Healing body, mind and spirit - it's about time we took a stand

One of my boyhood mates, Mick Adams once said:

We need also to work on creating an education system that is more responsive to our boys and young men. Better education, qualifications and skills will aid our self-determination and care for our community. Of course that alone is not enough, we have to play our roles as fathers or uncles or cousins or big brothers telling our young men and boys what it means to be accepted as a proper decent functional Aboriginal man.

If we are able to do some or all of these things, we will not just regenerate ourselves as Indigenous men, but also our families and our communities.

I would like to conclude with a couple of positive initiatives that I am involved in.

The first is the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre of which I am Chair. This not-for-profit company aims, through leadership courses, networking, mentorships and other means, to encourage and support Indigenous leaders at all levels to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and vision needed to lead communities, organisations and the nation in the 21^st Century.

Since July last year, 42 men from throughout Australia have completed our certificate-level leadership course. In this course, we run separate sessions on men’s business and women’s business. These sessions provide an opportunity for participants to discuss gender-specific issues.

I am very proud of a statement of commitment, which came out of the AILC’s inaugural course in Sydney last year.

We Said:

AS MEN WE COMMIT TO

• Respecting our ancestors and elders.
• Protecting our families and communities from all forms of harm.
• Non-violent and non-discriminatory behaviours and practices.
• Respecting and supporting women.
• Respecting and understanding our culture and accepting the responsibility of rites of passage.
• Accepting and sharing the responsibilities of family and parenting.
• Responsible behaviour which provides role models for family and community.
• Nurturing and maintaining our spirituality, our language and cultural attachment to land.
• Acknowledging our history and heroes.
• Promoting partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

All ten male course participants, along with myself, fellow AILC Director Russell Taylor and our leadership specialist Eddie Watkin, signed this statement and committed to sharing it with ten men in their own communities. I believe the statement reinforces my earlier comments and can support you in the remainder of the conference. It shows that our efforts need not be grandiose, and that each one of us can make a difference if we put our words into action.