Aboriginal Community Education Officers’ Border Work: Culturally Safe Practices for Supporting Migrating Indigenous Students From Country into Urban and Semi-Rural Schools

Abstract

Since 2001 there has been an increase in migration patterns by Indigenous families from remote communities to urban and semi-rural locations. Indigenous student emigration from remote Indigenous schools to urban and semi-rural schools is an emerging crisis as there are routinely inadequate service providers for Indigenous émigrés. Migration away from a particular location from which a person's ancestors, kin and Dreamings come (henceforward named as Country) to semi-rural and urban locations raises many complex issues. This article outlines Aboriginal Community Education Officers’ (ACEOs) role as support workers for Indigenous students who utilise an Indigenous ethics of care framework as a support mechanism to aid the transition of Indigenous students into new schools. The article draws on research undertaken between 2000–2008 (MacGill, 2008) in conjunction with current literature in the field (Pearce, 2012) to highlight ACEOs’ border work and ethics of care practices necessary for successful Indigenous student transitions as émigrés.

Decolonising Art and Design Education through Standpoint Theory, Embodied Learning and Deep Listening

“…Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, Senior Elder, argues for Dadirri, a term that requires active embodied engagement with deep listening as an enactment of reciprocity and mutuality (Ungunmerr-Baumann et al 2022). It requires being 'unclosed' to the new possibilities for building relationality and equality of recognition (Fraser & Honneth 2003;MacGill 2008;Kompridis 2013).…”

“…2022). It requires being ‘unclosed’ to the new possibilities for building relationality and equality of recognition (Fraser & Honneth 2003; MacGill 2008; Kompridis 2013).…”

The role of Aboriginal education officers in the context of settler colonial schooling: challenges and possibilities

“…AEOs are frequently expected to make high-level management decisions, particularly regarding complex student behaviours (MacGill, 2012;Peacock & Prehn, 2019;Price et al, 2017;Rose, 2015), which can cause complexities between AEOs and the community (Peacock & Prehn, 2019). The breadth and depth of the AEOs' role can be extreme, and this applies pressure on the AEO, as making high-level management decisions may not be something they are prepared for.…”

“…The breadth and depth of the AEOs' role can be extreme, and this applies pressure on the AEO, as making high-level management decisions may not be something they are prepared for. MacGill (2012) positions this as AEOs working in the "border zones" between the values of schools (that represent non-Indigenous communities) and the expectation of Indigenous communities. At times, AEOs can feel as though they are "caught" between the community and the school as they are working at the cultural interface (Armour, 2016;Guenther & Osborne, 2020) and can often have extra pressures applied by the community in complex situations with Aboriginal students and school leaders or teachers (MacGill, 2012).…”

“…MacGill (2012) positions this as AEOs working in the "border zones" between the values of schools (that represent non-Indigenous communities) and the expectation of Indigenous communities. At times, AEOs can feel as though they are "caught" between the community and the school as they are working at the cultural interface (Armour, 2016;Guenther & Osborne, 2020) and can often have extra pressures applied by the community in complex situations with Aboriginal students and school leaders or teachers (MacGill, 2012). Too often, this work is unseen and uncounted, and the Indigenous voice is undervalued and unheard (Peacock & Prehn, 2019;Shay & Wicks, 2017).…”