Incubate Bridge Program - Part 1
Bridge Program Documentary
Bridging the Gap Workshops
Over six weeks in 2019, thirty people of diverse ages from across the African diaspora, Vietnamese and Pasifika communities in Victoria took part in a social harmony project. The goal was to explore the internal and external work needed to improve community interrelationships.
The program was born out of our Youth Executive, Araksan Moussa recognising multicultural and intergenerational gaps within our various communities which undermined social cohesion by reinforcing undesirable sentiments such as negative stereotypes, distrust and alienation.
After lengthy discussions, we designed the program to host workshops delivered by a mix of expert facilitators and panel discussions promoting interpersonal, generational and multicultural understanding, particularly with the First Nations Peoples of this country.
The workshops focused on:
Personal leadership by bridging the gaps within yourself
Bridging the gap with Australia's diverse communities, including Asian and Pasifika communities by learning from our shared histories
Bridging the gap with African diaspora communities in Australia-African, African American and Afro-Caribbean communities
Bridging the gap between generations by sharing understanding of perspectives and personal journeys and reconciling differences
Bridging the gap with mainstream or established communities
Bridging the gap with First Nations People by an immersion into the rich culture, history and protocols of engaging with First Nation People.
The workshops led to the production of a short documentary where participants reflected on their journeys to re-engage with their family, community and wider society. We invite you to watch this collection of narratives highlighting individual journeys and experiences with social cohesion.
“I feel this workshop is very healing for Indigenous people and I feel this workshop will help so many people to connect more with First Nations People.”
Bridge Program Reflections
- Laila -
Growing up as an Indigenous person, on these lands, you’re instantly told to feel shame and not identify as an Indigenous person.
I’m starting to now consciously decolonise my language and my words to say things like intergenerational power and intergenerational survival and really reclaiming these words for our own, and hopefully, that’s going to catch on for the next generation too.
- Jen -
A way for me to maintain my culture is to continue speaking to my parents in Cantonese also through my practice of working in the arts I wanted to make my own work to do with Chinese culture. I found doing calligraphy is a way in for me and a way of connecting to my roots.
And also its just being still and focusing on writing because meditating is just being present and being quite aware of your body’s action, breathing with your action and beautiful writing comes out at the end.
- Mumina -
When I was growing up, culture for me felt very restrictive. It was these sets of rules that told me what I could and couldn't do, who I’m supposed to be, how I’m supposed to act. I definitely rebelled against it for a long time. Now growing older, I’m starting to realise that if you use culture as a guide book on how you should behave, you’re never going to be happy.
Understanding that has helped me re-enter my culture more, because there’s a lot less expectation that I put on myself as the sort of person that I was supposed to be.
- Megan -
I acknowledge that I live on the sacred, sovereign lands of the Wururung. I acknowledge that their sovereignty has never been seeded. I pay my respects to their elders past present and future and to all Aboriginal peoples. I acknowledge that I am an occupier. I acknowledge that I live on the sacred, sovereign lands of the Wururung.
I acknowledge that I grew up treading on the sacred land of the Kulin Nations without knowledge or awareness, blind to my cultures' damage to the First Nations Peoples. I acknowledge that in my adult years I have arrogantly thought I knew better, blind to my white privilege, spoke over my black brothers and sisters. I acknowledge that my success is built on the struggle of dispossessed others. I acknowledge that as yet my culture continues to deny this fact and remains blind to the effects of colonisation, and intergenerational trauma on Aboriginal people to this day.
- Ta -
I'm of Cook Island descent, that’s who I identify with, but I also identify with the Australian culture, being born and raised here in Australia. I don’t really identify with just one culture. I have a rugby culture, I have a music culture. For me, culture is everything and it’s in everything I do.
Building bridges within myself is really important. With sport and with playing rugby, there’s a different side of me, I can be aggressive, I can be physical but when I’m singing or when I’m on stage I can just be vulnerable and I can be a deeper version of me.
- Mariam -
It’s very important to build bridges within ourselves. The first bridge that we really need to build, is the bridge of creating love and having love within ourselves. I believe that humanity is going through a big trauma, we have not learnt to love each other, but more, so we haven’t been taught to love ourselves.
To bridge the gap between our mind, heart and physical body is truly important. In order to do that I have an acronym for 'LOVE'. LISTEN DEEPLY - when we listen to our thoughts we become aware of the emotions that they give us. OBSERVE with no judgement. VALIDATE - what are we listening to observing and validating? Our emotions, because our emotions are what creates our EXPERIENCE.