Collaborative Strategies for Ensuring Cultural and Emotional Safety in Project Work

1. DRAFT WORKING TOGETHER SAFELY SESSION DR YVONNE CLARK RESEARCH FELLOW: HEALING THE PAST BY NURTURING THE FUTURE PROJECT & LECTURER, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

2. Context The session is to assist those involved with the Healing the past by nurturing the future (HPNF) project to feel culturally and emotional safe. That is feeling safe and secure about your identities, culture, community, your skills, your role in the project, etc. Once you are feeling safe, secure within yourself it is envisaged that you will be comfortable to work together with others involved in the project to work toward a common project goal. The project goal- is to assist in developing strategies to identify and support Indigenous parents who have experienced complex trauma in their own childhoods.

3. There is some confusion and debate about the words that describe cultural safety and cultural security. Cultural safety encapsulates the relationships that we need to foster in our communities and with other communities. CULTURAL SAFETY Both concepts of cultural safety and security require the creation of: environments of cultural resilience within Indigenous communities; and cultural competency by those who engage with Indigenous communities. In other words cultural safety can help bullet proof our communities- so that they are protected from the weaponary of lateral violence within our communities (AHRC, 2011) Government and other parties need to ensure that our group cohesion does not become collateral damage when they engage with our communities (AHRC, 2011)

4. What is Lateral Violence? Racism Power Control OPRESSORS Internal racism Loss and grief Social and emotional wellbeing Mental health Multiple and complex traumas Helplessness Anger ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

5. TRIGGERS • ECONOMICS/ MONEY • ASSOCIATE/RELATIONSHIP • SOCIAL POSITION/ROLE/JOB • BEHAVIOR • FAMILY MEMBERSHIP • DIFFERENCE • EDUCATION • BODY LANGUAGE • EYE, HAIR, SKIN COLOR • TONE OF VOICE • SEXUAL ORIENTATION • CLOTHES • GENDER • HISTORY • BLOOD QUANTUM • HEALTH/ DISABILITY • CULTURE • SPIRITUALITY

6. BEHAVIOURS  GOSSIP  JEALOUSY  REVENGE  BLAMING AND JUDGING  SHAMING AND GUILT MAKING  SHUNNING/IGNORING  NEGATIVE LABELING  EMPHASIZING THE NEGATIVE  FINANCIAL GREEDINESS  FINANCIAL DISABLING  FIRING OR THREAT OF FIRING  VERBAL ATTACKS  SELECTIVE HIRING  PHYSICAL ATTACKS  BACK STABBING  BULLYING.  ATTACKING FRIENDS, FAMILY MEMBERS, ASSOCIATES ETC  OBSESSIVE CONCERN ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON’S BEHAVIOR  MEMO’S/INTERNALLY DISTRIBUTED NEWSLETTERS/PAPERS/ EMAILS THAT VERBALLY ATTACK, OFTEN ANONYMOUSLY  IMPOSING RULES AND REGULATIONS TO MAINTAIN POWER AND CONTROL BY ONE PERSON/GROUP  SABOTAGE OF PROJECTS AND JOBS  FAMILY FEUDING/ORGANIZATION FEUDING

7. THE EFFECTS/ IMPACTS OF LATERAL VIOLENCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY • FEELING SHAME • BLAMING EVERYONE/EVERYTHING ELSE • LITTLE OR NO VOLUNTEERISM • NO HEALTHY COMMUNICATION • ISOLATION • TERRITORIAL • CONTROLLING BEHAVIORS • CHAOS • LACK OF TRUST • DEFENSIVE • FAVORITISM AND NEPOTISM • NOT RESPECTING LINES OF AUTHORITY • CHILDREN LEARN UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS • QUALITY OF SERVICES DIMINISH • HIGHLY DEFENSIVE SYSTEM • JUDGMENTAL AND CRITICAL PEOPLE • UNWILLING TO CHANGE • RIGID POWER STRUCTURE • FEAR • BULLYING • INSTABILITY AND INSECURITY • UNHEALTHY BOUNDARIES

8. Role play- the development of lateral violence over time

9. These are common values, often embraced in workplaces/ projects/ research, that help people work together collaboratively and safely Respect POTENTIAL PROJECT VALUES Commitment Participation Honesty Confidentiality Lawfulness/ fairness

10. GROUP WORK EXERCISE DETERMINING IDEAS/PROTOCOLS FOR WORKING TOGETHER SAFELY • GIVEN WHAT YOU KNOW OF ABOUT LATERAL VIOLENCE AS A DIVISIVE PROCESS - HOW DO YOU NOW WORK COLLABORATIVELY TOGETHER AS ONE AND ENSURE CULTURAL AND EMOTIONAL SAFETY FOR ALL THOSE WORKING IN THE PROJECT?

11. You will be assigned to one of these tables representing: • Team members and stakeholders • Service providers and families • The broader community, indigenous community and elders • Indigenous and non-indigenous EXERCISE • How will you work together and support each other across your cohorts/groups? • How will each cohort provide and gain (respect, commitment, participation, honesty, confidentiality, lawfulness/fairness) to the other cohorts? At each table please document/ brainstorm