Reflections of Campfire Conversations

[On-screen text: Reflections of Campfire Conversations]

[On-screen text: Merle Miller, Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri, Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc]

Merle Miller: When the idea of the self-determination in education reform came about, the idea of developing campfires within schools and community was, you know, to me just perfect.

For so long we haven't had the space in schools to do that, to be able to have discussions have open conversations, sharing of information.

It's not just about getting information from someone, it's giving information, it's developing relationships.

You know, when you think about campfires, you think about, we know from traditional lifestyle from our ancestors, it's a gathering place. It's the moment of truth-telling and talking and openness and honesty.

[On-screen text: Mathew Lillyst, Gunditjmara, Manager, Self-determination in Education Reform, DE]

Mathew Lillyst: It was really crucial to bring communities and schools together because these stories are not new for community. The knowledge that was shared is not new.

One thing we heard very clearly through the conversations was that our families and our young people want to be part of the education system. They want to succeed and they want to thrive. But there's some barriers that stop them from feeling that sense of inclusion or feeling like they're a natural part of their school or their community.

So this process was really highlighting for us what some of those barriers were, but just as important, how we can address those things and how we can really build that strength.

[On-screen text: Zack Haddock, Yorta Yorta, Executive Director, Koorie Outcomes Division, DE]

Zack Haddock: I think for our families and communities this is a really empowering opportunity for us to be engaged in the decisions and the self-determination of our education.

Really being able to put our voice forward to the education sector, the education system, the environment and the educator themselves is about what's really important to us, what we feel our children need to learn and then kind of blend that together with what we know other people want us to learn as well.

It also puts us in a position where we can take those learnings that we have in innately and share them with the non-Indigenous community as well. So there's this dual learning that's going on that I think is absolutely integral to the continuation of reconciliation in Victoria and the movement around Aboriginal Affairs that our state's taking.

[On-screen text: Colleen Garner, Mara, Koorie Education Coordinator, Outer East, DE]

Colleen Garner: By creating that campfire space, whether it was an indoors event or an outdoors event, it made it that informal space which was really nice. So there's no desk, there's no barriers between people and everybody is sitting together all as equals in that space.

Remembering also that for a lot of our community, you know they've got reservations around dealing with government and schools sit in that category. So it was really nice to have that beautiful informal setting where they could come and have their conversations.

It was also lovely for the families to be able to see what the schools are doing, whether it was just looking at the new Yarning Circle space that had been created or to hear from the schools about some of the fantastic work that's already taking place in the school setting. So there was sort of two-way learning and listening in that campfire.

[On-screen text: Amber Rose-Irwin, Aboriginal young person, Koorie Young People Advisory Group]

Amber Rose-Irwin: It was really important to me because it helped me build that sense of community that I had never known before. Kind of like a family.

Mathew Lillyst: We developed the framework using Aboriginal ways of thinking because the work itself really called for doing things differently and where we might normally focus on doing things in a linear way or a procedural way, that's not how we operate in culture. Everything is interconnected, everything needs to be thought about holistically and so the framework was designed in a non-linear way and designed through Aboriginal artwork to really capture that essence and it really puts the student at the core of the work so then no matter what we do we really need to have that student front and centre in our mind.

So even though we might be looking at voice or accountability or truth telling at the very high level of the department we need to think about all those ripple effects of that work and how that then impacts on our young people.

So the framework was deliberately designed to look different because the work that we need to do also needs to look different and it needs to sound different so the framework really puts that front and centre in how we approach this work.

[On-screen text: Chris Bush, Head of Student Voice and Leadership, University High School]

Chris Bush: Through the campfire conversations the most important thing that our school learned is that listening is only the starting point and it can't be a one-off event but it can be a really very powerful first step.

So our schools learned about the importance of consultation, about the importance of listening to students and their families more closely and more regularly and understanding that it's a long journey that we'll have to take together towards reconciliation and improved school environments but we can walk the journey together.

[On-screen text: Stephanie Raike, Head of Wellbeing and Support, Elisabeth Murdoch College]

Stephanie Raike: My hopes for Koori Education is that it's Indigenous-led, that I don't have a place in it anymore except on the sidelines supporting and scaffolding and amplifying voices.

My hopes is that as a youth worker by trade that it's very young people driven, that there's a generation coming through that are ready to set the world on fire with their passion and their ideas and more people are identifying because they feel safe too and they feel celebrated and that we can learn and celebrate from the oldest living continuous culture in the world because I think that strengthens any system that is willing to embrace it.

Amber Rose-Irwin: I really hope that other young Indigenous kids, I really hope they learn that they're not alone because that's the most important thing, that they're not alone.

[On-screen text: To hear more about what was shared, access the full report: www.vic.gov.au/marrung]

[End transcript]