaluated our level of cultural competency and have acknowledged that significant work needs to be done at Doxa to welcome more ATSI staff and program participants, increase our collective knowledge and to push for reconciliation within our sphere of influence.

Program Participants at our Malmsbury camp

Why do we need a RAP?

In the five years that I have been with Doxa I have been able to experience both sides of the company, as both a program participant and an employee. Being the first Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Program participant, and one of the only current Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees I have felt relatively alone at Doxa.

“With no representation and little understanding of my culture, I will be honest and say that at times I have found it tough to find that sense of belonging that some of my peers have benefited from.”

I acknowledge that some gestures have been made at Doxa to change this but it’s important that these are done with good intention and genuine commitment to reconciliation and are not merely tokenistic. Tokenism is something we see a lot of in society and it’s not helpful. That’s why we need a RAP. By committing to a RAP, Doxa is committing to becoming an environment where Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young peoples feel welcome, safe and valued, with our culture recognised, understood and celebrated. And that’s a really important place to be.

Doxa is working towards ensuring that Indigenous young peoples feel safe and supported

Our journey so far

While our RAP is still in the developmental stages, it has already had an immense impact upon the organisation. We have been able to implement changes and raise awareness about not only Doxa’s but our staff and participants cultural . Cultural awareness training for all staff has been booked and has already started the conversations around reconciliation. Staff have also stated that they have been engaging in conversations and activities with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples outside of work.

“While this may not seem like much, a conversation is where true reconciliation must begin.”

In creating and committing to a RAP Doxa has taken that first step towards reconciliation. Now, our journey is well underway and those first few steps have started us on our march, with each step paving the way for others to follow.

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A Journey to Geneva: Representing Australia

If you don’t yet know Arif Hazara, then it’s time to bring you up to speed. He’s one of our Cadets, and he’s pretty amazing. Oh, and he was just selected as a youth delegate to represent Australia in the UNHCR’s negotations with NGOs in Geneva.

Arif is not just a Doxa Cadet and a student at RMIT but he is also working as Assistant Accountant at Dennis Family Corporation. Outside of the world of work, he is a powerful voice for Hazaras, refugees and asylum seekers in the Melbourne community and more recently, the international stage. We caught up with him to find out more about his experience in Geneva, and here’s what he had to say:

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UNHCR NGOs consultations

Attending Global Refugee Youth Conference (GRYC) and the Annual UNHCR NGOs consultations as youth delegate was an incredible learning experience. It was an opportunity for me to be the voice for many, realise my passion and make a positive contribution at a global level. Before leaving for Geneva I had been part of nation-wide consultations with young people in Australia. It provided the foundation for our team’s advocacy work at Geneva. I was honoured to represent young refugees and asylum seekers from the Asia-Pacific region, to make sure their inspiring stories are told and concerns heard.

“Representing young refugees was an absolute privilege. I had the opportunity to embrace challenges and push my boundaries.”

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Global Refugee Youth Conference

As we touched the ground in Geneva and the six jam-packed days began to unfold we stretched ourselves accordingly. It was inspiring, challenging and hectic. First on the agenda was the GRYC in which nearly 30 youth delegates had come to participate followed by Annual NGO Consultations and finally UNHCR Standing Committee meetings.

I co-presented the regional priority challenge, facilitated and was panelist at different thematic sessions – emphasizing on the need to acknowledge expertise of young people and providing them dedicated space (through policy making, provision of resource and structural organisational change) so that they can continue to thrive and make a difference.

“It was challenging but I realised that I could be influential.”

The Closing Plenary

For me, the highlight was delivering the closing remarks at the closing plenary of the consultations – I didn’t expect to ever experience sitting before a very large audience as I waited for my turn to speak – expectations were high and pressure mounting. During the speech I had become so emotional that I went numb for few minutes after having delivered it. I originate from a country where persecution and systematic discrimination against my community – Hazara people – is rife, where our voices are suppressed, where advocating for the vulnerable means risking your own life. It was a very big moment for me and it made me realise how far I have come.

“Five years ago, we had to sleep rough outside UNHCR office in order to be able to meet someone next morning, five years on, I was meeting their deputy director to advocate for the rights of young refugees in Geneva. It was an emotional encounter”

The Power Of Youth

Overall, the Geneva trip was an enriching experience; it was challenging and enabled me to stretch my capacity and explore the hidden “me”. It was inspiring to see talented young refugees from various parts of the world come together, share life-changing work they do and influence decision makers – I was grateful to have been one and amongst them. It was for the first time that the focus of such conversations had been “youth” which all youth delegates proved through their active participation why this should continue to be. This is the power of youth.

Find out more about Arif in his digital storytelling episode “Stories of Greatness: Arif Hazara”

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Exploring Kakadu with young Indigenous crew

Our City Camp Manager, Dave Ciavarella, was recently invited to assist on an expedition with young Indigenous people from the Northern Territory as part of the Foundation of Young Australian’s IMPACT program. 

Needless to say, we were delighted to be asked to be part of the expedition in July 2016. IMPACT is a three-year social action and leadership program for young Indigenous people studying Years 10-12 in secondary school with a focus of empowering, building skills and fostering a connection to community, country and culture.

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Group watching sunset from Ubirr Lookout, NT

A shared vision

The IMPACT program, much like our Cadetship program, is designed to equip young people with the skills, competencies and confidence to complete Year 12 or equivalent and gain meaningful employment.

Participants engage through monthly workshops, weekend retreats and week-long residentials that focus on skill development, individual and collective growth, strengthening cultural identity and building community networks. Sounds awesome, right?

We thought so, so it made sense for our organisations to join forces and achieve our shared goals and visions for young people.

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View from Nourlangie Rock, NT

Building leadership skills

The project is designed to develop young people’s leadership potential, self-management and team work skills. Students unlocked their personal intentions and challenges over the course of the expedition, learning about themselves and their team mates in the process. They also had an opportunity to support and push their cohort peers to finish the trek, enduring heat and physical exhaustion and overcoming these adversities in order to achieve personal goals. Amazing and powerful stuff, straight up.

Connecting to country

During the 4-day and 11km adventure trek, the expedition took the crew through Litchfield National Park and Kakadu National Park, starting from Walker Creek and heading out to Florence Falls. As well as providing a physical and mental challenge, the expedition provided a special time for young people to re-connect to country. How incredible does it look!?

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View from banks during Guluyambi boat cruise, NT

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Florence Falls, NT

The journey took the group of young people through some stunning scenery, natural wonders, as well as a guided boat tour along a croc infested river (!) of the Guluyambi River. Talk about immersing yourself in the wildness of the land.

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Crocodile resting on the bank during Guluyambi Boat Cruise, NT

Strengthening cultural identity

The following day, the students hiked up Nourlangie Rock with the help of a Kakadu ranger who spoke about the art, language, story and Indigenous knowledge of this particular meeting place. This allowed students to connect to their cultural identity and explore what culture means to them in an authentic way.

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View from Nourlangie Rock, NT

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View from Ubirr Lookout, NT

Importantly, the expedition was a place to discuss and share our very diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture as we value learning and connection with each other.

Many thanks to FYA and the amazing young people who invited us to participate in the journey.

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Empowering, Connecting, Creating Positive Change

Our friends at The Big Issue are in party mode for the organisation’s 20 year anniversary. So we thought it was time we shared the story of our relationship with The Big Issue Classroom, and the ways we work together with young people in the community.

What do we have in common?

Well, we both work with people from challenging life circumstances and we’re both all for creating positive change for people and the community.  But it runs deeper than that – empowerment and connection are at the heart of both organisations’ work, as we discovered when we went to a Big Issue Classroom session at the Centre of Adult Education with a group of young people on City Camp from Warburton Primary School last week.

The Big Issue Classroom – guest speaker with Danya Sterling

The Big Issue Classroom experience

What’s it all about? The Big Issue Classroom educates young people about homelessness, disadvantage and the challenges facing society. The workshops include activities, talks and insights from a guest speaker, who shares their first-hand experience with these issues. The speakers’ stories help break down stereotypes and promote greater understanding among the student groups according to Danya Sterling, Manager of Education Enterprises at The Big Issue.

In the classroom, things like marginalisation, the importance of work and community were addressed along with exploring the stereotypes, preconceptions and misconceptions associated with homelessness.

A central exercise of the Big Issue Classroom was building a tower block from blocks labelled with essential elements required for a happy life – things like education, family, employment, home. In doing this, young people soon realised the importance of these elements and the detrimental effects of removing one of these blocks, metaphorically and literally.

Empowerment & Connectedness

These are two powerful words. And two powerful concepts that run through the core values of both Doxa and The Big Issue Classroom.

Connecting to the community and empowering individuals to facilitate change in their own lives are both hugely important. We see it at Doxa all the time across our programs portfolios of positive life experiences, education opportunities and employment pathways. Much of the focus of our work is empowering young people who are experiencing challenging life circumstances, supporting them and providing them with the opportunity to develop personal and professional skills to get them into meaningful employment.

As part of the Big Issue Classroom we also met Shane, who experienced a long period of homelessness after his father passed away ten years ago, sending him into a spiral of disillusionment, despair and isolation. By hearing his story first hand, the young people from Warburton Primary were able to connect with the ideas and link the concepts explored so far.

Danya elaborates on this, explaining that by sharing their own stories of making positive changes in their lives, the guest speakers show student groups what is possible. She adds that it’s important for young people to recognise the value of a support network and realise it’s OK to ask for help when they need it.

Creating positive change

Once again, this is a key concept for us at Doxa – our programs are aimed at inspiring and creating positive change first in individual’s life and then facilitating a cascading effect across the wider community.

We spoke to two  young people from Warburton Primary School about their thoughts and how they would like to help address homelessness in their communities. As they found, by attending a Doxa City Camp and participating in the Big Issue Classroom experience, they gained a better perspective on social issues, community and wellbeing.

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Jasmine from Warburton Primary School on a Doxa City Camp

Jasmine, aged 12:

I learned that almost half of homeless people are women and 1 in 5 are primary school age or younger. I feel that we should do a lot more to help. I feel sad whenever I pass homeless people as I wish they had a home. Everyone deserves that.

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Dylan from Warburton Primary School on a Doxa City Camp

Dylan, aged 12:

I learned that there are 105,000 people homeless in Australia every night and just how important it is to stay happy. I wish the homeless weren’t in that position. I wish they had better lives. The Big Issue Classroom has given me a lot of perspective on homeless people. If I could help, I would give them money, food, water but most importantly a home.

The Big Issue are celebrating their 20 year anniversary this year! Find out more about that here.
And finally – huge thanks to Nicole and Danya at the Big Issue and staff and students at Warburton Primary School.

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What’s NAIDOC Week all about?

Our office just returned from the flag raising ceremony that marks the beginning of NAIDOC week. My news feed is flooded with “Happy NAIDOC,” and cute photos about events. Maybe yours is too or you’ve noticed a few flags flying and you’re not sure what the deal is so I thought it would be useful to break it down.

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History of NAIDOC Week 

  • Indigenous leader William Ferguson first organised a Day of Mourning on the 26th of January 1938, the 150th anniversary of the First Fleet landing.
  • In 1940, this day was moved the Sunday before every 26 January and became known as the National Aborigines Day.
  • This was up until 1955 when this day was moved to the first Sunday in July. This decision was to make this day about the celebration of Aboriginal culture rather than a protest.
  • In 1956 a coalition of churches, government bodies and Aboriginal people supported the formation of the National Aboriginal Day Observance Committee.
  • In the 1970’s it was decided by the Committee to make this a week long affair.
  • In 1991, this was changed to National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee to include Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NAIDOC Week Today

There is something for everyone during NAIDOC week, from ritzy events like balls and exhibition openings, to things like family fun days and Elders brekkies, and marches to honour the protest roots of the week.

As an Aboriginal person I take it as an opportunity to catch up with mob I haven’t seen in a while and participate in as many activities as I can. I also take it as an opportunity to reflect on my family’s history, for example what activities did my great-grandmother participate in the 1940’s?

Mr and Miss NAIDOC 2016, NAIDOC Patron Robert Thorpe, Mayor Rober Doyle and Elders. Photo credit: Koorie Heritage Trust: https://www.facebook.com/koorieheritagetrust/

Mr and Miss NAIDOC 2016 (Jordan Kamara Edwards and Merinda Dryden), NAIDOC Patron Robert Thorpe, Mayor Robert Doyle and Elders.
Photo credit: Koorie Heritage Trust: https://www.facebook.com/koorieheritagetrust/

How can I get around it?

  • Ask your school, university, work or local council if they have any events on.
  • Check out naidoc.org.au and www.facebook.com/vicnaidoc | www.vicnaidoc.com for more information.
  • Acknowledging and celebration Aboriginal and Torres Strait doesn’t just have to happen this week and there are plenty of things you can do throughout the year!
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Flag raising ceremony at Federation Square, Monday 4th July 2016 for NAIDOC Week 2016

Author: Nayuka Gorrie, Indigenous Programming & Partnerships Manager

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Journey Program: A shared experience

This week is Refugee Week and we have been celebrating the young people from a refugee background who we support through our programs.  

We recently ran a Journey Program with a fantastic group of newly arrived / migrant young people from the Western English Language School, many of whom are from a refugee background.

A sense of belonging

Imagine you are newly arrived to Australia. You’ve undergone displacement from your homeland, tremendous upheaval, possible bereavement and varying degrees of trauma in the process. You arrive in a new country, you don’t speak much English and you’ve got new social norms and a new environment to navigate. What would help you make you feel like you belong?

Summitting Mt Koorooya

Leadership. Teamwork. Connection.

Our Journey Program aims to foster these powerful skills in order to empower the participants and foster social cohesion and inclusion. This is achieved through:

  • Challenge: trekking, bouldering and physical challenges which test the limits of individuals and provide them with an opportunity to work as a team.
  • Community building: as participants have to carry their tents and belongings, set them up and cook their own meals.
  • Education: Journey Program participants learn about teamwork, history, local environment and Indigenous culture of the Koorooya National Park.

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A shared experience

What’s more, Journey Program provides a powerful shared experience which brings young people together. It gives them a chance to shine where perhaps the academic setting would not. And it is something that they can take with them forever.

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 New skills. New ideas. New opportunities.

So what are we talking about here?  Well, through participating in the Journey Program, young people come out with:

  • Social skills: initiative, responsibility, teamwork.
  • Personal skills: self esteem, social confidence, motivation.
  • Practical skills: bushcraft, cooking, navigating.

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Thoughts & reflections.

The feedback from the Western English Language School has been super positive. The participants are apparently still talking about it, weeks after the trip!

“We all loved the program and everyone would love to go again!”

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Our Thanks…

This program for newly arrived and refugee young people would not have been possible without the generosity of Gandel Philanthropy.
And of course all the awesome young people and teachers from the Western English Language School – Mr Zac, Mr Marko and Mr Sujeevan.

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Goldrush Camp Experience

As part of our Malmsbury camp experience, a group of campers recently participated in a “Goldrush” experience in the Victorian Goldfields in order to learn more about the history of the local area.

First of all they caught an old fashioned steam train from Castlemaine to Maldon, both former gold mining towns.

In Maldon they explored Carmen’s tunnel which was lit by a series of candles. The tunnel is 570m long and took two years to be dug out! Despite this process the tunnel only produced $300 worth of gold (roughly $9,600 today).

Then they took part in their own gold rush bonanza which was a series of short games such as gold panning and mine filing.

Big thanks to John Ellis of the Chewton Domain Society who donated a replica of an old diggers’ flag from the 1851 Monster Meeting – a huge protest that took place in the local area many years ago.

Photo gallery below. Photos by Doxa volunteer JD (Jaydan Knowles)

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My name is Taylah, and this is my story

When I was asked to write this post, I debated about what I would write for days, I struggled to string together a single sentence without deleting it.

I slowly realised that I am trying to write about myself in a way that would be appropriate and well received but I couldn’t do it, because life isn’t censored. So I decided to just write what I felt.

The theme for this year’s reconciliation week is Our history, Our story, Our future. For those of you who do not know what reconciliation week is, allow me to explain. Reconciliation week is the one week during the entire year that Indigenous Australians are celebrated; it marks the day of the 1967 referendum, Sorry day, and Mabo day.

My name is Taylah Jones and I am a proud Palawa woman, and this is my story. I was born and raised on Yorta Yorta country, and my mob Palawa, is from Tasmania. I am one of three siblings, so no, I don’t have a huge family. I have worked since I was 16, so no, I am not on Centrelink benefits, and neither are any of my family members. Yes, I am attending University, and no, I didn’t get where I am because I can tick a box. Yes, I am pale, and yes, you may think I don’t ‘look it’, and yes, I am sure I am Aboriginal.

For those of you who think these questions are stupid, ignorant, and rude, you would be right. And yes, I do actually get asked these questions, and yes, it does happen on a regular basis. Is it annoying yes, is it degrading yes, is it infuriating, yes.

When I left home to go to university I thought this would be the end of the questions. I was so wrong. Upon arriving at university on my first day, I was introduced as one of the Indigenous students before my name was used.

We are not our stereotypes, no one is. I have always been proud to say that I am Aboriginal, and I have never met someone who is ashamed of being Aboriginal.

We are all connected, not just by family… and not by some tragic event. We are connected through our culture.

As I write this, I am surrounded by some of the most caring and inspirational people I have ever met, and yes they are all Indigenous. Something people always say to me is that they don’t understand how Indigenous people always act like they know each other, when they have never met before.

Well, the answer is simple. We are all connected, not just by family (although many of us are related), and not by some tragic event. We are connected through our culture. There is a reason why the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are the oldest living cultures in the world, it is because we are survivors, and we care about one another in a way that you could never understand until you are a part of such a bond. No matter where you go, and no matter what happens, you will always be surrounded by family.

This is our history, told through our stories, and we have a long future ahead of us.

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Five reasons we should all give volunteering a crack

Hey, hello, what’s up? My name is Nayuka and I have a confession, I am a volunteering addict.

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I have loved volunteering for as long as I can remember. I got my first taste when I was 9. My Mum volunteered at our local nursing home and I would go along and play bingo, instead of getting money though, we would get chocolates (that might not sound like much but if you are pushing 70 and have diabetes, chocolate is a huge deal.)

I’m 25 and although the kind of volunteering I do now is very different, I still get the same kick out of it. Just in case you needed an excuse to give back a little, I’ve got five for ya!

It makes you feel good

Yes, we should all be altruistic saints and do it for the love of humanity but there’s something in it for you. I’m not talking warm and fuzzies (although there definitely is that) but legit science tells us it is good for our health. This article by our mates at Pro Bono piqued my interest.

You meet other legends

I made one of my best friends while I was volunteering. Because we met volunteering, we already knew we had at least important thing in common. Since then we’ve run workshops together, shared victories and commiserations, sat on panels together and a whole bunch of other random things that you normally don’t get to do with your best mate.

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Shout out to my bff Millie Telford. Here’s us looking super cute before speaking at a panel together.

Skillz

I did a volunteer internship in my first year at uni. I was bright, fresh and full of first year enthusiasm. Through this internship I picked up really valuable campaigning skills that I have been able to apply to my professional life such as personal narrative and communication.

Opportunities

I get to work with young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people for a living. As a young Aboriginal woman myself, this is a dream gig for me. I got my foot in the door through volunteering.

After spending a few years on the volunteer youth scene, I was approached by someone and was asked if I would volunteer at a camp with 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. After falling in love with the feeling of seeing young people transform in front of me, I hounded the organisation until they gave me the job, Since then, I have sat on a board, attended UN climate change negotiations and a whole bunch of other rad stuff all because of volunteering.

It makes the world better

According to Volunteering Australia, in 2010 volunteers contributed $25.4 billion to the Australian economy. This is huge but I’m more interested in the other contributions volunteers make.

Volunteers fight fires, brighten up kids days at hospitals, campaign for positive change, challenge systems, re-vegetate degraded land, create publications, teach and so much more. They literally make the world go round and here at Doxa, we are thankful for the important work volunteers do everyday!

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Doxa Cadet represents refugees for Australia

Doxa Cadet and RMIT student Arif Hazara has been selected as a part of the Australian delegation at the UNHCR negotiations with NGOs in Geneva this June. He will represent Australia in a forum that discusses rights and issues around refugees in the global landscape today.

A passionate youth advocate for asylum seeker and refugee rights, Arif regularly volunteers with local community groups, speaking at conferences and dedicating his time to advocacy alongside his university studies at RMIT and full time work as Assistant Accountant at Dennis Family Homes.

His story of greatness is inspirational. Find out more by watching the video below.

Local media spotlight

Greater Dandenong Leader (left) and Dandenong Journal (right) have both interviewed Arif and written the articles below. Click to enlarge and read:

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Dandenong Leader article ‘Representing refugees’


UNHCR for refugees

Arif article – making the most of chance to achieve

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