Building Connection Through Cultural Program Development – Perspectives from the Operation Flinders and Adnyamathanha Partnership

Building Connection Through Cultural Program Development – Perspectives from the Operation Flinders and Adnyamathanha Partnership

STREAM | The restorative nature of the Outdoors: Growing community health & wellbeing

Details:

12:00 – 12:50 pm
6th of December

Room: 2E 201

Nick Atkin

Operation Flinders works with young people from backgrounds of challenge and adversity and delivers an 8-day adventure therapy program in a remote part of the Northern Flinders Ranges on the traditional lands of the Adnyamathanha people. Adnyamathanha perspectives have been incorporated since the inception of the program over 33 years ago and in the past two years this has focused on developing a cultural evening, where, in their teams of up to 10, participants will spend an evening preparing the mai (a traditional meal) and learning the muda (culture & dreaming stories) while hosted by elders and yuras (Adnyamathanha people) from the local community.

With over 400 participants each year, and roughly 15% of these identifying as having Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage, this immersive experience offers an incredible opportunity to build and share cultural connections for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. It has also presented an opportunity to the Adnyamathanha community to strengthen, celebrate and share their connection to their muda.

This session will offer details as to the challenges in developing this program in the wake of Covid-era restrictions and disengagement with the local community. It will offer insight into how the program has developed and how we plan to strengthen it so that it can continue to offer valuable outcomes for both program participants and the Adnyamathanha community into the future.