September 2009 — Volume 3, Issue 5

Bush life changes life

Students at the University of Notre Dame are immersing themselves in remote Aboriginal communities as part of a challenging new learning program.

As participants in the Youth and Community Wellbeing (YCW) Program, students spend one month living and working in the East Kimberly communities of Oombulgurri, Wyndham and Warmun.

The program was developed at the invitation of, and is wholly funded by, the Traditional Owners of the East Kimberley region in Western Australia.

Program leader Professor Neil Drew said for many participants, the experience was life changing.

“Many of the students have relatively little contact with Aboriginal people and the issues that affect their lives, and the experience really challenges their beliefs and any internalised prejudices,” Professor Drew said.

“The students go on to become better doctors, lawyers, nurses, whatever occupation they
choose, because it encourages them to re-examine their own beliefs and teaches them they can be a principled, passionate person in their personal as well as their professional lives,” he said.

The ALTC Citation-winning program typically receives more than 100 applications vying for around
30 positions each year.

“It’s extremely popular because it’s such a unique and empowering opportunity,” Professor Drew said.

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply and must go through a rigorous selection process that includes submission of an expression of interest and an interview.

At the request of the Aboriginal communities, students are selected for their ‘spirit’ or heart rather than their disciplinary achievements or backgrounds.

“We really want them to authentically engage with the complexity of remote Aboriginal communities and one month is fairly intense so they have to be completely committed,” Professor Drew said.

According to Professor Drew, the program originally began as a partnership to address youth suicide in Aboriginal communities, and while the overall goal is to deliver positive benefits to the communities, the university students also reap enormous personal benefits.

As one student noted, “I could have studied a range of books for years and never reached the depth of understanding I gained there in less than a month. This is the absolute beauty of the program – the speed with which my previous ideas and perceived knowledge fell away.”

As part of the program, students are also required to undertake an academic subject prior
to their trip which covers the history of colonisation and the East Kimberly communities as well as
understanding health inequalities, substance abuse and suicide in Aboriginal communities. While on placement, students are also required to participate in a daily debriefing and to keep a journal reflecting on their experiences.

As well as empowering and motivating participants to make a difference in their own profession, the program also acts as a way to demystify higher education in Aboriginal communities.

“One of my best memories was to see a young Aboriginal child say to one of the students, ‘when I grow up, I want to go to your university’. It was mind blowing because it’s such an amazing step forward,” Professor Drew said.

Dedicated to the program’s longevity, Professor Drew is planning to invite Aboriginal teenagers to stay on
campus to undertake leadership and community development studies and to become further involved in university life.