The month of May saw us host our Education and Well-being days for our scholars; this annual Event runs over the course of 2 weeks at Gloucester Park in East Perth.
Each day began with an Acknowledgement to Country by one of our mentors, followed by the group being split into juniors and seniors.
Our first session facilitated by members of the MADALAH Student Support Services team, covered the relevant topic of cyber safety. This was a great chance to dissect the do’s and don’ts of social media, cyber bullying and the many forms it takes, students learnt about their own digital footprints and how to maintain safe interactions through online gaming.
Our second session focused on strengthening students’ understanding of social and emotional wellbeing and areas that influence the way we feel and manage our worlds. This was done through activities and storytelling with students developing their knowledge on what helps them individually to stay solid and empowered to meet new challenges and make the most of all opportunities they wish to grab with both hands! We also reinforced the positive perspectives of mental health and ensured a safe space for our students to feel comfortable to talk about their feelings and encourage students to yarn to a trusted individual, who can assist with regulating their emotions and reaching out for professional assistance when needed. Our staff discussed the importance of wellbeing, going through the SOCIO wheel, a model that elaborates on how our people can manage and balance our wellbeing alongside our 7 domains that differs from mainstream wellbeing wheels. These 7 domains include Connection to Spirit, Spirituality and Ancestors, Connection to Body, Connection to Mind and Emotions, Connection to Family and Kinship, Connection to Community, Connection to Culture, Connection to Country.
For our third session, all students came together as one group to yarn with MADALAH staff in a collaborative student feedback session where they were given the opportunity to have their say on the MADALAH scholarship program, events and any areas they wanted to discuss. This gave our student team an opportunity to understand what support they need to provide and to give them the opportunity to provide feedback on their school and our program. This helps our staff understand what our scholars need throughout their education journey. During the conversations staff also shared their own stories and experiences finding success while walking in two worlds.
Our Year 12 groups had the opportunity to create their individual career pathway plans, spending time with staff to discuss important information such as having a TFN, exploring University options and considering living arrangements and bills they may have in the future.
Students finished the day by playing a traditional game of Buroinjin; a traditional Aboriginal game from the Kabi Kabi people of South Queensland. They also had the opportunity to contribute to a canvas provided by the very talented, Kamsani Bin Salleh (Kambarni), where they could add their own artistic flare to the piece.
Huge thanks to Spartan First who assisted in providing our scholars with the opportunity to receive health checks. These checks allow MADALAH to identify potential health concerns for our students and allow MADALAH to work with the families, students and partner schools to manage these issues! We also teamed up with the Earbus Foundation of WA, a mobile health care clinic that aims to eradicate the impacts of hearing loss so that every young person can reach their full potential through listening and learning. The program offers a model of continuous care to Indigenous young people and children, visiting over 100 locations in regional and remote WA.
We were so proud of all our students from each of our partner schools for their engagement and energy at these sessions.
