WORLD
STUDENT CHRISTIAN FEDERATION:
'WORKING
FOR JUSTICE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'
An
international workshop to enthuse and equip SCMers to participate more actively
in the struggles for the rights of indigenous peoples
At the biannual meeting
of SCMs in the Asia-Pacific region, representatives from SCMs in Australia, Aoteoroa/New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, India and Fiji
discussed together the fact that struggles of indigenous people are major
issues facing each of their societies. In each case, the SCM has had various
levels of interaction with indigenous people and has become aware of the
struggles for justice which indigenous people face on a daily basis.
SCMers from each of
those countries felt that it would be extremely helpful to have a workshop
where experiences from the different countries could be shared and new
strategies developed.
In the process of the
discussion it was realised that the situation of
Fiji, with majority indigenous people who are well-entrenched in power
structures is different from the situations in the other countries named above.
For this reason, it was felt to be more necessary for the other countries to
meet together. Because of costs, it was also decided not to include India in
the workshop.
The aims of the
workshop include the following:
(1) Contact: interaction with indigenous people, exposure
and listening
(2) Competence: building a deeper understanding of the
issues facing indigenous people and the way in which the dominant culture
functions to suppress and drive to the margins the legitimate aspirations of
indigenous people
(3) Confidence: working on skill-building, to equip
SCMers to raise issues relating to racism awareness within their communities
(4) Commitment: to inspire SCMers to commit themselves
wholeheartedly to the struggles of indigenous peoples for justice
A planning group in
Australia is preparing a draft programme to be circulated to the other
countries for comments and revision. At this stage the proposed programme
includes the input of indigenous people as resource people and monitors, and it
is hoped that these resource people will also become part of the planning
group.
As part of the
programme, the participants will divide into three small groups to visit three
different Aboriginal communities for 2-3 days:
(1) Bourke - dialogue with the Aboriginal Land Council,
health care workers, the Western Aboriginal Legal Service workers and others
(2) Jervis Bay - historical and cultural camping trip led
by members of the local Aboriginal community
(3) Redfern - contact with a number of Aboriginal organisations working in and around Redfern,
such as the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre, Tranby
Aboriginal College, Murrawina pre-school, Aboriginal
Health and Medical Services, and the Watct Committee
(which lobbies regarding Aboriginal Deaths in Custody).
Participants will then
reflect on their experiences in the light of reports from their own countries.
These reports will include a component of structural analysis of the ways in
which dominant culture operates.
There will be daily
bible study and worship. The bible studies will be led by an indigenous person
from Taiwan, be contextual and focused on the issues
of the workshop. Participants will create the liturgies for each day.
The workshop will seek
to develop new strategies for SCM to be more actively involved in the struggles
of indigenous people, based on reports and reflections of the participants
as well as input from resource people.