{"id":7038,"date":"2018-08-31T09:08:22","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T01:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/ground-breaking-program-supports-aboriginal-students\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T13:08:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T05:08:55","slug":"ground-breaking-program-supports-aboriginal-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/ground-breaking-program-supports-aboriginal-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Ground breaking program supports Aboriginal students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine you are the first person in your family to attend university; the culture and structure of higher education a foreign landscape to navigate. This is often the case for the 75 to 100 Aboriginal students who are enrolled in health sciences courses in any given semester. While achieving entrance to university is no mean feat, the myriad demands of tertiary education can often prove challenging for Aboriginal students to manage and, compared to other domestic students, they are more than twice as likely to drop out of university in their first year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a statistic Ms Cheryl Davis, the faculty\u2019s Director Indigenous Engagement, is determined to change. Ms Davis is the project lead on the faculty\u2019s innovative\u00a0Balang Djuripin<\/em>\u00a0pilot project, a joint initiative of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the\u00a0Centre for Aboriginal Studies<\/a>\u00a0(CAS) funded by a\u00a0Curtin Learning and Teaching Innovation grant<\/a>. The\u00a0Balang Djuripin <\/em>project has adapted the successful\u00a0LGBTIQ+ Ally model<\/a>\u00a0to develop a culturally safe learning environment for Aboriginal students and, by extension, aims to increase retention and graduation rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cAboriginal students often work incredibly hard to gain entry to university, however they can struggle significantly when they begin their studies and they need well-considered support to ensure they continue on and complete their courses,\u201d Ms Davis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our students are not familiar with the culture of university. They often have diverse needs ranging from wanting to gain proof of Aboriginality, to financial support for textbooks, to applying for scholarships and accessing academic support and tutoring. Of course, some of our students need far less support and are successfully navigating around campus and succeeding academically, however many aspects of higher education can make our students feel extremely anxious and disempowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balang Djuripin\u00a0<\/em>translates to \u2018they\/them are happy\u2019. The project aims to develop a visible network of\u00a0Koordas<\/em>\u00a0(allies) in the Faculty of Health Sciences to support staff and actively provide secure learning environments for Aboriginal students, as well as develop capacity to embed Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum.<\/p>\n

\"Some
Some of the project administrators and participants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ms
Ms Bev Councillor, Project Research Assistant, CAS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ways of working<\/h2>\n

Curtin has long been recognised as a leader in Reconciliation. It was the first University to implement an Aboriginal Employment Strategy, issue a Statement of Reconciliation and\u00a0adopt a Reconciliation Action Plan<\/a>. The\u00a0Balang Djuripin<\/em>\u00a0pilot program builds on the strong foundations laid by Curtin\u2019s\u00a0Indigenous Cross-Cultural Capability Framework<\/a>, launched in May 2016, in expanding Aboriginal knowledge and perspectives amongst 100s of staff and students.<\/p>\n

Approximately 27 staff, representing most schools in the faculty, participated in the\u00a0Balang Djuripin\u00a0<\/em>pilot, which consisted of three workshops:\u00a0Wogga Warniny<\/em>\u00a0(Blanket Exercise),\u00a0On Country<\/em>\u00a0(Mogumber Mission and Rabbit Proof Fence) and\u00a0Support Students through to Graduation<\/em>. The second part of the pilot is a research project, including data collection, reflection activities and interviews, which will be completed later this year.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Wogga Warniny<\/em>\u00a0workshop provided staff with information about Aboriginal history and people, and the importance of land and culture. Staff learnt how, upon invasion, Aboriginal people were rounded up and forced off their traditional lands.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0On Country<\/em>\u00a0workshop, an Elder took staff to visit the site of\u00a0Mogumber Mission<\/a>, where children were taken from their parents, now known as the\u00a0Stolen Generations<\/a>. Staff visited the site of a memorial plaque for the children who passed away whilst institutionalised, never returning to their family and country.<\/p>\n

Staff gained further knowledge about Aboriginal history, including the\u00a0Aborigines Act 1905<\/a>, which\u00a0governed the lives of all Aboriginal people in Western Australia for nearly 60 years<\/a>, and provided a legal framework whereby Aboriginal children \u2013 the Stolen Generations \u2013 could be forcibly removed from their families and institutionalised, creating a legacy of generational trauma and loss that is still felt today. Under the Act, Aboriginal people were also required to gain permission to marry and permission to gain employment.<\/p>\n

\"Curtin
Curtin has long been recognised as a leader in Reconciliation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Curtin
The faculty’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Archie Clements, attended the celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The third workshop,\u00a0Providing Cultural and Academic Support to Improve Indigenous Graduate Outcomes<\/em>, explored the role and responsibilities of staff, and how to work with the Indigenous Engagement team to better support students, including protocols for approaching Indigenous students and strategies for best practice.<\/p>\n

Ms Davis said staff indicated the workshops prompted them to reflect on their relationships with Aboriginal students.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff expressed the desire for a more comprehensive understanding of Aboriginal ways of working, so they can better support their students,\u201d Ms Davis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaff were very engaged with the content delivered in all three workshops, and many reflected on how they could use their learnings to engage more effectively with Aboriginal students.\u201d<\/p>\n

A network of\u00a0Koordas<\/em><\/h2>\n

Earlier this month, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Terry, and the faculty\u2019s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Archie Clements, and Director Indigenous Engagement, Ms Cheryl Davis, gathered with colleagues and project participants to celebrate the successful completion of part one of the pilot.<\/p>\n

In her opening address, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated the project team and noted the importance of the\u00a0Balang Djuripin\u00a0<\/em>pilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project highlights the essential role non-Indigenous staff have in creating welcoming and culturally secure learning environments for Aboriginal students,\u201d the Vice-Chancellor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the provision of culturally secure learning spaces it is unlikely Curtin will see significant improvements in the numbers of Indigenous students enrolling in, and graduating from, their course of choice.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Terry, spoke about the importance of creating culturally secure learning environments.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Curtin
Aboriginal students will be supported by a network of Koordas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI look forward to hearing more about both the outcomes of the associated research project and the\u00a0Koorda\u00a0<\/em>network and congratulate the project team, the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the\u00a0Koordas<\/em>\u00a0prove to be as successful as the LGBTIQ+ Allies we will hopefully see a University-wide\u00a0Koorda<\/em>\u00a0network with potential for a national network.\u201d<\/p>\n

A University-wide network of\u00a0Koordas<\/em>\u00a0is something Ms Davis is passionate about developing.<\/p>\n

Aboriginal\u00a0students want to have relationships with staff, and they want to feel guided and supported,\u201d Ms Davis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur aim is to continue to build our network of\u00a0Koordas<\/em>\u00a0in the faculty, and ultimately the University, and offer ongoing training and professional development opportunities.\u00a0Koordas<\/em>\u00a0play an incredibly important role in the success of our Aboriginal\u00a0students, and they have the opportunity to change lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/em>Balang Djuripin\u00a0project team includes: Ms Cheryl Davis, Director, Indigenous Engagement, Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Marion Kickett, Director, CAS, Professor Simon Forrest, Elder in Residence, Dr Robin Barrington, Learning Designer, Indigenous Curriculum & Pedagogy, CLT, Ms Kristy Indich, Indigenous Engagement Officer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bev Councillor, Project Research Assistant, CAS and Dr Helen Flavell, Coordinator, Scholarship of Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Health Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curtin’s Balang Djuripin pilot project aims to provide secure learning environments for Aboriginal students, as well as develop capacity to embed Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":7039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-7038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-and-global-community"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":false,"credits":{"author":{"title":"Arianne Chavez","url":"#","target":""},"photographer":"","media":false},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1-DSC_0999.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Curtin","last_name":"University","display_name":"Curtin University"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 12:59:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7038"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=7038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}