Indigenous Forces at Work Conference

The inaugural Jobs Australia Indigenous Forces at Work Conference held in Alice Springs from 1st to 3rd June 2010 was a chance for Indigenous Training Network (ITN) members from central, city and remote parts of Australia to meet together face-to-face for the first time as an entire network

Overview

The inaugural Jobs Australia Indigenous Forces at Work Conference held in Alice Springs from 1st to 3rd June 2010 was a chance for Indigenous Training Network (ITN) members from central, city and remote parts of Australia to meet together face-to-face for the first time as an entire network.

Over 200 people attended and about two thirds of delegates who participated were from indigenous organisations - others were connected to indigenous employment and training services, industry, government, business and community agencies.

The use of aboriginal storytelling and discussion (Yarn’n circles) as a way of connecting, learning and inspiring action was a key feature of this first conference. The ten storytellers shared generously from

their lived experiences, their family life and their community involvement and all of those who attended were deeply moved by the each storyteller’s personal qualities in facing and overcoming barriers and challenges.

The McDonnell ranges provided a stunning and uplifting backdrop for the conference and several participants commented that the heart of Australia was the right place to join together Indigenous Training Network members for their first conference.

Increased awareness of the issues faced by aboriginal people in finding their own pathway from training to employment and how providers might work together effectively with aboriginal people to overcome barriers was a central theme of the conference.

A number of organisations who attended were inspired and galvanised to act immediately, reviewing their program delivery at the conference and capitalising on the insights and understandings they gained by listening and reflecting on the stories they heard.

Sean Choolburra was outstanding as the conference MC - alternatively cheeky, funny, provocative, joyful, exuberant and chilled out. Sean took everyone on a retro journey back to the ‘blue light disco’ days and delighted everyone when he literally morphed into Michael Jackson. 

Keynote speaker and entertainer Troy Cassar-Daley joined with other storytellers to relate how he moved from his childhood hopes and aspirations to become an accomplished country and western performer and thrilled all with his performances in the plenary session and at Heavitree Gap.

Troy was a huge champion for the ten storytellers, staying at the conference and spending time with each of them throughout their stay.

Rhoda Roberts too shared her journey and passion for the cause. Rhoda shared her stories of growing up in a cross cultural context and her passion for Aboriginal rights. We marveled at her stories of radical rights activism. 

Story Tellers
There were ten storytellers from across Australia who related their own personal journeys through education, training through to sustainable employment. The storytellers were drawn from each State of Australia, from diverse occupations, from different age groups, some were experienced speakers and some spoke for the very first time in public at the conference. Common themes drawn from these stories included the value of mentoring, family support, community support and being able to develop a strong work ethic from an early age.

Having access to government programs where those programs actually met their real development needs was also of benefit. Each of the story tellers highlighted the importance of maintaining strong links to culture to strengthen identity. The storytellers explored the cyclical relationship between life and learning, while often not seeing value in formal education and training until later in life.

Discussion Forums
There were three discussion forums which related to community based training and transitioning to employment from training. Key themes from these forums were the need for holistic and generic based training to meet community needs and allow individuals within a community to develop generic skills to access and gain employment experience from an early age. It was emphasized as essential that young people have mentors to assist them through their journey.

Often indigenous people will need to move away from their communities to access higher education and vocational education. It is important that communities support these individuals at these times, so that they stay connected to their local community and their cultural identity.

Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers included Troy Cassar-Daley and Rhoda Roberts. Both keynote speakers related their love of learning, while not enjoying education, their need for mentors, their desire for employment experience from an early age and the strong support provided by their families and community. Troy and Rhoda highlighted the importance of maintaining links to culture to strengthen identity.

Workshops
There were fifteen diverse workshops covering models and communities of practice, creating effective networks, Indigenous social enterprise, holistic employment pathways for indigenous people, links between JSA and CDEP providers, digital storytelling, technologies to connect communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in the mining industry.

There was also a series of workshops focusing in-depth on aboriginal women’s issues working in employment and training. Key themes in the women’s stream were networking, the need for language literacy and numeracy programs, having supporters and mentors, the need for programs specifically designed for women, understanding how to access resources within communities, the need to maintain cultural security and understanding the links between personal identity and cultural security.

Conference Outcomes
The Conference was designed so that employment and training service providers could draw on the shared experiences and stories to decide on new directions for their programs and develop tailored action plans and solutions for their particular clients and communities, rather than developing generic remedies.

Conference outcomes included:-

• A greater understanding of the need for providers of training and employment services to actively work towards understanding Indigenous cultural links;
•  Improved connections were formed between training and employment providers and Aboriginal organisations;
• Increased awareness of the barriers faced by Aboriginal people in attaining training and employment and greater knowledge about how employment and training providers might work together with Aboriginal people to overcome these barriers;
• Employment and training providers were inspired to review and develop localised action plans to work with Aboriginal clients;
• The importance of storytelling to aboriginal people as a way of connecting with others, finding commonality and as a tool for learning; and
• An increased understanding by delegates that Aboriginal concepts of learning and work are cyclical and lifelong.

Quotes from Conference Delegates

‘Best Conference I have ever attended’

‘Storytellers were inspiring’

‘Stories were excellent, brave, inspiring’

‘Had a wonderful time – good laugh, good cry, excellent networking opportunities, excellent sharing knowledge and best practice models’

‘Interesting, humorous, emotive, inspiring and thought provoking’

‘Deadly’

‘Fabulous, insightful, inspirational, connecting the personal with global issues’

‘I am implementing an extensive amount of revisions to our internal systems as a result of the conference and am eagerly awaiting next year’s event’

Word From the Heart an Anthology and DVD of storyteller’s experiences is now available and can be ordered using the link on this page.

Please contact Dennis Batty or email the ITN at itn@ja.com.au for more information on the Conference or the Indigenous Training Network.