Introduce yourself : )

Britt : My name is Britt, I am a 23-year-old female living in a rural area. I have 6 chickens, 9 guinea fowls, 4 dogs, 3 cats, 3 goldfish and a horse. I like spending time with my family, friends and animals and enjoy studying and craft. I enjoy travelling and driving around different small towns and exploring everything they have to offer. I enjoy spending time at the beach and love to read autobiographies and biographies – I find people and their story extremely interesting and learn so much from others!

The year's NAIDOC Week theme is 'For Our Elders", how did you connect with your Elders?

Britt : I have been fortunate to have been connected with my Elders from a young age. My Elders have played an essential part of my life and have taught me everything I know in regard to my cultural identity. We have connected through stories, through art, through dance and through yarning. I have met Elders by being actively involved in my community and participating in local community events which has allowed me to build relationships. As I grew up off country, I am extremely grateful to have been able to connect with the Elders of the communities in which I have lived in and through my mother’s work. I am grateful that they took me under their wings and always looked out for me like their own.

How have Elders guided you through your life so far?

Britt : I have always looked up to my Elders who have modelled behaviours that have shaped me into the person I am today. My Elders have taught me my values, my beliefs, and my understandings of the world around me and have helped me through my lows but also been there to celebrate my highs. I would not be where I am today without the support and guidance that has been provided to me by my Elders. Everything I am and have achieved, they have taught me to be and guided me and for that I am forever grateful. They have encouraged me; they have believed in me and they have supported me. They have shown me that my dreams and goals are worth fighting for and to never let anyone or anything get in the way of achieving them. My Elders have particularly guided me through the challenging times that I have faced within my personal life, including personal illness as well as racism and discrimination.

What supports did you reach out to when you went through challenges?

Britt : I experienced racism throughout my entire schooling, from both peers but also from staff and teachers. My experiences of racism made me start to question my identity and when I transitioned into tertiary education, I became silent about my identity for the first time in my entire life which led to a decline in my mental health. I turned to other members of the Aboriginal community who had also experienced racism for support and arranged to speak with a psychologist who supported me through my challenges. I also reached out to my Elders and role models within the community who were able to support me through these challenging times. I lost a lot of close family members while growing up also and struggled with grief. Throughout my life, I have found connecting with people with similar life experiences has been a great support for me. Whether this be through listening to podcasts or reading stories of people who have experienced similar things. I have also seen many psychologists and counsellors until I was able to find the right person who I felt comfortable with and who I felt understood me.

What advice would you give to mob who aren't connected to an Elder?

Britt : Reach out to local Aboriginal services in your local community for example Aboriginal Medical Service or Aboriginal Land Services and get involved in local community events. It is through participating through such events that you will be able to meet other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the community and you will be able to meet Elders within your community to become connected with. Don’t be afraid of introducing yourself and say yes to every opportunity that lands in front of your feet. You will find that once you are connected with an Elder that you will start to meet new people and new doors will open up for you!

How do you want to see allies show up for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

Britt : Actively seek out education opportunities regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture so that you can learn more about our unique cultural heritage and identity. By gaining this education you will be able to recognise that cultural differences exist and as such develop respect and appreciation for such. It is through this achievement of respect and appreciation of cultural differences that we can begin to eliminate racism and discrimination within society. By educating yourself on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture you can pass on that education to other members of society and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Finally, be willing to walk beside us and work with us, we are all equal and we are all human so let’s go on this journey together and work together to eliminate the sense of an us vs. them that exists within society.

What makes you proud to be Aboriginal?

Britt : Our connection to family and the respect we show to each other, our community, and our country. There is a very special feeling when you are surrounded by other Aboriginal people, you do not have to explain yourself to each other and we all understand one another and the challenges we have faced in life. The sense of community makes me feel connected and safe. We all look out for one another, and no one gets left behind, it is like having one big family and that makes me proud!

Thank you SO much for sharing your knowledge and lived experience with us Britt, I'm sure lots of mob will relate to what you've talked about and really value your advice too 🖤💛❤️

If anything we've talked about tonight has brought anything up for you and you'd like to have a yarn about it, you can head over to our Yarning Space and get support from our online community, or reach out to :

• 13YARN - a 24/7 helpline run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Brother to Brother - a 24/7 crisis helpline run by Aboriginal men, including Elders with lived experience. 
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). They provide a map of all the health services designed and run by the local community.
• Australian Indigenous Health Info Net. They map each state's health and medical services, including hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities.

I hope you all have a deadly NAIDOC Week! 

Hi Brittany! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences! I'm glad to hear that you have been able to maintain your connections with your cultural community! I'm sorry to hear that you have faced discrimination to the point where you felt the need become silent about your identity. But it's awesome that you have such a strong support network!! 

Also I definitely agree with your point about connecting with people with similar life experiences. It really points to how important lived experience can be and how it can empower people to help out others who are going through similar hardships!

Thanks so much @Onion😊 I'll be sure to pass this on to Britt! I'm sure your words will mean a lot to her ❤️