Strong Communities Strong Children Kelar Ged Kelar Omaskerem The - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Strong Communities Strong Children Kelar Ged Kelar Omaskerem

The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

• rganisation that partners with communities

to address the ongoing trauma caused by actions like the forced removal of children from their families. Our work helps people create a different future.

In 7 short years the Healing Foundation has:

• Provided funding to over 160 community organisations to lead and develop

healing projects

• Established an impressive body of evidence with over 30 evaluations and

publications in partnership with over 8 research institutions and policy bodies

• Developed and led in partnership with our communities the establishment of

community healing forums and gatherings, assisting our people to create the template for healing in their region

• Assisted over 45,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members

to be supported on a healing journey

IAHA 2015 National Conference

Healing requires

• Cultural wounds need cultural medicine
• Restoration
• Harmony and balance
• Safe spaces
• Renewal of self, family and community
• Reconnecting to value systems
• Building positive identity

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“Trauma disrupts and restructures relationships between people”

Judy Atkinson, 2002

Healing Forums

• Reinstating and reconnecting communities to their

cultural value systems

• supporting communities to be empowered to lead

healing

• assisting communities to assume responsibility for their

future - developing healing plans

• Creating supportive environments for children and

families to thrive - addressing trauma at a community level

• Creating a shared language and vision

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Healing in the Torres Strait

• Kaurareg People’s healing forum in 2012
• Building block for creating Torres Strait

Healing Forum

• Over 600 people consulted
• Knowledge circle formed with Healing

Leadership from across Torres Strait

• Provided significant cultural leadership
• Iling Siduan held in 2014

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Healing in the Torres Strait

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Key Themes identified and solutions identified in the forum :

• child safety
• Community safety
• Spiritual healing
• Self determination
• Leadership and governance

Healing in the Torres Strait

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• Healing Strategy
• Inclusion of healing in the Integrated Service

Delivery Plan

• Healing Foundation supported
• emergence of men’s work
• supporting our women’s leadership
• investigating the development of community

healing teams

What Change has occurred?

• Greater collaboration
• More people taking the initiative to address

many of the key themes identified in the healing forum

• Our community getting stronger in reclaiming
• ur role in supporting our families
• Greater focus on teaching our children our

cultural values as a means to guide them