Bridging Cultures: Kylie Shea sparks dialogue at Cultural Competency Workshop

Jim Castro, Maureen Hilton and Teresa Huyn.

“If there’s no understanding, how can we move forward?” Kylie Shea, a Ngunnawal woman and facilitator, asked the participants at the Cultural Competency workshop on 31 August.

The Catholic Women’s Taskforce organised the one-day event in response to the Plenary Council’s recommendation to “Develop the cross-cultural competency of all workers and volunteers in the Catholic Church to enable more effective and appropriate ministry with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.

Twenty-five lay, religious and clergy participants from various ministries and parishes deepened their understanding of racism, generational trauma and empowerment as Kylie shared stories from her family. Kylie warned against generalising Aboriginal people and encouraged people of goodwill to engage in truth-telling and conversation.

A particular gift from the day was the presentation of the Ngunnawal people’s website, which provides reliable education on cultural heritage, resources on local languages, contacts for Welcome to Country, and much more.  Those attending were encouraged to use these services and others that Aboriginal people run.

Jim Castro challenged fellow participants, saying, “Change of heart doesn’t happen through one workshop. It’s something you must work at for a long time.”

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, the peak Indigenous advisory body to the Catholic Bishops of Australia, provides a foundational Online Cross-Cultural Competency Course for all Catholic workers, volunteers, Clergy and Religious.