When passion for Country meets passion for upskilling with impact

Incorporating Acknowledgement of Country at a meeting or an event provides us with an opportunity to show respect for the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we are working. 

Yet many of us have a limited understanding of this important practice and lack confidence that we are doing it correctly. This can diminish the power of the acknowledgement and the respect and appreciation we try to convey through it.

A new app called "Connect with Country" aims to address this issue. 

This is the story of how the app was developed by a team of passionate Aboriginal leaders and the role PLUS UTS Business Futures played in this story.

From idea to reality

The "Connect with Country" app was conceived during problem solving workshops designed and delivered by PLUS UTS Business Futures for the NSW Public Service Commission Leadership Academy Aboriginal Career and Leadership Development Program (ACLDP) in 2022. 

The PLUS UTS Business Futures team is passionate about designing upskilling programs which create real impact. To do so, we are firmly focused on designing experiential learning journeys during which participants in our programs work in teams to identify and explore complex challenges relevant for them and develop ideas how to address these. 

One of the teams participating in the Leadership Academy program found in their explorative research that many people struggle to understand and lack the confidence to do well the Acknowledgement of country. The team’s shared passion to contribute to Aboriginal culture and make a difference led them to develop the idea of an app which will educate what an Acknowledgement of Country is and assist anyone in recognising this cultural protocol and deepening their connection to country

The “Connect with Country” app demonstrates the power of upskilling programs which build upon participants’ passion and upskill them to harness it towards solutions to complex challenges. These workshops are a flagship program which the PLUS UTS Business Futures team have delivered for a range of clients creating significant impact. The Connect with Country app demonstrates that our programs can also foster significant cultural and technological advancements.

Project insights

We celebrate the work of the dedicated teamwork of Holly Bartram, a project coordinator from TAFE who served as the Connect with Country App project lead, alongside Amber Elba-Pawsey, a former Leadership Academy team member. Their passion and dedication have helped to make the “Connect with Country” app a reality with support and guidance from several stakeholders the App has been created for community from community.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Holly and Amber to discuss the journey they and the rest of the team (who call themselves “The Deadly Four”) had been on that led to this impressive outcome. 

What has emerged from the Leadership Academy x PLUS UTS Business Futures Program?

Holly: I speak on behalf of myself and The Deadly Four. We learned that being a leader isn't easy, but sometimes you need to step up and be that voice for other people. So, creating an environment where every person's voice is heard in a project, I think is extremely important. We created an environment where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people's perspectives were considered because this isn't a project purely for Aboriginal people. It's for all people to learn and gain knowledge. Additional learnings were around resilience and being kind. I don't want to forget the importance of cultural authenticity and being kind… these are values that sometimes, as people go up the ladder, can easily be forgotten to practice. 

Amber: I bring it back to grassroots. Why are we here? Why are we doing this? Back to the purpose, why this project, and why we got together. Participants learned a lot from the training at the Leadership Academy and from Natalia and her team at UTS - I believe everybody has a bit of a leader in them, but it takes a certain person and skillset to be able to be a leader that people want to listen to. It was also learnings around foresight. I think it's foresight to know that you've stumbled across something that has so much potential, and the key is, that this group soldiered on beyond the program and now look at it, it’s become award-winning app.

How do you find the program enabled you to begin working on this app?

Holly: It brought to life the leadership qualities that I may have thought I had, but I hadn’t yet utilised. I guess I knew they were there, but did I need to use them at the time? No. Did I want to use them? Yes! And did I find something I was passionate about, that I felt like I could utilise them for? YES! And that was emphasised through this program and its specific learning journey. The facilitators pull it out of you in the program, and they manage to pull out what they already know is there. The program allows you to see the abilities you must have to become a leader. This program is the prime example of putting a group of Aboriginal people together that are up-and-coming leaders, but who don’t necessarily have to be a practicing leader in their current workplace setting. This program allows participants to create something amazing - bringing out their inner leader!

The program also gave us a voice that we may not have necessarily had. The opportunity to work on a group project that we may not necessarily been invited to work on. I mean, who would have placed four people, from four different government agencies, four completely different walks of life, all together… I mean, you've got people that are aunties, you've got someone who’s a lot younger… the group is just so diverse. The program facilitators put us all together in this weird, wonderful, and unexpected dynamic, and turns out it was perfect. Pretty cool!

Amber: The key was cross-government agencies and trying to place people from diverse backgrounds in the groups together. This was accomplished with the view of highlighting just how important cross-government collaboration is and what can be achieved when you do so. So that was the real strategy behind the placing of participants within the groups. And that’s a testament to the wonderful relationship between the PSC and UTS. The two institutions just worked incredibly well together and the relationship that we had with UTS was just phenomenal. It was such a collaborative process. As facilitators of this program, we faced real issues and challenges along the way, but we brainstormed, and we came up with a solution every time. So, it was a very smooth sailing process between the two organisations and that had such a positive flow-on effect.

In terms of being up skilled, what has your journey post-program looked like?

Holly: The learning outcomes we've used within the Connect with Country project are those we’ve called upon throughout this whole journey. Being able to become a leader that can work, not just within TAFE, but within cross-government organisations, has opened a whole different aspect of opportunities. It’s also provided us with leadership skills and communication methods that we've had to use constantly, and these came directly from the up skilling within the program. 

Amber: The networking and everything that Holly and The Deadly Four have done, I can tell you now, from the moment their group presented their idea on their final presentation day we could easily identify their new skills. Their facilitation skills and ability to have completely and utterly moved from strength to strength in terms of leadership and communications. It was clear the program had not only taught confidence, but I mean, Holly is now practicing well above what she does in terms of her everyday role. Her skills are just so much more advanced and that comes from what was learned within the program and the experience within the group work project. And I think also it should be noted that Holly, you came onto the program as a level four…. And what are you now?

Holly: I'm an eight. 

Amber: There you go! That just shows you in terms of what the project has done for Holly's professional development… And in fact, that turnaround came quickly after the program’s completion. 

Where's the app now?

Holly: So, the app is currently being hosted by TAFE NSW. We are still searching for its ‘forever home’, but we're not quick to jump on what that ‘forever home’ will look like, we’re taking our time, and we are also very much so being guided by community. We've had a lot of interest, but our main priority over the next 6-12 months is working on the next phase of the app, which is building out the content. We have amazing stakeholder relations that we are working to utilise such as the ABC, however, there are a lot of people outside NSW that are supporting us, guiding us through what that content is going to look like, and making sure it’s culturally appropriate to every country. 

Would you recommend this course to others? And if yes, what advice would you give them before starting?

Holly: For me, it was all about the project work. The group work! It was something I could sink my teeth into. It was something that allowed me to network with people. Before this program, when would I ever get an opportunity to network with someone from Museums of History? Never. This course provides participants with that kind of opportunity. And I guess my advice to anybody that does go into it, is to go in with an open mind. It was because of people like Natalia and Amber that made it a safe place for us to have challenging conversations. There was also a feeling that you have a voice and are surrounded by people that give you the voice, like Natalia and Amber.

There are so many Aboriginal people, or even people in general, who would love to have an opportunity like this. So why not take it with both hands and run with it? Because my ancestors did not get this chance. My mum has worked four jobs her whole life, the same as my nan… 

They never ever had this chance to do what I have done. It's really special.

Amber: From the other perspective, and not necessarily The Deadly Four, but I would often be questioned about the relevance and the importance of this group work projects. In the early stages some participants couldn't really see where it fitted and or where it could go and after the success of The Deadly Four, I constantly use them as a prime example - this is what you can achieve! Yes, it's hard work. Yes, there is a commitment outside of your already busy jobs and your already busy family lives to work on this and put time and effort into it. But this is what is possible. And really, it's the catalyst for driving forward real positive change. It gives several opportunities to take these ideas and be able to really do something with them.

So, my advice to anyone who is contemplating doing a course like this is to stick with it. Don't be afraid to do, you know, a bit of hard work, and it is hard work, but the results are worth it. 

Do you think this project can change lives? 

Holly: 100% is my answer. This project can really make a positive difference, not only within Aboriginal communities but also with non-Aboriginal people its helps bridge the gap and work towards reconciliation.

Amber: It's certainly given me the confidence to deliver a heartfelt acknowledgment that I've taken time to research and learn about the land that I am living on. It's also made me much more inquisitive to learn about other lands and other areas. Holly has a lovely foster son who she wanted to be able to connect with his mob and his country. Having the ability to have a tool that can do that is so amazing. My daughter has a best friend who is an Aboriginal boy who's also in foster care and he has very limited connection to his mob and his country. So, to be able to share this tool that can help teach children and foster children about this community is so incredible. So, I think 100% it can change lives - also with the goal that this tool could be used across the whole of Australia not just in NSW.  

Holly: My inspiration is my Mum, Sister Iluka (foster son) my biggest supporters and cheerleaders, and to be able to have this available for kids in out of home care  apps, to be able to create these song lines, when song lines may otherwise be lost, all over the state, I believe it makes a big difference, for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and people in the future. 

From my perspective, I have been in different scenarios where there has been an Acknowledgement of country, and unknowingly people have said some things as part of the acknowledgement that are culturally inappropriate. Unfortunately, they think they are doing something genuinely heartfelt, and it is sadly not the case… this app is an intuitive resource allowing for future learning as well as appropriate wording, for opportunities to have content that is going to provide information such as ‘here’s men’s business’, ‘here’s women’s business’, this is what is culturally appropriate you can talk about, here is a script to build on. The purpose has never been for it to be the soul research, so we do have future learning opportunities built into the app, but when you just google ‘acknowledgement to country’ so much information comes up. 

This app is something we want people to feel confident and comfortable using and hopefully all over the nation eventually. I have been we are currently working with the hardest state (NSW) because of the cultural nuances but eventually, we hope it will be out there for everybody to use. If we can just make a change in one- or two people’s lives, then my purpose has been achieved. But to have an opportunity to change the lives of many, that just speaks for itself… I can dribble on and say how amazing it is, the huge back-end story, the inspiration, being able to work with The Deadly Four… it all has been so valuable, but just being able to look at the app now, being able to use it and see the changes that it has already made and will continue to make in people’s lives, that’s our true purpose. 

We did it, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it if we hadn’t been nominated to do the Leadership Academy program, someone didn’t take a chance on a TAFE Level 4 employee, or PSC and UTS didn’t do the research to put us four participants together. It might seem as though we were all just chucked together, and this has all just happened, but I promise you there has been a lot of work behind the scenes and a large part does come down to the PSC and UTS.  

We all have our inspirations, and we all have ancestors who push us through, and one thing that I always say and have always said in acknowledgment… you’ve got to take every opportunity, and you must walk through every door knowing your ancestors opened it up for you. 

Recognition and awards

The "Connect with Country" app is making great progress in enhancing cultural understanding and fostering unity and education across communities in Australia. The app has received incredible recognition in the Australian awards space, highlighting its potential to significantly impact cultural engagement and reconciliation. It was most recently the winner of the TAFE NSW Gili Awards – Reconciliation Award 2024. 

The dedicated teamwork of Holly, Amber, TAFE NSW and The Deadly Four has made this possible, and all of us at +UTSBF are proud to have played a part in this success story. We can't wait to see what the future holds for this exciting app.

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