4. Community Cultural Mentoring Program
(CCMP) History
• Joint submission by NTGPE and AMSANT in 2009-at this
time unsuccessful in securing funding to develop a CCMP
• A commitment to the concept by NTGPE
• Task a Project Officer to initiate the CCMP
• Community consultation and developing relationships
• Out-sourcing the development, implementation and
evaluation of a pilot CCMP to a respected organisation
• Engaging Ground Up (The Northern Institute, CDU)
• Workshop
5. Why have a CCMP?
• To improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people
• To improve General Practice Registrars (GPRs) and Junior
Doctor recruitment and retention rates by enhancing
GPR community satisfaction with placements
• To focus on supporting cultural education through
community involvement and participation
• To create jobs
6. Why have a CCMP?
• CCMP ultimate outcomes include the establishment of a
network of skilled Cultural Mentors in remote
communities in the NT
• Improved cultural security for both parties
• Improved GPR and Junior Doctor wellbeing and
placement satisfaction to increase the likelihood of them
returning as GPs in the future
8. Working from the Ground Up
and Both Ways
• Engaged the Ground Up team, committed to Aboriginal
authority and governance
• They negotiate collaborations that are situated in remote
Aboriginal communities and tailored to meet the specific
needs of individuals, groups, organisations, communities
and government
• They work from the ‘ground up’ – building on what
people already know and do – to facilitate innovative
local solutions
9. Working from the Ground Up
and Both Ways
• They use ‘both ways’ learning to ensure we are all
understanding and working respectfully and
productively with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
knowledge, practices and systems
• They work ‘both ways’ to improve intercultural
communication and increase engagement and
participation of government, industry and NGOs with
Aboriginal communities
10. The Pilot Cultural Mentoring Program has
THREE STRANDS
STRAND 1
Developing a
Cultural
Mentoring
Program
at Galiwin’ku
STRAND 2
Developing a
Professional
Learning Program
for local Indigenous
Cultural Mentors
STRAND 3
Developing a
process
that can be used to
negotiate similar
community-based
Cultural Mentoring
Programs in other
remote Indigenous
communities in the
NT
11. And will be implemented in
THREE STAGES
STAGE 1
Workshop in Galiwin’ku to negotiate and plan the
trial CMP
STAGE 2 Implementing, documenting, refining,
further developing and evaluating
the pilot CMP at Galiwin’ku
Re-writing the original CMP proposal
based on the trial program at Galiwin’ku
to submit in the following round of funding
STAGE 3
12. The Galiwin’ku Planning Workshop
August 2013
STAGE 1
Participants – Yolŋu community members interested in
being Cultural Mentors, Yolŋu Cultural Advisors, Yalu,
NTGPE Project Officer and Aboriginal Cultural Educators,
and the Ground Up facilitators
13. What we did?
• Worked from the GroundUp, both ways but gaining a
Yolgnu perspective of Cultural Mentoring
• There were seven (7) Yolgnu participants in the workshop
• Majority of elders with experience in this work
• Came from YALU, health, education and community
• Represented by both genders
• Workshop was held over three (3) days
• Unpacking the Cultural Mentoring Program
• Engaged YALU
21. November 2013
• Following the workshop, we presented a report using the
work produced in the workshop to NTGPE’s CEO and the
Director for Cultural and Medical Education; and to
• AMSANT CEO and Workforce Program Manager
• Shared the report with the ‘planning group’ and other
stakeholders at Galiwin’ku and keeped these groups
informed throughout the process
• Used the report to inform a funding submission for a trial
Cultural Mentoring Program at Galiwin’ku
• This program has aligned with the over-arching cultural
awareness policy currently being developed by Miwatj
Health in East Arnhem
22. This Year to Date
• Engagement of consultant Paul Bubb
• Engagement of YALU (host organisation)
• Launch of Community Cultural Mentoring Program
(CCMP)
• Commencement of CCMP
• Recruitment of four (4) – five (5) Mentors
• Workshop communication/timetabling
• Next step - Evaluation/Reporting
23. Cultural Mentors Workshop
• Familiarise Mentors to their role
• Define roles
• Develop a structure for the CCMP
• Discuss any concerns participants have
• Organise a timetable for mentoring and further
workshops and
• Bring the Doctors and Mentors together to discuss the
mentoring relationship
28. Conclusion
There are challenges …
• Defining the roles between AHPs/CEs/CMs
• Regarding time and availability of Doctors to participate
in the program given their clinic workload
• There has been significant staff changes with a CEO and
supervising GP leaving at the same time
• GPRs leaving due to untimely supervisor departure
• There are ambiguities around the roles and expectations
of the Cultural Mentors; and
• Negotiations in place to open up program to all staff
Galiwinku is a large Yolngu community of around 2500 people, situated on Elcho Island. Originally established as a mission, its population has grown significantly in recent decades.
Galiwinku is serviced by two clinics, one being Ngalkanbuy which comes under Miwatj Health which is one of AMSANT’s member services and the other being Marthakal which is also one of AMSANT’s member services.
Miwatj Health’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of residents of the communities of East Arnhem Land through the delivery of appropriate and comprehensive primary health care and to promote the control by Aboriginal communities of primary health care resources, and
AMSANT are committed to supporting and strengthening their member services and their delivery of primary health care to Aboriginal people.
NTGPE and AMSANT have a partnership that has grown over the past 2 years through the vision and commitment of their CEOs in John Patterson and Brett Dale. One of their joint initiatives is the Community Cultural Mentoring Program.
A bit of history in terms of how we got to this…
In 2009 the GPET Officer with AMSANT and NTGPE put together a joint proposal which was put to GPET for funding, however at this time the funding submission was unsuccessful
Despite this NTGPE remained committed to the concept and last year, we initiated the development of a pilot program in one community, and Galiwin’ku was chosen for this exercise.
In my early research and discussions I was fortunate enough to engage with GroundUp through The Northern Institute at CDU.
The ultimate goal of the Cultural Mentoring Program is to improve the health outcomes for Aboriginal people; and
Health practitioners working in remote communities play a big part in that and are going to have a more positive experience if they are supported and don’t feel isolated.
The best way to achieve this is utilising the existing knowledge of community members in providing cultural mentoring which is a valuable human resource.
The Cultural Mentoring Program will create jobs and the program may grow from not just supporting the health sector, to other supporting other organisations on community
Cultural security is a very real concern for both Yolgnu and Balanda, and can mean the difference between culture shock for health practitioners and better health outcomes for Yolgnu ; AND
Positive placements on community may increase the chances of GPRs and junior Drs returning as GPs in the future.
In getting started with the CCMP I was introduce to Jean Rurrukunbuy pictured here…Jean works at Ngalkanbuy clinic
She has worked in many roles administration, community worker board member, ‘Healthy Lifestyle Festival Director’ and most recently in a Cultural Advisor role
Jean now works as a cultural advisor and provides new staff with an understanding on how Ngalkanbuy and Yolgnu life works
Jean assisted us with community engagement and bringing the right people together to eventually form a Yolgnu working group.
In conjunction with this we were also able to engage the Ground Up team at the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University
GroundUp are a group of educators and researchers were sourced to assist in the early development of the program
GroundUp are committed to Aboriginal authority and Governance, Collaborations and community development, building on what people already know and facilitating local solutions.
In workshopping with the Yolgnu working group, they used ‘both ways’ learning to improve inter-cultural communication and engagement for the purpose of working between both balanda and Yolgnu worlds for both government and non government projects and programs.
The CCMP program has 3 strands…
And there are stages…stage 2 will emerge from Stage 1 and Stage 3 will emerge from Stage 2.
The purpose of the workshop at Galiwin’ku was to negotiate and plan the trial Cultural Mentoring Program at Galiwin’ku WITH participants.
Workshopped what a CCMP might look like from the Yolgnu perspective
7 Yolgnu
Majority elders
YALU
Yalu is a Yolgnu research organisation that aims to develop and run programs for the Galiwinku community that use Yolgnu ideas of teaching and learning
Yalu programs strengthen the existing models of Yolgnu learning and Yalu aims to share general knowledge about Yolgnu life
Yalu aims to develop and run programs for the Galiwin'ku community that use Yolnu ideas of teaching and learning. Yalu programs strengthen the existing models of Yolnu learning. Its aim to share general knowledge about Yolnu life.
The original discussions, consultations and relationship development included Jean Rurrukunbuy from Ngalkanbuy Health Clinic, Joanne Garngulkpuy from YALU, the NTGPE Cultural Educators, GroundUp and myself.
Joanne Garngulkpuy and David Yinngarin were participants in the CMP workshop which included elders and other very experienced community development experts who are qualified researchers.
GroundUp facilitator Juli facilitated a process for unpacking the concept of cultural mentoring through a both-ways teaching and learning experience that was very productive and successful.
This model was more akin to community development rather than ‘training’ and the work that came out of this workshop was the best I had seen and the enthusiasm was outstanding.
Participants were able to deconstruct the concept of cultural mentoring in a collaborative exercise which allowed for a comprehensive understanding and ownership of the development of the Cultural Mentoring Program and then put it all back together.
All of the work accomplished in the workshop was documented and will go into a report that will be presented to NTGPE as part of stage one of the project.
By November 2013 a report was prepared for NTGPE CEO/Director of Cultural Education and AMSANT
We Returned to Galiwinku to share report
That Report informed the last funding submission by NTGPE
An important to note is that the CCMP has aligned with the over-arching cultural awareness policy that was developed through Ngalkanbuy and Miwatj and supported and administered by Jean Rurrukunbuy.
Paul is an educator that is affiliated with the Yognu and worked closely with Joanne Garngulkpuy and others in teaching previously.
Whilst cultural mentors are equipped with the Indigenous knowledge to impart to potential GPRs, some further workshopping of the concept of mentoring was necessary including strategies for communication
A consultant was engaged to provide cultural mentors with this support, Mr Paul Bubb was known to YALU through his long association in Arnhem Land and in education
CCMP was launched in April 2014 with a community BBQ and all relevant stakeholders
A Workshop was held 17th and 18th June for cultural mentors on communication and timetabling to provide structure and direction.
Defining mentors and cultural advisors roles
Developing some structure around the CCMP
Timetabling and Timesheets and other admin processes
Bringing Drs and Mentors together to discuss the mentoring relationship and expectations.
However with workshopping any issues as they arise together and with the support of the clinics at Galiwinku we are confident that we can make this pilot community cultural mentoring program work for everybody and with lessons learnt in the pilot, develop a sustainable model for rolling out to further communities in the future.
