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News
and Events…
Gamarada receives City of Sydney Matched Grant (November,
2011)
We have recently received a matched grant from the City of
Sydney. These funds will be used to produce and display
banners, which were created by participants in the
Biyanga Naminma program – students and
fathers/male carers etc living from the inner-city of
Sydney. The banners will be exhibited in Martin Place during
the Sydney Festival (from 22nd-29th
Jan, 2012)… photos to follow! Thanks to the City of Sydney
for the support in this project.
Law
and Justice Foundation Volunteer Award (October, 2011)
Gamarada have been nominated for the 2011 Law and Justice
Volunteer Award, which will be presented by the Law and
Justice Foundation of NSW. This nomination recognizes
Gamarada’s contribution to improving access to justice for
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in NSW.
Representatives from Gamarada have been invited to attend
the official presentation at the 2011 Justice Awards Dinner,
which is to be held at parliament house. The Foundation will
also present the following awards: Justice Medal, Aboriginal
Justice Award, Pro Bono Partnership Award, Law Society
President’ Award.
The nomination was as follows…
“Since
2007, Gamarada Leaders Group have volunteered their time and
skills to Gamarada Indigenous Healing and Life Training
program. The training is a weekly, three-hour men’s healing
and life-skills program for Indigenous men and youth in
Sydney’s inner city. The Leaders Group provides legal
information and direct access to legal services, and
connects participants with staff from services they might
normally avoid. Part of the program’s success is attributed
to the Leaders established networks and experience in
working with agencies such as the NSW Police Force, Juvenile
Justice, Community Legal Centres, Probation and Parole
services, and other broader community services. The personal
support they provide to participants has enabled many
Indigenous men to turn their lives around and address the
legal issues that impact on all aspects of their lives”
- Ms Sharny Chalmers, AIDS Council of NSW
New Gamarada 2 day program
(March, 2011)
The format of a new 2-day Gamarada program
was developed through a facilitated consultation and
planning workshop held in Redfern on 18-19 February, 2011.
The community consultation workshop provided an opportunity
to seek feedback from stakeholders and other community
members and have them participate in developing the program.
The workshop participants included Indigenous and
non-Indigenous, professional and non-professional, men and
women and a range of age groups. Key local leaders in the
community with experience in social and emotional wellbeing
and community empowerment were in attendance. The program
was developed with the professional guidance of a clinical
psychologist who has considerable experience working in
Indigenous social and emotional well being programs. The
proceedings and outcomes of the consultation workshop formed
the basis for the development of a portable 2-day workshop.
The workshop was piloted in Wagga Wagga in
March 2011. It was preceded by a public information session
to promote awareness of the event. The workshop was attended
by a total of 29 men and boys from a variety of
organisations and backgrounds and was viewed by all as a
great success.
Letter from Gamarada Director (Feb 2011)
Dear Friends and colleagues,
Building on the successes of our 10-week program in 2010.
The leadership team have met Tribal Council Style and agree
it is a natural progression for the organic grass roots
community initiative to evolve to enable a more flexible
delivery option of the Gamarada healing and lifeskills
program.
We are holding a workshop to develop a two-day transportable
package for delivery in Rural NSW and other regions of
Australia at the Redfern Community Centre on Friday and
Saturday, 18 - 19th February 2011, from 9am - 6pm (this
event will be fully catered). We encourage all previous
participants, supporters and people with relevant expertise
and interest to be involved (you may attend both or one of
either days).
Under the guidance of our elders and other experts in the
field of indigenous healing we have contracted a clinical
psychologist to assist in the development of the new
program. Kerrie Kelly is a non-Indigenous psychologist who
has worked in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander social and emotional wellbeing for more than a
decade. During this time, she has collaborated with several
different teams of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
colleagues. Kerrie has collaborated with Aunty Lorraine
Peeters and the Marumali Journey of Healing for more than a
decade. This has included the collaborative development of
2-day Workshop to train Indigenous counselors to provide
SEWB support to Stolen Generations, using a risk-managed
approach. The workshop obtained nationally accreditation and
was delivered by Aunt and Kerrie in a series of national
workshops supported by OATSIH in 2009.
Kerrie is one of a small number of psychologists in
Australia who have been mentored by Aboriginal elders to
become culturally competent in the area of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. She
uses this knowledge to support Indigenous colleagues to
achieve their goals/outcomes, while also meeting benchmarks
for safety and quality.
As well as writing facilitator guides etc for others, Kerrie
is also an experienced workshop facilitator herself and has
developed and delivered a number of workshops nationally.
Kerrie's experience as a facilitator assists her to develop
useful educational resources to support Indigenous
colleagues.
The development of the two-day transportable package in
February precedes our first delivery in regional NSW, Wagga
Wagga in March, 2011. Please confirm your attendance by
reply email for catering by Friday COB 11 February. On
behalf of the Gamarada team we look forward to sharing this
significant event with you.
For further information please contact Ken Zulumovski 0433
346 645
Ken Zulumovski
(Kiradahn,
Kabbi Kabbi, SE, QLD)
Indigenous Men's Access to Justice Worker
Mental Health Legal Services Project.
Warrior Dash event (January 2011)
The Warrior Dash is a mud-crawling,
fire-leaping, extreme fun run which is held on challenging
and rugged terrain designed for thrill-seeking athletes. It
requires participants to navigate their way along a 5k-race
course with 10 to 12 gruelling obstacles. Our Gamarada
leader (Ken Zulumovski) and Gamarada participants took part
in the event which was held in Glenworth Valley in the
hinterland region of the NSW Central Coast in January 2011.
Gamarada wins Premier’s Excellence Award (November 2010)
The Gamarada Men’s Healing and Life Skills Program was
awarded a NSW Premier’s Excellence Award for leadership in
Aboriginal communities. The NSW Minister for Aboriginal
affairs, Paul Lynch, made this announcement in November 2010
and said that the award recognizes the tireless effort of
Aboriginal people in NSW in building stronger communities.
The award citation was as follows…
Gamarada’s Men’s Healing and Life
Skills Program, in Redfern, is realizing the recommendations
made in the Bringing them home report, and recognizing that
emotional healing, practical support and legal information
are the best ways to break the cycle between Aboriginal men
and criminal justice system. About 200 men and boys have
participated in Gamarada’s program”
Other Premier’s Award winners include the Link-Up (NSW)
Aboriginal Corporation’s Family Link Service, The Griffith
Wiradjuri Aboriginal Pre-School, and the Deadly Sista Girlz.
Gamarada Healing Retreat for men and their sons Bundanoon
(October 2010)
A 3 day weekend camp funded by NSW Health
was held by the Gamarada Program at Bundadoon on 29 -31
October 2010 as a partnership with the Quest for Life
Foundation. The camp was attended by 19 Aboriginal men and
their sons with a program of outdoor activities and
facilitated sessions over the 3 days including bushwalks,
campfires, meditation, interactive experiential sessions and
discussion groups.
“Our group has bonded profoundly as a result of your
program. Our group has grown to new levels and I wait to see
with anticipation the positive effect that this new learning
will have on the Gamarada program” - quote from a
participant
Lord Mayor Salary Trust (April 2010)
Gamarada is grateful for the receipt of
funds from the Lord Mayor Clover Moore (MP) Salary Trust
Fund (2010). The presentation is
pictured left.
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