Written by Elias, Youth Council member
My name is Elias Jarvis. I’m a proud Djab Wurrung, Kirrae Wurrung and Gunditjmara man from the South West of Victoria.
I, like all other Aboriginal children and young people, come from a community of strength, love and compassion. However, too often, our children and young people enter environments, outside our communities, which fail to replicate such strength, love, and compassion.
In the absence of this care and love, our children and young people are subject to constant and brutal racism and discrimination.
I, alongside countless other Aboriginal children and young people, can recall different experiences whereby we have experienced racism and discrimination in environments and situations where we were meant to feel safe and supported.
From having slurs yelled at you, to having your identity questioned and challenged, experiences of racism continue to have a deep impact on the ability for our communities to feel culturally safe.
But what is cultural safety?
Child Safe Standard 1 creates an obligation for organisations to ‘establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued’.
Cultural safety is an integral component of the wellbeing of Aboriginal people and communities, especially children and young people. In feeling culturally safe in organisations, our children and young people can learn, grow, develop, and be active members of their communities.
Conversely, cultural unsafety at its core is a direct by-product of racism. When Aboriginal children and young people are subject to racist ideologies and approaches, their ability to confirm their sense of belonging and cultural safety is ultimately inhibited.
Cultural unsafety can be evoked from various experiences and avenues for children and young people. Bullying, bias, ignorance, and tokenism towards Aboriginal children and young people are some of the primary forms of racism which create culturally unsafe environments of Aboriginal children and young people.
Primarily, feelings and experiences of cultural unsafety are coupled with experiences of racism. Racism communicated by peers, educators, and other staff, are detrimental to the wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people. To create culturally safe environments, it is imperative to acknowledge that racism in fact exists and has profound negative impacts on Aboriginal children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing.
However, to do this, there is significant work that needs to be done to understand that racism isn’t limited to outwardly aggressive comments about race. Rather microaggressions and covert racism are equally as pertinent and detrimental to Aboriginal children and young people’s wellbeing.
Acknowledging racism exists is merely the first step. To address racism that people, organisations, and communities hold, effort and attention must be given to unlearning these practices and thoughts.
Too often, organisations and groups seek to display Aboriginal culture as a way of addressing racism. Although these efforts bring attention to culture, effort must be given to addressing racism. Culture isn’t the problem; racism is the problem.
Further, another key contributor to creating cultural unsafety in environments is a sense of objectivity and exclusion of Aboriginal people and communities. Efforts to foster culturally safe environments should be informed and led by Aboriginal people and communities. In creating safe spaces where Aboriginal children, young people, and their families can safely share their knowledges and experiences are key in improving and reconstructing policies, approaches, and practices to keep our children and young people well and safe in any environment.
In practice, this authentic and meaningful engagement rests on the principle of building and forming respectful and appropriate relationships within Aboriginal communities and organisations. For far too long, Aboriginal people and communities have intentionally been excluded from the design and implementation of policies and initiatives. As a result, racist ideologies and perceptions of Aboriginal people and communities seep into the day-to-day experiences of Aboriginal children and young people. Thus, it is critical Aboriginal voices, experiences, and knowledges are accredited with weight and authority to drive change and inform policies – no matter how abstract they may seem. Equally, Aboriginal ways of knowing being and doing don’t exclusively provide benefit to Aboriginal people. These knowledges and ways of being are beneficial to everyone – irrespective of race.
Our communities are the experts in keeping our children well, safe, and strong. We have the answers. We have the solutions.
Without engaging with and enacting on these solutions, cultural unsafety continues to deepen. Cultural unsafety cannot become normalised. Aboriginal children and young people have the right to be culturally safe, it’s time to honour and uphold this.
Learn more about cultural safety
Establishing culturally safe environments is a requirement for organisations under the Child Safe Standards.
We have a guide to help you understand cultural safety and how to establish a culturally safe environment in your organisation.