WCE Team Gathering April 2016

WCE Team met on country for their 4th Team Gathering

The WCE team composed of 22 staff members from community-based and campus-based staff met on country in Jurnkurakurr (Tennant Creek) from the 11th to the 15th April 2016.

Valda Napurrula Shannon and Geoffrey Jabarula Shannon welcomed us with a beautiful message in Warumungu.

During this intensive week, the team had the opportunity to share stories about community activities, and to present to each other about their community action plans. It was also the occasion to start planning the next phase of the WCE initiative, including ways to analyse findings and lessons learned collectively. Collaborative discussions happened on topics around strategic projects, evaluation and dissemination of information, as well as the meaning of ‘community engagement’ and ’research’ in the context of remote Indigenous education. These reflective sessions and workshops involved unpacking both cultural and mainstream ways of working together.

During that week, the WCE team also got the chance to meet with local Youth Group, Elders and stakeholders to identify and discuss issues and aspirations relating to remote Indigenous education. The WCE team also engaged in local cultural activities that are a fundamental component of learning on country. This included visiting the local art and culture centre and significant local sites.

The main message that came out of this great team meeting was to listen and learn from each other to ensure work is done collaboratively and respect the both-ways philosophy where Indigenous culture and mainstream culture meet.