This NAIDOC Week (6-13 July) marks 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices and with this, Centacare has rounded out a series of ten Yarning Circles, reinforcing its vision for an Australia where Indigenous voices are not only heard but light the way.
Centacare’s Gold Coast Hub offers a place where Gold Coast families, children and adults can access a range of specialist services including family law counselling, family dispute resolution, family and relationship counselling and domestic and family violence support.
The practice team have long been committed to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by First Nations families on the Gold Coast and ensuring the Hub was a welcoming and supportive space that delivered vital services in a culturally safe, sensitive and appropriate way.
Centacare Senior Coordinator Ximena Alvarez said the service recognised a significant need for support, particularly for families experiencing difficulties and prioritised ensuring these vital services are culturally safe and appropriate. To genuinely connect and learn, the team sought guidance from First Nations Consultant Toni Janke.
“With Toni’s invaluable help we embraced the traditional practice of a Yarning Circle,” said Ms Alvarez. “This allowed us to deepen our cultural understanding and learn directly from Elders, gaining insights into how we can enrich and adapt our support to truly meet the needs of First Nations families.”
Ms Alvarez emphasised the daily work of Centacare practitioners with families in crisis, acknowledging the vulnerability often seen within First Nations families. “Our aim is to ensure their safety and provide tailored support through counselling, mediation, and programs for children and adults – whatever is needed for them to feel safe and empowered to build their best future.”
The two-hour Yarning Circles, facilitated by Toni Janke over shared lunches, brought together Centacare practitioners with local Elders and First Nations representatives from community organisations and government agencies, including Services Australia, Queensland Police, Queensland Health, Griffith University, and NDIS.
“Our first Yarning Circle in August last year began with seven participants,” Ms Alvarez shared. “We’ve seen our numbers steadily grow to 18, which is truly wonderful. This journey has allowed us to build trusting relationships and foster a stronger sense of connection within the broader community.”
Centacare is currently pausing the Yarning Circles to consolidate these vital learnings with Ms Janke and thoughtfully integrate them into their service delivery. Ms Alvarez affirmed that Centacare remains dedicated to ongoing engagement with Yarning Circle members as new initiatives are developed, ensuring a continuous, respectful, and adaptive approach.
“One of the first things we’ll be looking at is how we can enlist the support of a community Elder to help deliver our Seasons for Growth program for First Nations children,” said Ms Alverez. “This small group program is for children and young people aged 6-18 years who are adjusting to life after a loss or big change. It’s important for us to ensure cultural safety for participants and to promote the benefits for the program to the community”.
Centacare, alongside its partner organisations in the Archdiocese of Brisbane is implementing its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Exploring and establishing new opportunities for engagement between the Archdiocese of Brisbane and First Nations Peoples by consulting with and listening to the voices of First Nations Peoples within church agencies parishes, communities, external stakeholder groups and Elders is a key pillar of the plan.