Community Work Archives - Page 2 of 3 - ...metaphorically speaking

“You Don’t Have to Know Everything“ with Diana Jans

May 17, 2018

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It is a short but oh so sweet conversation, this week on ‘Talk the Walk’. As is so often the case, social workers are busy people and taking a half hour out of the daily schedule is precious time. My guest is Diana Jans, an Aboriginal maternal health social worker with Apunipima Cape York Health Council. After several years working as a teacher with vulnerable children, it was obvious to Diana she needed more skills to be able to meet their needs. Join me, as we take a quick trip down memory lane with Diana and discover what it takes to be a remote social worker.

In episode 23 of Talk the Walk, we explore:

What drew Diane to a career in Social Work after years of teaching in the Cape York region
A typical day in the life of a maternal health social worker and the challenges facing pregnant Aboriginal women in remote Australia
What it means to Diane to be living and working on the country where her great, great grandparents were born
Why her mum would say Diane was destined to be a social worker because of the value, beliefs and principles installed in her early life, as survivors of the Stolen Generation
The soon to be released journal article called “Coming To Town”, an initiative of service providers in Cairns supporting pregnant mums travelling for medical appointments
Key findings from their research and lessons for social workers and other allied health workers in providing a culturally supportive service
Diane’s advice for social workers just starting out in the field and the kind of attributes needed for remote work

To listen to this episode simply click on the Play button below or listen via the Stitcher App for iOS, Android, Nook and iPad.

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Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

‘Coming to Town’ will be available soon via the Apunipima Cape York Health Council website

Contact Diana Jans on 07 4037 7100

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The painting created by Yolngu communities for FAST NT

‘Knowing your Why and Finding your How’ with Malcolm Galbraith

May 2, 2018

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In this episode of Talk the Walk, we delve into the working life of Malcolm Galbraith, Manager of Families and Schools Together (FAST) in the Northern Territory. We discover not only what makes FAST one of the most successful strengths-based programs in remote Australia, but what drives the man behind the project. A man of strong Christian faith, Malcolm admits some of his ideas might be controversial, yet the evidence speaks for itself – Yolngu people love it! Before you scoff at the idea of bringing an American-based program into an Indigenous Australian context, listen to this story. As intriguing as it is thoughtful, this behind the scenes tour of FAST NT may just turn your worldview on its head.

In episode 21 of Talk the Walk, we explore:

The underpinning principles which contributes to the success of the FAST program working across cultures
Essentials for engaging vulnerable Aboriginal families successfully
The stories and symbols of meaning in the painting (pictured here) symbolising the work of FAST in remote communities, developed with Yolŋu staff of NE Arnhemland
Malcolm’s journey from tradie, to youth worker, to heading up a Family Strengthening program in the Northern Territory
The good old fashioned family values inherited from early life experiences that Malcolm brings to his Management role
What values mean to Malcolm and how these spill over into workplace relationships, negotiating boundaries and understanding cultural differences
The challenge of the concept of equity and how this plays out in the lives of people Malcolm works with
What sets FAST apart from other NGO and Government service providers which has earned them respect from local communities
The importance of self awareness when things don’t go as planned (because they won’t) and strengths-based routines with staff that bring out the best in each other, to promote the best outcomes for clients
Indicators of success from FAST parents and teachers
Malcolm’s influencers and how his Christian faith has shaped his life’s work and developed his “why’
Malcolm’s disclosure around qualifications on paper versus good practice, and traversing the space between academia and field work
The sorts of transferable skills, knowledge and values that is essential to this work
And much, much more

The painting was created by Yolŋu communities for FAST NT

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

Viktor Frankl

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory of ecological development of children

FAST Northern Territory

FAST Australia website

FAST International website

Email Mal at mal.galbraith(at)fastnt(dot)org(dot)au

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Just some of the beautiful trees that spoke to Anne around the community and on homelands.

‘Opening Doors and Letting Stories Unfold’ with Anne Carrick

February 7, 2018

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Anne Carrick working on Kunibidji country

In episode 20 of ‘Talk the Walk’, my guest today captures the essence of what it takes to move from a big city to a remote community in the heart of Arnhemland. Social Worker, Anne Carrick spent three years immersed in community life and working in a social and emotional well-being program alongside 13 language groups and clans, each with their similar but different traditions living on Kunibidji land. Anne says “This is one of the most multi-lingual communities in the world.”

If you’ve ever considered working remote or wondered what it is like, Anne’s stories, memories and lessons learned are pure gold.

In this episode we explore:

Anne’s early learnings working with Aboriginal people as a young social worker in Adelaide and Ceduna
The thinking and motivation behind Anne’s move to the Northern Territory
One article every Balanda (whitefella) needs to read before working in Aboriginal communities
A typical day working in the social and emotional wellbeing program in a remote Aboriginal community
The effects of daily life being exposed to frequent domestic violence and suicide attempts
The role Elders and leaders took in responding to domestic and family violence
The outcomes Anne was able to achieve assisting women, children and families
How a social work assessment process differs in a remote community compared to a more urban settling, and the role of Aboriginal workers
How the community shaped new understandings of mental health using the positive concept of living a life ‘worried well’
Anne’s experience of supervising social work students; what students can do to prepare themselves for a remote placement; and good advice for anyone thinking of working remote
Anne’s challenges and struggles; and what sustained her
The vision, principles and values inherent in Anne’s social work practice framework and how she advocated for this in a system which had different ideas about tackling social issues
Tracing Anne’s ethics and values back to early childhood
The wake up call that may help you prevent burnout
Accessing good supervision and support

Just some of the beautiful trees that spoke to Anne around the community and on homelands.

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

‘Kartiya are like Toyotas’ by Kim Mahood

“National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s Mental Health and Social and Emotional Well-Being 2017-2023“, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (October 2017)

Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portal, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Contact Anne Carrick on anne475esp(at)hotmail(dot)com

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‘Taking the time to build relationships’ with Louise O’Connor

December 14, 2017

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There’s something about the blue sky, the sparse landscape and the weaving of cultural stories that drew Louise O’Connor to Australia’s red centre. Far from her homeland of Ireland and not satisfied with the big city lights of Melbourne, Louise O’Connor packed up her meagre belongings and head to Alice Springs. She found herself working with the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council as a Domestic and Family Violence Case Worker and hasn’t looked back. Since arriving, Louise has been drawn to narrative therapy as an approach for working respectfully with Aboriginal women. She now supports a team of case workers implementing the Council’s new domestic and family violence prevention framework developed in consultation with the Australian Childhood Foundation and the large group of women they support in the NPY lands. Louise brought with her a long history of case work with refugees and asylum seekers, youth and people at risk of homelessness or in crisis, both in Australia and Ireland. Louise’s passion for sharing stories and helping others tell theirs shines through in my conversation this week on ‘Talk the Walk’.

In episode 18, we explore:

Why Louise uplifted her life in Melbourne to venture into Central Australia and how she got started in community work
A brief history of the NPY Women’s Council and its work
A typical day in the life of a domestic and family violence caseworker in the NPY lands
How the Women’s Council moved away from a justice focus to a violence prevention framework using a trauma-informed, community development, narrative therapeutic approach to practice
What Louise loves about her job and her journey into narrative therapy
How Aboriginal women are developing their own tools of narrative practice for use in their community
The everyday challenges of remote work and what Louise does to look after herself
The ‘strong stories board’ project – one of Louise’ sparkling moments
Louises biggest learnings and awesome words of advice for community development and social workers thinking of working with remote Aboriginal communities

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

The NPY Women’s Council domestic and family violence service

Download the Family violence Prevention Framework

Episode 15 – ‘Telling the Stories of Our Lives’ with Sudha Coutinho

Contact Louise on lou_oconnor33(at)hotmail(dot)com

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“Telling the Stories of our Lives” with Sudha Coutinho

November 1, 2017

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You don’t have to search too far to listen to the stories of despair, destruction or trauma in Aboriginal communities. These are widely played out in our media. However if we listen with intention much deeper, we will find something richer and more telling. The absent but implicit in these stories, are signs of strength, hope and resilience.

Listening in this way is a practice that goes to the heart of Sudha Coutinho’s clinical and community development work. Sudha trained as an occupational therapist and was drawn to narrative therapy as a way of engaging her clients in the fields of mental health, suicide prevention and training.

I came across one of Sudha’s more recent projects when I was invited to respond to some stories collected as part of the Telling Stories project in Kulumbaru. Sudha says she has “always been interested in stories- those we tell about ourselves and those others tell about us – and the power in these stories to influence both the storyteller and the listener.”

Sudha also tells a really good story herself. With over 20 years working in the Northern Territory, alongside and with Indigenous Australians, this episode is one bloody good yarn.

In episode 15 of Talk the Walk, we explore:

How Sudha came to be working in the Kimberley, discovering herself and her way in occupational therapy from a narrative perspective
Why moving away from the ‘expert model’ to share our own story is essential for relationship building
What a genuine cultural immersion looks and feels like
Moving from a medicalised mental health/psychiatry model of clinical practice to a focus on social and emotional wellbeing
Indigenous concepts of wellbeing which incorporate spiritual and cultural aspects of self
Practice as an art, not just a science
Sudha and the team filming on location in Kalumburu

How ‘Telling Stories’ came to be; the intent and thinking behind the project and the narrative methodology behind the approach
The digital archives of strength, hope and resilience featuring stories of Kalumburu community; and how these stories were gathered
The role and power of outsider witness practices; and the effect this had re-authoring the Kalumburu community story
How you can watch the stories from Kalumburu and what to include in a response back to the community
Sudha’s biggest challenges commonly shared amongst community development projects and how to think creatively to overcome them
Evaluating a narrative project
A story about the effect the Kalumburu stories project has had on Sudha’s personal life; and what Sudah loves about narrative practice
How listening to difficult stories can actually be transforming in positive ways for practitioners and not always a cause for vicarious trauma or burnout
An invitation for you to join the conversation about how you listen to story within your own practice. Please write a comment below or join the conversation on Facebook.

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

Telling Our Stories in Ways that Make us Stronger by Barbara Wingard and Jane Lester

Watch a video and send a message back to the Kalumburu community and the storyteller at the Telling Story project on vimeo

Sudha’s blog about the Telling Story project on ABC Open

Contact Sudha Coutinho at sudhacoutinho(at)gmail(dot)com

Contact the Telling Story project at tellingstoryproject(at)gmail(dot)com

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Elaine plays a key part in the family healing ceremony.

“The gifts of learning and healing – your way and my way” with Elaine Tiparui

October 25, 2017

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When elders speak, we sit up and take notice. My guest today on Talk the Walk is someone I have listened to throughout my working career on the Tiwi Islands. In fact, I’m proud to call her my mentor. Elaine Tiparui is an Elder of Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island. Elaine has a long history of helping her people, beginning with the Alcoholics Anonymous movement in the 1980’s, training and working as an Aboriginal health worker and many years volunteering her time for non-government organisations delivering alcohol and drug programs, child and family counselling and support services.

I set out to explore two things in this conversation; firstly Elaine’s experience of working alongside non-indigenous social workers and counsellors and what advice she might have for new people entering remote communities, and secondly, Elaine’s knowledge in relation to the healing power of the bush. I am a real advocate for social workers incorporating Indigenous knowledge and skills into social work interventions and therapeutic plans. While I have been able to incorporate some of this knowledge into healing bush camps and individual client sessions, there is so much more potential with proper funding and support.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did, reflecting on a ten year working relationship and the things we’ve learned from each other along the way. It has been my biggest highlight and great privilege to co-create the Healing Our Children project with Elaine. Communication with Aboriginal people whose first language is not English is never easy, so I’m grateful to Elaine for sticking with me during this conversation in my native tongue. Apologies also for the cacophony of community sounds in the background!

In this episode, we explore:

Why Elaine chose to work alongside mainstream non-government organisations in her community
The history of the Wurrumiyanga community on the Tiwi Islands and Elaine’s experience of growing up in the Catholic Mission
What social workers and counsellors need to be mindful of when entering a remote community for the first time
the reciprocal benefits of co-working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge
Elaine’s gift of introducing new workers to the culture, healing traditions and a spiritual way of understanding the Tiwi people
Elaine’s view of the skills and knowledge of non-Indigenous workers as a gift of healing for the Tiwi people
Self determination and what this means for non-Indigenous workers coming into a remote community
How non-Indigenous workers can build trust and respect in a new community
Why ‘going out bush’ is the best form of intervention for many of the health and wellbeing issues affecting children, adults or families
Elaine teaching her grandson to find yams

Elaine’s stories of healing children and families out bush through teaching, hunting and bush medicine
The gift of listening and feeling trees that Elaine inherited from her ancestors, and the messages trees are communicating to us
The healing power of the bush in healing, mourning and celebration ceremonies, and recovery from emotional hurt and mental health issues
Elaine’s story as a witness to a healing ceremony for a Tiwi girl who had been removed as a baby and reunited with Tiwi family; a collaboration between Child Protection, an NGO and the strong women

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

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‘Magic Wand Dreaming’ with Emily Hapea

September 20, 2017

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What’s it like to walk in two worlds, as a non-Indigenous social worker in a remote Aboriginal community, fresh out of university?

While that might seem daunting, Emily Hapea saw the opportunity for growth, developing authentic relationships and honouring the truth of First Nations Australians.

Emily lives and works in Cairns in northern Queensland. In this episode of ‘Talk the Walk’, Emily shares the journey that has shaped her understanding of trauma-informed practice influenced by experiences of institutional racism and a denial of Australia’s black history.

Like many social workers who are expected to wave a magic wand, Emily prefers to draw on deeply engrained values of equality, compassion for others and a sense of justice, to create a way of working that sustains her.

In this refreshing conversation, we explore:

- The beginnings of Emily’s social justice journey from childhood; the influences and myths that have shaped her ethics and values in life and work
- Why Emily believes that it is impossible to be born in Australia and avoid being racist
- Seeing intergenerational trauma as a truth, not a theory
- Emily’s framework for social work practice
- Beginnings and sparkling moments from working with vulnerable Aboriginal women seeking to get Child Protection out of their life, working within Noel Pearson’s Welfare Reform agenda for Cape York, and an innovative accommodation and early intervention support service for new mums
- The biggest learnings of being thrown in the deep end, fresh out of university into Cape York communities
- What can help when starting work in a new cultural context and the importance of developing relationships with cultural mentors
- Differences between social work in Indigenous and mainstream contexts
- The knowledge and skills Emily developed that she wouldn’t have, if she hadn’t worked with Indigenous communities
- Advice for social workers new to the field
- The sickness of denial about Australia’s true history and owning our racism, contrasted with Aboriginal people’s resilence and passion
- What Emily would do if she had a magic wand

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

‘Trauma Trails’ by Professor Judy Atkinson

‘Why weren’t we told’ by Henry Reynolds

Jackie Huggins

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‘Allowing Voices to be Heard’ with Toni Woods

September 6, 2017

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An advocate for ‘two way’ relationships and “not being a seagull” – Toni Woods

Do you know what it’s like to meet up with an old friend you haven’t seen for years and feel like you picked up exactly where you left off? That’s what my conversation felt like this week on Episode 9 of ‘Talk the Walk’. Nine years after crossing paths on our respective journeys, I reconnected with an old friend and colleague, Toni Woods.

Toni now lives in Canberra and works as an Implementation Specialist with the Intensive Family Support Service (IFSS) which sees her travelling back to the Northern Territory to provide practice coaching with her team. Prior to that Toni worked in remote Aboriginal communities supporting women and children living with domestic and family violence, project co-ordination of child-friendly safe houses and community development with urban Aboriginal school communities around Darwin. Toni has worked alongside Aboriginal people in supervision and management, developing creative-culturally safe educational resources, training and mentoring, project management, counselling and family support. She is gearing up to head off to the SNAICC Conference in Canberra next week, to support her colleague Faye Parriman in presenting her amazing resource and share their current work with the IFSS project. Be sure to say hello, if you happen to be there!

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Toni as we look back on almost a decade of her incredible development work.

In this episode, we explore:

Toni’s yearning to respond to social injustices and human rights violations she observed after arriving in Darwin and the NT Emergency Intervention was introduced
What Midnight oil, nursing strikes and Jon Lennon has to do with Toni’s commitment to these ethics and values
How challenging moments are actually opportunities for good work to happen (especially when you have the courage to talk to the Federal Opposition Leader!)
Hearing stories from people, ownership of story and the dilemmas around sharing story when there are issues of collective injustice
The joy of work that advocates for and engages local community members in making decisions about their own families and communities
The skills and knowledge needed to co-ordinate an urban Aboriginal community project to improve school attendance; and the learnings and outcomes achieved
Lessons learnt about the importance of the implementation phase in running a successful project
The role of the Parenting Research Centre and the development of culturally safe resources available through the Raising Children network
Toni’s long established collaborative relationship with Senior Aboriginal woman Faye Parriman and the cross-cultural work they have achieved together
How the Yarning Mat tool came about through Faye’s visionary dream, a tool to engage Aboriginal parents in the Intensive Family Support Service; an introduction to the elements and how it is used from engagement and assessment to review and closure.
Reflections on Toni’s ‘two-way working’ relationship with Faye and the elements that built respect and trust

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after the episode

The Parenting Research Centre

The Raising Children Network

Faye Parriman on the Yarning Mat

National Implementation Research Network

Contact Toni Woods on LinkedIn or via email at twoods(at)parentingrc.org.au

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Another day in the life of a remote social worker

‘Giving Back to Community’ with Alison Grant

August 16, 2017

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Alison with a local Centrelink worker on the Tiwi Islands

On Episode 6 of ‘Talk the Walk’ I sit down and chat with Alison Grant. This is the first time we had met and it seemed appropriate to invite her along to my favourite haunt in Darwin, a community café run by volunteers at my local community garden. This set the scene for a delightful conversation with Alison, full of birds, children playing piano and lots of other people making fun connections over fair trade tea and coffee.

Alison arrived in the Northern Territory in 2010, taking up a locum position at the VicDaly Shire Council to set up a community development and education initiative to reduce the disadvantage of Aboriginal women on surrounding remote communities.

Alison then moved to Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Services in Katherine as the Coordinator of Targeted Family Support Services, a pilot program aimed at reducing the incidence of statutory interventions. Alison worked with families with high needs requiring intensive family supports, due to substance abuse, incarceration, disability, family violence and poverty.

And her current role is just as demanding, flying in and out of remote communities across the NT undertaking crisis intervention, assessments for crisis payments and supporting vulnerable Centrelink customers who may be experiencing financial exploitation, homelessness or domestic violence. Alison also works in the School Enrolment and Attendance Measure program.

Another day in the life of a remote social worker

In this episode of ‘Talk the Walk’ we explore:

Alison’s interest in language and how she came to be working with Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory
Humble beginnings noticing cultural differences to her own Fijian heritage
A typical day in the life of a social worker in a remote community health clinic
Leaving off the rose coloured glasses and adopting a realistic view of making a difference
What it’s like being a migrant social worker and living with culture shock
Providing essential Centrelink services in a remote context
Why giving back to the community is a driving passion for Alison
Alison’s biggest struggles as a feminist in a patriarchal world
The ethics, values and principles guiding Alison in her work
Insights into the factors contributing to ‘the gap’ in health in Aboriginal communities
Alison’s top 3 skills, abilities and knowledge for surviving and thriving in remote social work
Alison’s keys to building respectful relationships
Differences between social work with Aboriginal communities and other contexts
Implications of understanding the kinship system
Alison’s final tip for those starting out their career in this field

So make yourself a cuppa, put your feet up and just click on the Play button below. Join Alison and I as we ‘Talk the Walk’ in our local community.

We hope to have ‘Talk the Walk’ listed on popular podcatchers like iTunes very soon. Or subscribe by email via our Home Page.

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.

Things to follow up after this episode

Connect with Alison Grant on LinkedIn

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‘Just Start with the Little Things’ with Tony Kelly

August 9, 2017

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Do you remember the first time when you heard your favourite song?

Anthony Kelly, co-author of ‘With Head, Heart and Hand: Dimensions of Community Building’

I remember very clearly the first time I was introduced to Paul Kelly’s ‘From little things big things grow’. I was sitting in a lecture on ‘Working with Indigenous communities’ with Tony Kelly. I was moved, confronted and teary. It was the moment that a small flame was sparked in me. I remember it so clearly. Unexpectedly, the voice in my head piped up and said ‘this is the work you will do’. So I latched onto Tony as an idol and from there a little spark grew.

It was an absolute privilege (and entirely nerve-wracking) for me to reconnect with Tony Kelly recently and bring you this conversation. That same gentle and invitational demeanour of Tony’s took me back to where my heart for this work began. To revisit, the ‘head, heart and hand’ dialogical community development approach which Tony espoused, reconnected me with the principles that I fell in love with, all those years ago and which has shaped more than any other modality, the practitioner I have become today.

Tony brings over 40 years of experience in community development work both in Australia’s indigenous communities and globally. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Episode 5 of ‘Talk the Walk’ explores:

How Tony came to be working in the Northern Territory after the acknowledgement of Indigenous Land Rights
Learnings from entering Aboriginal communities for the first time
The foundation, principles and technicalities behind the dialogical approach to community development
The skill of really listening
The delight of big things that grow from little things
How participatory development programs differ from service delivery; and why governments rarely get it right
Small first steps for social workers in getting started in a dialogical approach to your work
How Tony’s ‘head, heart and hand’ approach differs from other community development approaches
Tony’s struggles of witnessing ‘white on black’ racism, ‘black on white’ racism and ‘black on black’ racism, and how these experiences shaped his international work
Tony’s biggest learnings from the Northern Territory and its influence in global community development
A funny story about a pet kangaroo!
Essential tools for your communication toolbox
The mentors that helped Tony develop an international perspective to his work
Making sense of the text of people’s complicated lives

Just click on the Play Button below and enjoy! We hope to have ‘Talk the Walk’ listed on popular podcatchers like iTunes very soon. Or subscribe by email via our Home Page.

Don’t forget, if you or someone you know would make a great interview on ‘Talk the Walk’, send us an email from the Contact Page.