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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
Omg twinning odd tags @Lost_Space_Explorer5 and @Saltwaterdreamtime ! I have actually never ever used the quick reply until like 10 min ago, so thanks for the tip
Alrighty folks! Let’s get started!
What an absolute delight and a treat to have you with us @Saltwaterdreamtime !
Here’s our first question...
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I sure can. I am 25 years old and I live on Wadawurrung Country. When I’m not working as a landscaper I spend my time surfing, skating, and just being outdoors. I have a growing young family who I love to go on adventures with, discovering what is in our area. I am proud to be an Arrernte man, but also proud to call where I live home too.
Good to see you on the forums again @Saltwaterdreamtime! I'm looking forward to this chat.
I'm also logging in tonight from Wadawurrung land . I've only recently learnt just how much land that covers. I've also been looking a bit into the language today, actually!
2. Can you tell us a bit about your culture and how you learnt about this growing up?
This is a really interesting question for me because I actually didn’t know much about my culture all growing up. I had to learn as an adult. I knew I was Indigenous, but apart from that we didn’t really share much. I grew up living with lots of different people too so that didn’t help much. I learnt most about my background in my 20s.
But the Arrernte people are from Central Australia. More specifically my grandparents were a part of the stolen generation and they lived in a town in the Simpson Desert. I’m not too sure if I can name it. This land also covers Alice Springs which we all know. I will post a little map in one sec.
It must have been so interesting learning about your heritage @Saltwaterdreamtime. As I am not Indigenous myself, I have already learned so much from this chat too!
We had a staff member like that at my second high school @Saltwaterdreamtime. She was a teacher but she had set up a group for people to learn more about Indigenous culture and for Indigenous students to connect with each other. I think I went to one of the meetings and it was really valuable.
I agree. I find it more than a little disappointing that there is little taught to young people in schools about indigenous culture and history considering how important it is in our country's history. I understand that there was not much documented indigenous history from ancient times but I still feel that more should be done to educate on indigenous culture here in Australia.
I agree with you @Saltwaterdreamtime. I think Indigenous culture should be covered more in schools.
It is time for our next question! It's a bit of a big one...
4. What have you learned from your life experiences? It could be something you've learned about yourself or about the world.
Here comes our next question specifically about NAIDOC week, and here's a pic of this years poster
5. What does NAIDOC week mean to you?