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Connection with curriculum |
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This topic relates to the concept: cultural safety, cultural competence
Establish strategies to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, organisations, and communities, and devise a plan to respectfully acquire cultural information in Intensive Care Medicine.
Introduction
This topic explores the ideas of being a good ally and how we can have courageous conversations when we witness things. We know that we will see things that do not support belonging and inclusion and do not foster a diverse environment. There are personal strategies and behaviours that those who witness disrespect, discrimination, and bias can adopt in response to those behaviours and support individuals (and groups) who are the targets of this behaviour. Such strategies and actions can mitigate the impact of disrespectful, discriminatory or biased behaviour.
Examples of things to do when you wish to be an ally include:
Consider standing close to the person being discriminated against or bullied if you witness discrimination or disrespect.
Make it clear to your colleagues that you won’t be involved in discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour.
Never stand by, watch or encourage discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour.
Never forward or respond to messages or photos that may be offensive or upsetting.
Support the person who is being discriminated against to ask for and get help.
Report the behaviour or action to someone in authority or someone you trust.
Lessons can be learnt about allyship and having courageous conversations from many different places. Many schools in Australia have antibullying campaigns and formal programs. If you have school-aged children, ask them what they learn about this at school and reflect on how this can be applied in your workplace.
Strengths and Deficits: How you define the problem is how you define the solution
Confused and conflated definitions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs and cultural safety lead to organisations adopting a deficit and charity approach or defining Aboriginal outcomes as a problem of Aboriginal capacity rather than a problem of institutional barriers.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs should not only be about ‘Closing the Gap’ using an ‘inclusion’ or charity approach (deficit). Instead, it should primarily be about Aboriginal knowledge and paradigms that can inform better outcomes for all (strength).
If we consider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to be the problem (e.g. not attending appointments and non-compliance), then we'll design transport solutions, for example. If we see racism and lack of cultural safety in the system as the problem, we will focus on these changes.
Reflect on how Aboriginal people are portrayed in the media, government policies and public rhetoric through the lens of the way the problem is defined: deficit or strength.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are often portrayed negatively in media, or a romanticised version of reality is portrayed. Aboriginal culture is the oldest continuing culture on the planet, but societal perceptions may convey this as old, relics, Dreamtime, rather than a continuing, evolving, continuous culture. Often the success Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people achieve is not tied back to their historical perseverance but rather to just escaping a cycle of poverty.
For those who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander doctors, this is a great achievement for the individual, their family and the community. However, the cultural self is rarely recognised in the workplace.
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Activities to facilitate learning |
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The following activities will enhance your learning on this topic.
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Read |
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- Read the perspectives on being an Indigenous Ally by Summer May Findlay, a Yorta Yorta woman.
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Review |
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- Review the paragraph (page 7) about the bystander effect that came out of the College of Surgeons work in this area
- Some bystanders take the side of the person being disrespectful or discriminatory by laughing at the recipient, encouraging the person
- Some bystanders will give silent approval or encourage the person to be disrespectful or discriminatory by looking on
- Some bystanders may watch or know about the discrimination or disrespect but don’t do anything. They may not know what to do or are scared. This group of bystanders knows that discrimination and disrespect is not ok.
- Some bystanders will be supportive and take safe action to stop a person being disrespectful or discriminatory, find help or support the recipient. This can be very difficult.
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Watch |
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- Watch the episode of Redfern Now: Pretty Boy Blue and reflect on the impacts of racial stereotyping on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce. (Please note you will need a free account to watch this episode.)
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Additional recommended resources |
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- Read about how to Support Indigenous Australians After January 26
- Explore the article Where do you fit? Tokenistic, ally – or accomplice?
- Explore the Australian Human Rights Commission website: Racism: it stops with me
- Read about Allies, Advocates and Activists
- Review the article on how to be a good ally to Indigenous Australians
- Consider the role of bystanders
Reflect on your learningSelect the image to answer the reflection question for this topic. |
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