Creating a safe space for learning
How can we as universities support First Nations students to flourish and succeed? One approach is to incorporate cultural practices in the academic space to help students feel accepted. Here staff from the Adelaide Nursing School share some of their learnings for success.
Can a cultural activity help to create a safe place for learning?
How can we as universities support First Nations students to flourish and succeed? One approach is to incorporate cultural practices in the academic space to help students feel accepted. Here staff from the Adelaide Nursing School share some of their learnings for success.
Acknowledgement of Country
We work on unceded Kaurna Yarta (Kaurna Country) and the team acknowledges the continuing connection that hold to the ancestral lands Tarntanya (Adelaide). Furthermore, to recognise the past, present and ongoing connection to culture and protocols and pay our respects to the ancestors.
鈥淣gadlu Yuringguru鈥, translates to 鈥榃e Listen鈥 in .聽The 鈥Ngadlu Yuringguru鈥 project aimed to listen to student鈥檚 experiences and help identify the supports and barriers faced by First Nations students to .
Background
Recruitment and retention of students is an on-going challenge throughout the Australian tertiary education sector nationally. This is reflected within our nursing school where only 57 First Nations students have commenced nursing studies over the last 10 years. Of these students, only 22 have completed their program of study and entered the workforce as Registered Nurses. To understand why this occurs we must engage with First Nations students and learn from their experiences; by sharing information about what works well and what could be improved, we identify opportunities for change and can work together to co-create responsive strategies. An important first step in this process, is creating safer spaces, where these conversations can be had.
Our example: Yarning and Weaving 鈥Ngadlu Yuringguru鈥 Workshop
In an Adelaide Nursing School first 鈥 we sought to build on existing and bring a cultural activity in the academic space and create a safer space for sharing of experiences and two way learning. This brought First Nations students and non-Indigenous academics together in an informal setting where power dynamics were flipped. The workshop was led by Cedric Varcoe, a contemporary and Artist. Yarning is a tradition practiced for thousands of years by many First Nations people in Australia, as a way of sharing knowledge; its conversations help build relationships in a safe place. So to find out more about First Nations student experiences within our university we needed to bring culture into the academic space; to encourage people to feel comfortable and have a yarn and discuss the barriers faced whilst studying at University. Weaving with rushes has been handed down through the centuries by First Nations people and is a way to bring the community together, to yarn and develop strong connections between people. The weaving helped First Nations students feel culturally safe to share their experiences of studying at University and enabled deeper discussions between students and staff about what is working well, additional support needs, sharing of information about potential scholarships and identification of current issues impacting their study. Weaving is a time when communication skills are practiced, listening skills are developed and a process of cooperative interactions occurs. It is a time of sharing knowledge, teaching, discussing ideas and making plans.
The undertaking of a joint cultural activity highlights the importance of making connections to other students and employees at the University, thus making long lasting connections through cultural exchange.Melissa Arnold-Ujvari
We have learnt when speaking with students, it is a time of sharing knowledge, teaching, discussing ideas and making plans.
Our learnings: Suggestions for creating culturally safer University settings
By participating in this activity we learnt that seeing cultural practices respected and employed as a teaching tool within the university setting, can help to provide First Nations students with a sense of belonging. All journeys must begin with listening to the experts; this activity has been our first step towards creating culturally safer spaces for First Nations students and we encourage you to take similar first steps.
We acknowledge that this process will be different and unique to each setting and encourage all staff to engage in their own critical reflection and cultural safety learning journeys, to get to know their students and their preferences and to work together to create meaningful change in this space.聽 Culture and student needs and preferences are incredibly diverse; the list below highlights some of our learnings that you might find helpful:聽
- Staff need to understand the on students.
- Acknowledge First Nations .
- Ensure you understand , this could help bring聽 equity into the academic space.
- Know where to access to support staff education about culture.
- Create designated student spaces across the campus where students can .
- Undertake a cultural activity to engage in dialogue with students such as .
- Bring culture into the academic space.
- Ensure students are aware of the support mechanisms available both within and external to the university.
As we continue to walk together on the pathway towards reconciliation, the voices, experiences and knowledge of Australia鈥檚 First Nations people must be listened to and amplified.
Additional Links
Acknowledgements: Amy Graham, Kaurna and Narungga woman and former research co-ordinator in the Adelaide Nursing School at the 成人大片.
Story by:
Ms Melissa Arnold-Ujvari, Senior Lecturer, Adelaide Nursing School
Professor Janet Kelly, Adelaide Nursing School
Kynesha Temple Varcoe, Ngarrindjeri and Narungga research assistant, Adelaide Nursing School
Tahlee Stevenson, Grant funded researcher, Adelaide Nursing School