Aboriginal Community Engagement

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The positioning of Aboriginal community as equal partners negotiating on programs is often absent or poorly achieved in many community engagements. Lack of respect for Aboriginal communities, their knowledges and capacity is a primary causation of engagement which fails to position Aboriginal communities as valued negotiators (Hurley; 2003). Effective engagement will only be achieved when the shackles of colonial power structures are discarded, and non-Indigenous Australians demonstrate respect for Aboriginal communities by making way for us to exercise our agency. As the custodians of knowledges, Aboriginal communities are best placed to ascertain what they need and how to best achieve their aspirations. In the context of this Aboriginal engagement …show more content…

Her study demonstrated that Aboriginal communities will utilise ‘wellbeing values’ to determine whether they can see the connection between what governments (or others) are offering, and how that might enhance their own sense of wellbeing. Programs will therefore only effectively engage the Aboriginal community, when outcomes directly relate to Aboriginal wellbeing values (Kennedy: 3013). Negotiation should begin at the earliest stage of a project, to ensure that it is based on Indigenous aspirations and priorities, within an Indigenous framework, process, context and time frame. Respect therefore involves active listening to what community has to say and appropriate reaction to community based aspirations based upon local protocols. The process then emerges as Aboriginal community driven, with organisers as facilitators of a program exercising community self-determination. This means that power inequalities are recognised early, and sincere attempts are made throughout to share or balance …show more content…

Past policies, experiences and the continued effects of our shared history has had many devastating effects on the Aboriginal community of Western Sydney. As result, there are many feelings of distrust and caution prominent within the community. It is essential that all workers have an understanding of this background and its contemporary manifestations, so that they are better equipped to understand local protocols, how to work respectfully with the community and maintain cultural

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