Heal Our History

Building on years of work in education and campaigning, Culture is Life will connect audiences with tools to learn our shared history and heal from its current impacts through sharing diverse perspectives and lived experience on a variety of topics centered around education and truth-telling.

#HealOurHistory Campaign is rooted in an ethic of cultural care and truth-telling. We recognise that the content we are sharing is sensitive and will evoke strong emotions in viewers. We do not shy away from anger, grief, shame or guilt. These are necessary emotions to face in the process of reckoning our shared histories.

Campaign Launch: Our Young Voices

 “Young peoples perspectives always provide insight into our future and what we need to do. We at Culture Is Life always have them at the heart of our work.” – Belinda Duarte (Wotjobaluk/Dja Dja Wurrung), CEO of Culture Is Life

The #HealOurHistory campaign launch highlights the voices of First Nations and non-Indigenous young people, sharing their stories of lived experiences in school, reflections on The Australian Wars documentary series, history and truth-telling, January 26th, the Stolen Generations and messages of strength.

January 26 symbolises a whole range of things for First Nations people and the broader community. Reflecting on what it symbolises and reflecting on truth-telling through these historic events is critical to our healing and growth to move forward as a united peoples.

#HealOurHistory hopes to ignite conversations around history and truth telling and offer our young people’s personal reflections of our education system including experiences of racism and its impacts.

Shared experiences of racism and its impacts may be triggering for both Indigenous and non Indigenous audiences who have experienced, perpetrated or remained silent in instances of racism. We ask audiences to be aware of these emotions and will be sharing services to seek support for social emotional wellbeing.

We ask audiences to respect the young people’s courage in sharing their perspectives and acknowledge that their reflections on what they have been taught in schools may not be factual and will be sharing historic references in our stories throughout the campaign.

Heal Our History: Conversations

Heal Our History Conversation highlights the voices of a diverse range of adults working with our young people in a variety of educational and cultural-based settings around Australia. We hope these recorded conversations inspire courageous actions towards systemic change that directly positively impacts our young people for future generations.

Creating Culturally Safe Classrooms

Culture is Life’s CEO Belinda Duarte sits down with Koorie Engagement Support Officer, Peter Dye (Wemba Wemba), National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) member Aunty Vicki Clark (Mutthi Mutthi) and secondary teacher, Hannah Bryant, to yarn about how to create culturally safe classrooms.

Making a Commitment For Change

Making a Commitment For Change Education Consultant for Culture is Life, Aunty Stephanie Armstrong, sits down with Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, Leigh Ridgeway (Worimi), Fran McCarthy from the Mt Druitt Community School and humanities teacher and university lecturer Adam Brodie-McKenzie, to yarn about systemic responsibility and making a commitment for change in our education systems.

Duty of Care, Cultural Care and Cultural Safety

We endeavor to build duty of care, cultural care and cultural safety into all our design and processes with this work, and we aspire to these values being carried forward by all our partners in this critical work of change, justice and healing.

Culture is Life is committed to ensuring young people and Aboriginal communities are valued and heard. A critical part of this is truth-telling. For this to be healthy and sustainable, this process needs to happen alongside active and accessible wellbeing practices. Collectively we will thrive as a nation when all people have been seen and heard.

Facing the truth of violent and disruptive histories since invasion is not easy, whether we are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the descendants of the colonisers or more recent migrants. The violence and loss needs to be faced to be healed.

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge and respect the ongoing connection and relationship to the Traditional Custodians throughout Australia upon whose ancestral lands this film was produced. We pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledge the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the Australian community. Sovereignty was never ceded.