Aboriginal Alcohol Research Article Summary

Foster, Denise., Williams Raelene, Campbell Donna, Davis Vanessa and Pepperill Lorraine. 2006. “Researching Ourselves Back to Life: New Ways of Conducting Aboriginal Alcohol Research.” Drug and Alcohol Review 25(3): 213-217.
In this article, the authors discussed how about Aboriginal people in the Tangentgere Council have taking hold of conducting research on the attitudes of people living in the Town Camps on the rules and regulations on alcohol consumption. The authors also talked about how Aboriginal people in both the Tangentyere Council and Alice Springs Town Camps are conducting research in their local communities, how the research is been conducted, why they keep doing research in a more effective way, and how the result is been use

in transforming the lives of people living in those areas.

In conducting the research the authors outline the procedures they undertake. Firstly, they looked at the population of the Town Camps and a brief history of how Aboriginal people came to settle in Alice Springs. They also looked at the role of the Tangentyere Council in the lives of Aboriginal people and the broader community, and also the contribution of the Tangentyere Council Staff and the town campers towards the research. In the research team section, the authors see that in order for their research to become successful they need to involve both the residents living in the Town Camps and the Tangentyere Council employees to participate in the research process of their communities. The authors proposed that even though they don’t have university qualifications but they do have language, cultural, writing, and communication skills to communicate to their own people and this is important to achieve a successful research. However, these skills will help people to participate and work with one another in achieving a successful outcome. In the research training section, authors states that researchers were provided with educational training to ensure their safeness and confidence. However, this training also teaches researchers the skill of data collection for a successful research. Through this

training researchers have been given the procedures needed in taking research in their communities. Most importantly it educates researchers to acknowledge cultural norms and values and also to respect individual preferences. In this training researchers are also taught on how to protect individual information and creates opportunities for people to express their opinions. However, this training will help researchers develop organisation skills. For the authors university and Aboriginal skills are the key element in conducting research in their local communities. In the survey questions section, authors admit that they will form a group and discuss the ways to interpret their research proposal in way that people in their communities will understand. The authors also mentioned that even though they create their own way of unpacking the research proposal, they also respect cultures and traditions of their communities. They also structure their questions in a simple format for the understanding of people.

The authors also stresses on the importance of informed consent for their research and the community. The authors admit that in conducting their research they have to acknowledge the ideas of community members. In conducting the survey section, the authors stated that cultural, language, and organisation skills are the key element in their research as this will help them encourage people to participate and communicate with each other in the survey. For the authors making the necessary material available for their research is another step in acquiring a successfully outcome. The authors mentioned that participation is an important aspect in their survey so they have informed people when the survey is going to be conducted. The authors also mentioned that the Town Camps is a community that comprises of people from different background so they always make sure that they know the time to visit, and also respect their cultures and traditions. The authors also stresses on the use of dialogue by saying that when they entered the camp to undertake a survey, they have to present themselves to the people telling them who they are, why they are here and what they have come to do. However, this will help people to

work together with researchers in achieving their goals. The authors suggest that research conducted with this type of format with Aboriginal people in control and also acknowledge Aboriginal researchers the out will be remarkable. In the data management and analysis section, the authors discussed the important of computer skills for recording data information. However, this plays a great role in helping Aboriginal researchers to examine, discuss, analyse, and interpret their data information. Most importantly it will help the government evaluation team to understand their statistical results. In the research findings and reporting section, the authors admit that identifying the hazard of alcohol drinking and find solution for it is an important step in conduction research in Aboriginal communities as this will result in suggesting certain rules and regulation in avoiding it. For the authors the skill of interpreting information data for the understanding of people in the community will help them to contribute their opinions and it is also important to acknowledge people’s personal opinions. Working together in conducting research in the Town Camps will help accomplish a purposeful developmental work and by this people will be able to participate and also bring their different ideas in order to achieve their goals.
Because of the concept of participation and the use of dialogue presented by the authors, this article is essential for the development of communities and its members. According to Palmer (1999), di8alogue has helped in the development of young Nyungars Australians. However, through the help of dialogue community development practitioners can now identity the problems face by the young Nyungars and find ways to address those issues. Moreover, this shows us how active it is when we try to communicate with local communities instead of just focusing on statistic report and leave the young generation of the community to destroy. Most importantly, this dialogue gives us an understanding of what exactly needed to be done in order to help the young generation to stand on their feet. Woods (2000) argues that the Malparara way project aim at bring women together and encouraging them to work together for a better progress. However, this will help people to find ways that will develop their communities as well as other communities. According to Walsh and Mitchell (2002), dialogue has played a great role in bring people from different communities together in order for them to understand each other. However, this contributes greatly in knowing their cultures, values, geography, languages, laws, and beliefs. Moreover, this will help community practitioners to understand what they need in order to help them develop themselves. This also informs us no how to respect their cultures and values. Any project that involve dialogue tend to elect a particular set of people from the community, teaches them a purposeful dialogue so that they can pass on these teachings to the rest of the community, as the participant of the people in the community is central to the process of developing the community. However, its also empowers residents to pass on accurate information to the community as they are the key resources to their community. It also picks out creators and thinkers from the community. In Aboriginal communities this dialogue will be used to bring understanding between two groups that has separated and have dispute over lands and custom issue for ages. Effective communication is another dialogue practice in research taking as a way of establishing good local relationships. However, this type of dialogue is useful in many communities as people can now communicate and accept each other in order to promote their lives and the community in which they lives. Moreover, this has displayed successful measures in both research and community development projects as a process of interacting and responding to people needs.