The community is encouraged to come together to attend a three-day forum in Kempsey to discuss the importance of healing and what it means for rebuilding Aboriginal identity and culture.
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The Kempsey Healing forum is being organised by the Kempsey Healing Together Planning Committee and is supported by Kempsey Shire Council.
It will be held at the Kempsey Showground from November 15-17 from 9am until 3pm each day.
The forum is open to the whole community and provides an opportunity to engage directly with agencies and community services to provide a culturally appropriate, safe space for discussions on healing and to increase understanding of intergenerational trauma.
The forum aims to identify local and regional opportunities to improve the way community services and Government and non-Government organisations work together as well as build local partnerships and support for healing.
Council’s Community Projects Officer, Olivia Parker, said topics to be covered at the local forum include, grief and loss, substance abuse, violence, community politics, intergenerational trauma, stolen generations and removal of children as well as yarning circles - men’s business and women’s business.
“This forum is a positive step in the healing process for Aboriginal people in helping them feel more connected to their culture and supported by different services in the community,” she said.
Outcomes from the Kempsey Healing Forum will be included in the upcoming Opportunity Choice Healing Responsibility Empowerment (OCHRE) forum scheduled for 2018.
Earlier this year, Aboriginal Affairs NSW, in partnership with the Healing Foundation, announced Kempsey as one of six sites in NSW to host an OCHRE forum.
For more information on the Kempsey Forum please contact Jo Kelly at Burrun Dalai Aboriginal Corporation on 6562 1913.
There have been a number of healing events held this year to bring the community together.
Back in May, The Kempsey Healing Together Committee held a community barbecue at Riverside park for Reconciliation Week.
Earlier in the year the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs announced Kempsey as one of six sites in NSW to host OCHRE Healing Forums in 2017.