Cross Cultural Awareness Weekend 2008 - CARAH

Early on Saturday 4 October, 7 CARAH members and 7 members from other NRHSN Rural Health Clubs met in Alice Springs to drive out to Glen Helen Resort for a cross-cultural awareness and Centralian experience, organised by the CARAH committee.

The introductory session revealed our group was very culturally diverse, with students from Nigerian, Fijian, Macedonian, Czech, German and British backgrounds to name a few.  The weekend saw amazing sessions from presenters such as Dave, Bess and Jacinta from Jajirdi Consulting, Sabina Knight (CARAH's mentor from the Centre for Remote Health) and Angela Titmuss (CARAH's administrator and mentor), and informal meetings with Glenda, a relief RAN at the Haasts Bluff Clinic and community members.

Sessions were held on how to interact with people from other cultures, kinship systems and language as well as a visit to the Haasts Bluff Clinic.  There were also many sight seeing opportunities with highlights including the sandy beach at Helen Gorge, the beautiful sunset at the Mt Sonder Lookout, Ormiston Gorge and the 4WD drive through an electrical storm, rainstorm and then dust storm were true Central Australian experiences. 

There was plenty of socialising, eating, swimming and opportunities to learn more about cross-cultural awareness.  Overall, it was a great weekend for local and visiting students - some had never been to Central Australia before.  Click here for a full report and photos.

 "Although this was to be an Indigenous Cultural weekend, I think that it was so much more than that.  With well planned relaxation (swimming in waterholes - yes there is water in the desert) on the first day, combined with regular car swapping/mingling on the second day when sight seeing, the weekend involved just as much learning about the cultures of all the students who attended as it did about Indigenous issues." Sally Grainger and Felix Ho (TEHC) Click here for their full report