Issue 12: Listen, learn, act: First Nations resources for better allyship

Welcome to the twelfth issue of Innovation For Better Lives, our monthly newsletter where we share the resources and people that inspire us to do better every day.??

In this issue, we're sharing the books, music, podcasts, videos, and other resources that foster better and more accountable allyship.

Jan 26 is not a date to celebrate. Each year the TACSI team takes this time to reinforce our role as allies for all First Nations people. In sharing these resources we hope to build awareness and celebrate a culture that is over 60,000 years old.?

Let us know in the comments below???? what you and your organisations are doing to support First Nations peoples in 2024 and be a part of the discussion.

Always was, always will be ??????????

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In sharing these resources, we acknowledge that non-Aboriginal and non-Torres Strait Island Peoples can never truly know what it’s like to be a First Nations person, and that we can all learn from experiences, perspectives and opinions that are not our own.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that some of the materials recommended in this resource contain images and voices of people who have passed away.

Think ??

8 things to think about on January 26 written by Clothing The Gaps Foundation

We can’t recommend the NAIDOC toolkit more highly. It’s an incredible resource to use with your organisation to inform and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and influence. The 2024 theme “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud”, honouring the strength and vitality of First Nations culture.

In 2022, the TACSI team created practical prompts to help non-Aboriginal and non-Torres Strait Islander organisations engage with First Nations Peoples. We called these prompts the Many Threads of Allyship, and they’re designed to weave together throughout an organisation to promote Allyship. All this is based on conversations we had with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners who helped us identify what good allyship means. Developed in 2022, we expect to revise and update, and we always welcome feedback

Read our Many Threads prompt book

Read ??

• Indigenousx.com.au by IndigenousX ? . "IndigenousX is a 100% Indigenous-owned and operated media, consultancy, and training organisation committed to showcasing and celebrating Indigenous diversity." – lauren anseline , TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe. “Explores pre-colonisation Aboriginal life, telling stories of agriculture, engineering and construction."?– Chris Vanstone , TACSI Chief Innovation Officer
• Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith. “This explores how non-First Nations people can work better alongside Aboriginal communities, and how we can transform white allyship with Indigenous communities.” – lauren anseline , TACSI Senior Social Innovator?
• Finding the Heart of the Nation by Thomas Mayo. “A great read and visual experience, especially if you're new to Australia and interested in the significance of the Traditional Owners."?– Barbara Binns , TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• The Yield by Tara June Winch. "This story is all about connecting with Country and language. I found the book really powerful, and it got me trying to sound out words and sounds of the Wiradjuri language as I read."?– Pip Bergin , TACSI Social Innovator
• Ngangkari: Traditional Aboriginal Healers by NPY Women's Council Aboriginal Corporation. "I'm reading this now – healing is a strong part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and I'm loving learning about this."?– Bebe Adams , TACSI Strategic Communications and Engagement Lead
• Everything you need to know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart by Megan Davis and George Williams. "This is the book that I needed to understand the journey to creating the Statement, and the change it can make for Australia as a whole." – Leanne McPhee, TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• Songspirals - Sharing Women's Wisdom of Country Through Songlines by Gay'wu Group of Women. "Songspirals are radically different ways of understanding the relationship people can have with the landscape." – lauren anseline , TACSI Senior Social Innovator

Watch ??

• Indigenous boy Dujuan Hoosan addresses UN on Australia's youth detention laws (on SBS News). "Uplifting yet sorrowful, a powerful message for change." – Alazne Alberdi Alvaro, TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• Storm Boy (1976 film). "This is one of the first films to feature an Aboriginal actor, David Gulpill, as the lead. It is a white story about a boy's friendship with a penguin. It's significant in its portrayal and framing of an Aboriginal person's relationship with land and culture. As a young child (I was about 7) it deeply impacted me." – Bebe Adams , TACSI Strategic Communications and Engagement Lead
• Dadirri Official Miriam-Ungunmerr video. "We've used this recording in lots of projects because it really speaks to people and commands attention. It's a great alternative to regular acknowledgment." – Carla Clarence , TACSI Principal Social Innovator
• The Value of Deep Listening - The Aboriginal Gift to the Nation (TEDxSydney talk by Judy Atkinson ). "Judy Atkinson is an amazing professor and expert in intergenerational trauma. This is a powerful TED talk about what it takes to understand the experience of trauma and pain for Aboriginal people." – Carla Clarence , TACSI Principal Social Innovator
• In My Blood It Runs (2019 documentary). "Tells the story of the impact of inheriting the trauma and dispossession of the land, but also the strength and resistance of the Aboriginal people in Australia." – Pippa Cattanach , TACSI People and Culture and Alazne Alberdi Alvaro, TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002 film). "Really powerful story about three Aboriginal girls taken from their families as a result of white policy and the true story of their fight to return, which details their 2400km walk back to their community at Jigalong."?– Bebe Adams , TACSI Strategic Communications and Engagement Lead
• The Australian Wars (SBS series). “An eye-opening and heart wrenching series about the battles fought on Australian soil and the way that established the Australian nation.” – Pippa Cattanach , TACSI People and Culture

Follow ??

We follow loads of First Nations peoples on social media; it’s an amazing way to hear rich stories of diverse cultural experiences.

Here on LinkedIn:

• Jewellery designer and political fashion statement maker Kristy Dickinson
• Jaynaya Winmar , manager director of Essential Services Australia
• Astronomer and astrophysicist Karlie Noon
• Luke Pearson , founder of IndigenousX ?
• Author, educator and founder of Dream Big Education Wellbeing & Consulting Kylie Captain
• Isaiah Dawe, CEO and founder of ID Know Yourself
• Impact Policy AU is a 100% Aboriginal-owned business specialising in social policy, strategy, engagement and communication. Rachel Goff, PhD recommends their podcast which you can listen to here

Over on Instagram:

• Rapper, dancer, artist, and advocate Neil Morris
• Writer, queer woman, parent and abolitionist Nayuka Gorrie
• Rapper and musician Barkaa
• Model Magnolia Maymuru?
• Artist and musician Maanyung?
• Writer, mentor and speaker Ella Noah Bancroft?
• Black Rainbow, a platform for national voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lesbian, gay, bisexual, sistergirl & brotherboy (transgender) and queer people

Listen ??

Together as a team, we’ve made a Spotify playlist with First Nations songs. Music and song play a huge part in the cultures of First Nations communities and peoples, and on this day of mourning for many, music may also be a way to heal.

Here are some of the tunes we’re particularly loving right now:

• From Little Things Big Things Grow by Kev Carmody performed by Electric Fields. "Uplifting yet sorrowful, a powerful message for change." – Barbara Binns , TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• Marryuna by Baker Boy feat Yirrmal by Baker Boy. "I was at Golden Plains festival in 2018 sitting back while a hip hop band was on next, I was all like “meh, I’m not into hip hop”. Until Baker Boy danced onto the stage, he brings the most incredible energy and was rapping in Yolngu, totally blew me away. Marryuna in Yolngu means 'let's dance'." – Pip Bergin , TACSI Social Innovator
• Message for Young and Old by Bart Willoughby performed by Tony Lovett with family & friends. "It's special to me since it's sung by Uncle Tony, a client/partner who we've built a strong relationship with. It talks to the suicide of Aboriginal young people." – Alazne Alberdi Alvaro , TACSI Senior Social Innovator
• I Belong. As I walk on my Country written and performed by Barkindji woman Nancy Bates. “I had goosebumps when I heard her sing this powerful song about her deep connection to land and water.” – Pippa Cattanach , TACSI People and Culture

Every action, every conversation and every choice has the power to make ripples of change.?

Becoming an ally for First Nations and Aboriginal Peoples isn't a finite achievement, but an ongoing process of growth, evolution, learning and action. Move beyond good intentions into meaningful and informed action now.?

What resources do you recommend? Share them with us in the comments ????????

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