Join a group of Moreland residents and/or workers who are prepared to listen deeply and engage in thoughtful conversations with an open heart to reflect on and understand their own cultural and racial identity as well as the dominant mainstream culture, in order to inspire and inform transformational personal and systemic anti-racism action. 

This workshop is the fifth in a series of six workshops which have been developed and informed by local Aboriginal voice and share a range of Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes community voices while also creating a space for non-Aboriginal people to reflect on their identity, power differentials and approach to the work of reconciliation and anti-racism. 

Please note there is some (brief) pre-workshop reading/viewing (article and/or short video clips) prior to each workshop. 

Workshop Theme: Effective Allyship

Understand what effective allyship is and its practice

Guest Speaker - Professor Mark Rose, Gunditjmara

Mark is traditionally linked to the Gunditjmara Nation of Western Victoria. With a thirty-year career in education he has contributed to a broad range of educational settings within the State, nationally and internationally. As the former principal of Koorie Open Door Education (KODE), Mark has been an active member of VAEAI and is fully supportive of community driven education. He has consulted regularly with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations both nationally and internationally. For over a decade Mark taught in predominantly postgraduate programmes at RMIT University’s Faculty of Business.

At a state and national level and with community endorsement, Mark has sat on several ministerial advisory committees. In 2003-2005 he co-chaired the Victorian Implementation Review of Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In his role as Chair of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Mark progressed the proposition of Indigenous Knowledge as a knowledge system at Deakin University. Mark has also been the Chair of Batchelor Institute of Tertiary Education’s Council and Executive Director, Indigenous Strategy and Education at La Trobe University. He is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Innovation at Deakin University.

The session will be held online and include interactive large and small group discussion following the guest speaker.

Workshop Facilitators

• Dr Sue Lopez Atkinson AM - Yorta Yorta woman, Early Childhood Education Activist
• Deb Chapman - Anglo Australian, community development worker in local and international sectors
• Aileen Traynor - Uruguayan-American, community worker and social justice activist backing First Nations led work

Sue, Deb and Aileen are a group of deep thinking and action oriented community volunteers bringing different cultural perspectives and committed to the practice of anti-racism in the Australian context, centring Aboriginal people and perspectives. They have been creating together since 2015 developing Moreland Reconciliation Network activities, exploring how the broader community can be engaged more deeply in the work of reconciliation and anti-racism, and how we all show up to this work.  

Together they bring extensive experience in early childhood, reconciliation, anti-racism, local and international community development, with strong skills in group facilitation and curriculum development.

Questions? Email sowingsistas@gmail.com 

We acknowledge this event will take place on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people, who have never ceded sovereignty and whose Elders past and present have looked after these lands and waters for over 60,000 years. 

This workshop series has been designed and developed by Sowing Sistas volunteers and is supported by Moreland City Council and Newlands and East Coburg Neighbourhood Houses (NECCHi). 

Location

Online event access details will be provided by the event organiser

Contact Details

Contact Event Organiser