News Archive

How does ‘race' have an impact on our lives? What is a ‘racial autobiography'? What are the hidden obstacles that Indigenous students have to overcome as they undertake their studies? These are just some of the questions that challenged the staff members from UWA Albany who took part in a two day course aimed at increasing cultural awareness on campus.

The first part of the program, Courageous Conversations about Race , led by Malcolm Fialho, Senior Diversity Officer at UWA, soon had staff thinking deeply about their own heritage and their assumptions about people of backgrounds different to their own.

During the second day of the program , Indigenous Dialogues toward Cultural Competence, UWA's Indigenous Employment Officer Adam Casley and Clint Bracknell of the School of Indigenous Studies encouraged attendees to think about culturally appropriate ways of engaging with the wider Indigenous community and how they could increase the Indigenous specific content of the courses they taught. They also discussed the support services available for Indigenous students undertaking university study.

Jenni Flottman, Acting Director of the UWA Albany Centre, said UWA Albany had been identified as a prime trail site for delivering the program due to its regional location and important connections with the local Indigenous community.

"A particular highlight for many of the staff was a field trip to Point Possession led by local Noongar elder Lynette Knapp to view sites of cultural significance and to hear histories important to the Indigenous people of the region," she said.

Media references

Paula Phillips (UWA Albany Centre) (+61 8) 9842 0810