AMAA: With Saltwaterdreamtime
This month formerly Ask A Pro Live is getting a makeover - welcome to Ask Me Almost Anything. Same event but different name which highlights the value of having these discussions with peers as well as professionals.
This month we are doing something super special. We are really excited to kick off the event name change by talking to a leader in our community here on the forum. This is someone who has been part of the ReachOut family for a very long time and someone we are really proud of.
Our very own @Saltwaterdreamtime is our guest for this months Ask Me Almost Anything! Shoot through your questions as we will be chatting about their journey with mental health and experience as a proud Arrernte man. Read saltwaterdreamtime's bio below:
"I go by saltwaterdreamtime and I am a 25 year old Arrernte man living in Wadawurrung country. These two places are so different but mean so much to mean in different ways, and I can’t wait to be able to tell you more about why they are special to me. I’ve been using Reach Out for about 6 or 7 years now, it has been a really big part of my journey through difficulties with my mental health. I’ve lived with a number of mental health issues for a long time, and although I still have some bad days sometimes I know how to look after myself and what I need to do to manage my wellbeing, and keep on top of it.
I feel my time with ReachOut has been a huge part of that. I’m really really looking forward to being a part of this chat, NAIDOC week is a great opportunity for me to show off one of the things that is most important to me which is my culture."
I'm looking forward to this one and I bet you all are too. We will be chatting this Thursday the 12th of November, so get your questions in fast and set a reminder to join in.
Join us LIVE November 12th 7pm - 9pm AEDT
This is a great Q that is unfortunately probably relevant to many, I’m sure lots of people on the forum are very keen to hear your thoughts on this one @Saltwaterdreamtime
6. How do you talk to people in your life who hold racist thoughts? There are some in my family and i really don't know how to approach them without it ending up in a fight.
"are you a part of the longest living culture in the world!? No, didn’t think so. Sit down"
Oh my god LOVE IT so much. Amazing @Saltwaterdreamtime.
Also 100% to what you said about community working with communities! Consultation IS everything.
Time for our next question!
7. What can you tell us about living on Wadawurrung country and/or the first people of that area?
Like I said, I've lived on the land of the Wadawurrung country my whole life and am happy to learn more! I know a lot of suburbs/ cities within the land are actually taken from Wadawurrung words, which is amazing! 
I also can imagine it might have some dark history, considering the gold rushes around this area. I'm not sure though, as, again, I've never heard anything about it in school. 
Another good one. You guys are throwing out some epic questions...
7. What can you tell us about living on Wadawurrung country and/or the first people of that area?
I love living in Wadawurrung Country because it is SO DIVERSE. I can climb mountains 40 minutes from my house. I can surf across the road from my house. Even my street is full of both of those things!!
In our street we have the beach and the bush.
That’s awesome. The diversity in both of these spaces is what baffles me. The difference in the flora and fauna. The caves we can go diving in. The red rock cliffs that I stand on everyday, and I walk on each morning. But I’m still on Wadawurrung country. 😮
I can tell you that if you would like you know more about language there is an app called
WADAWURRUNG LANGUAGE
It's so cool that you're surrounded by so much nature @Saltwaterdreamtime! 🙂
Dolphins AND Echidnas?!?!?
This:
AND THIS???
What an absolute dream. I saw an echidna once when I was camping it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and I cried for hours.
That's adorable @Hannah-RO 
. I'm more inland on Waddawrung country so no dolphins for me. But it reminds me of when I went to Tasmania and we saw wild wombats, echidnas, pademelons and more all within the span of a few days. We really need to protect this beautiful land! 
But yes we once found an echidna in our backyard and had to call the local wildlife rescue dude to put it back in a safe place, away from humans and cars, our little one was very scared of it hahaha, the wildlife guy asked if he wanted to see it more close up and he hid.
I'm on Darug land right now and we get some animals and lots of nature, but I sure wish we had echidnas and dolphins close to us! 
@Saltwaterdreamtime Just found out the app only seems to be for iOS, and I have Android... however I passed it on to a few people I volunteer with so I hope they check it out + find it useful! In my search I found a few more Indigenous language apps, which is amazing to see!
@Saltwaterdreamtime that makes me want to visit someday!
I'm joining this conversation from Noongar land.
Wow @Saltwaterdreamtime that is incredible!!! And thanks for the hot tip on the app, will have to check it out!
6. How do you talk to people in your life who hold racist thoughts? There are some in my family and i really don't know how to approach them without it ending up in a fight.
This is great question. I have encountered racism from friends, past work colleagues, the public, opponents in sport. It’s the same old thing, if it’s not name calling it’s comments like “how much money did you get for being aboriginal today” or “did you get into tafe because you are aboriginal it’s not free for us white people.” You know, the classics.
I just respond with facts.
“Sure, there may be scholarships for Indigenous people to receive higher education but this is why... (insert your research here)”
if you can be factual and get your point across without stooping to their level it helps. Some people just do not know. It’s unfortunate and sometimes isn’t their fault. It’s the system that has failed them, and hasn’t taught them the correct information. It becomes racist when they don’t want to learn that information or ignore it.
I felt this way during the BLM rallies. I got called all sorts of names online. And I was shocked. I got told my opinion didn’t matter... and I said hold up... you are telling a black person that their opinion on a matter affecting black people doesn’t matter!? That’s not ok.
And they responded with hate, again.
I threw out the facts. I told them why advocating for communities is great, but why they need to consult that community before they speak on their behalf.
Such a great question! It can be really hard to try and get your point across, sometimes. A go-to favourite from my family is 'I was just raised in a different time'. Yes... but actually, there was never a 'time' for racism?
I'm sorry you've encounted all that @Saltwaterdreamtime, comments like that are never okay.
I have also heard people say those sorts of comments @Saltwaterdreamtime. They're so horrible. 😞 I'm sorry you have to deal with so much racism.
