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Green Leaves leadership team gather in Uluru for national conference
Freya Lucas
Aug 08, 2024
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Senior leaders, operation support managers and centre managers from across the Green Leaves Early Learning network recently gathered in the heart of Australia to participate in their annual professional development conference.
Held in Uluru during NAIDOC Week, the annual event was timed to ensure the cohort was together for the launch of the Green Leaves National Reconciliation Action Plan.The conference presented the team with a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of First Nations perspectives and practices, enriching their collective knowledge and encouraging connectedness and collaboration.
Across the four days, Centre Directors and the leadership team participated in a variety of activities centered around the concepts of yarning, learning, un-learning and re-learning.
The concept originated from an insightful essay about listening and learning from Aboriginal elders. This included sessions with local Anangu people, multimodal learning sessions, team building in the forms of traditional Indigenous games as well as guest speakers.
During the conference, the team had the opportunity to soak in the beauty of Uluru during a morning of exploration.
In addition to the wonderful speakers from the NLRDP partners, Green Leaves invited Thomas Mayo as a guest speaker. An author in his own right, Mr Mayo has more than twenty years of experience in leadership and advocacy, including the development of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He passionately and eloquently spoke about how we can be better partners to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
The conference agenda was jointly developed by Kirsten Berry, National Operations Manager, Tracy Kittle, Head of Marketing, and their partners from the National Learning, Research and Development Program (NLRDP), NLRDP Lead Partner, Dr Karen Grubb, National Indigenous Perspectives Partners, Domonik Lowe and Kimmi Tupetagi.
The time spent together, ‘yarning’, challenging perceptions, taking part in creative endeavours, reflecting, discovering, sharing in a safe space with authenticity and listening with humility, truly strengthened team bonds and solidified trust in each other, as a unified team.
Green Leaves NLRDP partners lead the team through a series of deep-thinking sessions. Challenging conventions, Dr Karen Grubb shared Shelley Reys’ AO insights about delivering an Acknowledgement of Country that is meaningful and simple to ensure this important cultural practice continues to be a powerful moment to honour and connect with our First Nations’ Culture and Country.
National Nutritional Program Partner, Nimmi Kumar, shared how educators can nourish connections and embrace Indigenous ingredients through culinary pedagogy, a session which also saw a number of team members share their personal and powerful stories that shaped their lives as Indigenous Australians.
For Centre Director Stacey the conference was “a magnificent start to an incredible journey of continuous cultural awareness and learning,” one which she said will have her reflecting on the phenomenal connections, unity and appreciation experienced for a long time to come.
Ms Berry said that it’s every leader’s aspiration to see their team challenge themselves and grow in the same direction while supporting one another, something which was evident for her throughout the event.
“I look forward to the future as we walk alongside each other as One Team, leading the way as we embrace innovation and collaboration in Our Journey Towards a Better Future,” she added.
Delegates, on leaving the conference, reported going home “with the most profound admiration for one another, and a very deep respect for culture, tradition, and a force propelling them forward with a renewed sense of purpose, urging them to interweave their new learnings into the fabric that makes up their Green Leaves communities.”
“One of the things that resonated with me during our trip to Uluru was the changing colours of Uluru depending on the time of day and how the sun reflected on the rock. It made me think of how we are all different depending on the time of day, and where we are within each day,” Centre Director Vanessa shared.
Learn more about Green Leaves Early Learning here.
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