GAMARADA
Community Healing and Leadership initiatives
Gamarada Indigenous Healing & Life Training - Community Empowerment
About Gamarada
Gamarada, is a not for profit community organisation delivering programs that address issues relating to mental health social and emotional well being. Gamarada programs are available for all ages, genders and are sensitive to the GLBTI communities. Gamarada programs are delivered in a framework that encompasses trauma informed care, western therapeutic models and indigenous wisdom traditions including 'Dadirri', NT Daly River (deep listening).
Gamarada emerged out of recognition of the necessity for more specialist programs to address the needs of groups at risk of suicide or self harm, family violence, violence against women, incarceration, addictions, community members at risk of marginalisation and homelessness. Gamarada means 'comrades or friends' in the Gadigal (Sydney) language.
"Healing is a spiritual process that includes therapeutic change and cultural renewal." (2008 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner's Social Justice Report)
Traditional Indigenous healing methods form the core of the program with some Eastern and Western influences. Throughout the program there is also an emphasis on practical techniques including stress and anger management and the promotion of life skills.
Who are our programs for?
Our programs may benefit a wide range of individuals, including but not limited to the following:
Mr Ken Zulumovski, ‘Kira-dhan, (Kabi Kabi first nation)
Ken is a graduate of the ‘Djurawang, (Bachelor, Health Sciences, Mental Health CSU). His career spans
20 years in health program development and delivery with Indigenous communities. Ken held a part-
time career in the Royal Australian Army where for 8 years he trained as an artillery crew commander
and a defense force representative on Indigenous engagement and career development programs.
Ken is Managing Director and Founder of Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources (GUIR). GUIR
specialises in the promotion of personal, professional and organisational performance in private,
government, and community sectors. GUIR’s strengths are derived from capacities in: professional
services, therapeutic programs and community engagement. GUIR's spheres of influence include:
Education, Justice, Mental Health, Health Care and Employment. GUIR provides solutions in:
restorative justice, education and training for teachers, students, GP’s and allied health professionals
as well as community engagement initiatives across the Social and Emotional Well Being and Healing
spectrums. GUIR specialises in Coaching with the GUIR’s COURAGE Coaching Model. This model
incorporates clinical therapeutic resources with Indigenous wisdom traditions for a balanced
framework for Cultural Supervision, and Performance Coaching. GUIR works to promote community
cohesion with a focus on marginalised groups such as youth who may be at risk of radicalism.
www.guir.com.au
In the not for profit Sector, Ken led the establishment of Gamarada Indigenous Healing and Life
Training Pty Ltd. This charity responds to the therapeutic and educational need for culturally sensitive
community mental health, healing and life skills programs targeting, community disengagement,
family violence, addiction and suicide prevention. This work was independently validated by UNSW.
Gamarada functions to improve access to Justice, In 2010 Gamarada received the NSW Department
of Premier and Cabinet with an Excellence Award for Building Leadership in Indigenous Communities.
In 2019 Ken received the honorary award of ‘Doctor of Health Sciences’, by The University of Sydney