Saying yes to new experiences through a meaningful Jawun secondment

• Indigenous perspectives
• Jawun
• NAIDOC

I write to speak about my time as a Jawun secondee and to offer an honest account of my experiences and their impact on my work at UTS.

In October last year, I was given the opportunity to participate in a six-week secondment to rural South Australia via UTS’s Jawun partnership program. Jawun selects and sends participants to Indigenous-led organisations across Australia, where secondees work on transferring their skills while receiving a greater cultural understanding in return. Participants generally live in place during their secondment, which contributes further to the immersive nature of the program.

Saying yes

I love to say yes to things, often to a fault. The Jawun opportunity was very exciting, but as with many things, there were a thousand reasons to say no. Six weeks is a long time, and as a nursing academic, the secondment did clash with some of the key dates in the spring session. After some reflection, however, and with the support of my supervisor and her management of these operational barriers, it became clear that there were many more reasons to say yes.

It was important to me to have this experience to inform my teaching of the social determinants of health, the importance of a First Nations focus in health education, and the pressing need to pursue parity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. I work for a school and faculty that proudly keeps the voice of Australia’s First Peoples on the agenda and in our curricula. As someone whose own voice reaches the ears of hundreds of students each year, I felt the need to work on my own capacity to ‘walk the talk’ and be culturally safe in this space.

Centred in Ceduna

I was seconded to Ceduna, a far-west coastal town boasting a population of about 3000 people. I was so excited and grateful for the opportunity, albeit a little nervous about some camping requirements, given my fear of spiders! Upon arrival, I was allocated to work with the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization (ACCHO) Yadu Health, specifically their community health clinic based in the town centre. The word ‘yadu’ (pronounced YA-DOO), originating from the Kokatha language, means ‘good’ or ‘deadly’; it aligns with the organisation’s mission to provide an integrated health service that frees clients from the impacts of racism and disparity. They aim to achieve enriched health outcomes for their community and for everyone to enjoy a long and yadu life. My secondment commenced the day after results were announced for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. The “No” was heard across the world, and a national shame of immense proportion was felt.

This was, unsurprisingly, an incredibly challenging time for Ceduna’s Indigenous partner organizations, as well as the secondment participants and Jawun team who were unanimously united by their pursuit and support of a Yes vote. I was mortified, nervous, and embarrassed – but these feelings were quickly allayed by Aboriginal community leaders who shared their belief that Jawun secondments now held more value than ever. Our presence was still welcomed, so we continued in the interest of reconnection, sharing skills and experiences, and prioritising reconciliation.

The coming weeks saw me working with community nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners, and program coordinators to press on with business as usual wherever possible. These workers were apt at navigating the emerging social complexities that had come with the No Vote, which was a devastating reminder to me that practice does make perfect, and this capacity and resilience had stemmed from decades of sameness. While I was able to make myself useful, supporting staff to develop education materials and co-teaching clinical skills to newcomers, it was clear that I was getting a lot more out of the experience than I was able to put in.

Personal impacts

I stand now as an educator changed, humbled and empowered to advocate for parity and amplify already powerful voices. I am now equipped with tangible examples of Indigenous excellence in clinical practice to share with my students and colleagues, to integrate into my teaching. I have already seen this influence my approach to content, in my move away from a deficit focus to one that also demonstrated that which is yadu. I now have a richer appreciation for the diversity of Aboriginal culture and experience, all thanks to the generosity of the Wirangu, Mirning, Kokatha, and Pitjantjatjara Peoples (far-west coast) and Ngarrindjeri Elders (of the lower Murray River) who were willing to yarn and share their history with me.

I have learned about the importance and meaning of deep listening, and about the unfortunate reality that the Aboriginal voice is self-determined, but continues to fall on deaf ears. I hope to share this knowledge with students and colleagues, appreciating that First Nations voices are telling us what they want and need, strong voices like Professor Braden Hill and Professor Peter Anderson, who speak passionately and directly about the impact of the referendum and potential next steps. The new call to action is listening, and doing.

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