Cultural Resilience

Social scientists in Western countries are finally beginning to understand the importance of culture to the social and emotional well-being of all people and especially Indigenous peoples whose cultures are at risk. Studies have found that connecting to culture is not only a means of prevention of social problems, it is also a means of healing.

Indigenous people in white settler countries have always known this, and they have worked hard to pass on their traditions to their children. Many times they have been under pressure to assimilate, to forget their languages, ceremonies and life-ways, but they have always stood their ground.

In Australia we have a massive problem with the gap between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous imprisonment rate being 100 times greater than the gap in life expectancy. Non-Indigenous Australians live 14% longer than Indigenous people but Indigenous people are imprisoned at 15 times the rate of non-Indigenous people – that’s 1400% greater.

The Closing the Prison Gap Building Cultural Resilience conference is not about describing the negative effects of this situation, even though the prison system is perpetuating the intergenerational trauma and social disadvantage that began with colonialism, dispossession and racism. It is strengths based, and positive in focus. It is about the resilience of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, about their cultural resilience in the face of these threats to their very existence. Indigenous resurgence is revitalising Indigenous language, ceremony and spirituality all over the world. This connection and re-connection to culture increases social and emotional well-being and therefore reduces the vulnerability of Indigenous people to the criminal justice system.

At this conference we will be coming together from all around the nation, east coast to Perth, west coast to Salt Beach, north to Darwin and south to Adelaide and Melbourne. We may not always agree with everything that will be said, but we will all be there to listen with respect, and to learn from each other. There will be people there with lived experience of prison, and there will be people who work in the criminal justice system; there will be political activists, community workers, and people who work for government departments; educators, prison chaplains and psychologists; Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people. We will be there to learn about and to celebrate cultural resilience.

The organisers (all volunteers) thank those of you who are attending this self-funded not-for-profit first ever national conference on Closing the Prison Gap and we hope you have a very interesting and enlightening two days at beautiful Salt Beach in Gudjingburra country …