On Wednesday 11 November we held ‘Caring for Country’, a panel discussion part of NAIDOC at NCIE 2020.
Three First Nations thought leaders talked through ideas about urban sustainability and reflected on the 2020 NAIDOC theme, ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’.
Take a look at the incredible conversation that took place below.
The speakers:
Proud mother and First Nations woman Skye Trudgett is NCIE’s Blak Impact Lead and is currently completing a PhD in Indigenous Data Sovereignty and models of care for high risk young people.
Over the years, Skye has been involved in numerous research and evaluation projects including place-based, collective Impact and government initiatives.
Skye said she feels privileged to be a part of the NCIE event.
“My fellow panel members are such incredible people who I respect and admire, I am really excited to hear their thinking on how we care for Country in many different ways,” she said.
Skye is excited to talk about the Blak Impact framework being developed, which takes into consideration the many ways we care for country, country in the context of the panel being Community, place, Culture.
“I am also excited to hear the interpretation of “Country” beyond face value,” she said.
Wiradjuri woman, Associate Professor Megan Williams also joins us on this panel.
Megan is the Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at The University of Sydney.
She has over 20 years’ experience working on programs and research to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system.
Megan says she is excited to talk about how connection to Country is healing.
“About healing journeys, complexities in healing including disruptions to identity and Country, about language and the notion of unity – how Country unifies us and what that might mean for future generations,” she explains.
Our final panellist is our very own NCIE CEO Clare McHugh, a proud proud Gamilaroi and Dhungutti person and active member of the Redfern Aboriginal community.
Big thanks to City of Sydney for supporting NAIDOC at NCIE 2020.
