The Last Refuge for Education | The Cape York Girl Academy - with Shoba Kalos and Baressa Frazer

Time to Listen · 2021-05-24

"The Girl Academy can perhaps act as a microcosm of how things can work [in Indigenous education]. There needs to be a systemic redesign of how we [Australia] are educating; in particular, how young Indigenous people are seeing themselves in the education system. We need to ask: are they identifying with the signs, the symbols and the talk of what it means to be Indigenous in this country? That may then begin to answer a question that our education systems are just not seeing."

Imagine if your identity and personal context was overlooked day after day, to the point where you naturally became completely disengaged with the circumstances that refused to acknowledge you for who you are. Then imagine you were regarded as a problem, a delinquent, or failing because you refused to indulge the ignorance. Now imagine you're a child, alone.

In this episode of Time to Listen, we are joined by Shoba Kalos and Baressa Frazer, the former and current principals, respectively, of the Cape York Girl Academy. The Girl Academy, as it is commonly known, is a refuge for young Indigenous women who, for various and personal reasons, have previously become disengaged with the prospect of an education.
The Girl Academy harbours a unique, holistic and effective curriculum that not only brings its female students back into the fold of learning, but restores their confidence in their ability to learn.

Segmented into two parts, we first speak with Shoba, who talks about the history of the Girl Academy, how its curriculum and structure of learning came to be and evolve, and the environments from which its students are drawn. Shoba also gives an insightful and judicious perspective on the real reason that the gaps in education are not closing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

We then speak with Baressa, who talks about her personal experiences as an Indigenous student, and now an educator. Baressa addresses the not-so-apparent barriers that young Indigenous people, especially women, are experiencing, and how these barriers can be re-framed to better understand the perspectives of First Nations people. She also talks about her value for First Nations languages, and her vision for the Girl Academy in 2021.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

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To find out more about the Cape York Girl Academy: https://capeyorkpartnership.org.au/our-partnership/cape-york-girl-academy/

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Time to Listen

Ever since the Federation of Australia, a plethora of politicians, academics and media personalities have opined and commentated on Indigenous Australian affairs. But amongst the discourse, whether it be formalised debate or discordant blither, one voice has been notably absent: the collective voice of First Nations people. As of 2020, First Nations peoples comprise just 3.3% of the Australian population. Yet they represent 29% of the incarcerated Australian population, including an estimated 46% of the incarcerated juvenile population. First Nations children also represent approximately 37% of Australian children in foster care. They suffer a suite of disparate mortality statistics and morbidity factors in comparison to the non-Indigenous population. They also enjoy far less participation in home ownership, education attainment and leadership positions, and even as all these gaps begin to show signs of narrowing, other contemporary socioeconomic gaps begin to yawn. Are First Nations voices being heard on such matters? Have you heard them? This is Time to Listen, a podcast that gives a space and a platform to the First Nations voices of the Cape York Peninsula, and wider Australia. Whether you are passionate about racial equality, or simply curious about First Nations culture (and anything in between) this is the podcast for you. Want to know more about the diversity of Indigenous Australian languages? Think you understand Native Title? How have First Nations communities educated their children since before colonisation, and how are these methods being rediscovered? And which terminology is respectful and correct for which occasion, First Nations, Indigenous, or Aboriginal Australian? Realising true harmony between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian people and culture requires opening a space and raising a platform for First Nations peoples themselves. By taking the time to listen, you have already taken a very important step towards reconciliation.

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