ASHLEY GORDON
NSW ABORIGINAL SAFE GAMBLING SERVICES
Aboriginal People and the Effects of Gambling
ELIZABETH ERVINE
ABORIGINAL HOUSING OFFICE
Service Our Way
JOYCE GRAHAM
Traditional Healing with Art
LYNNE BEAMES & PETER MARKOVIC
SPIRIT DREAMING
Killing Me Softly
Lateral Violence
Research has highlighted that Aboriginal people and communities are gambling too much and it’s causing numerous problems. Aboriginal people gamble for the same reasons as the wider community, however one of the mains reasons is to escape from stress and anxiety.
In most communities gambling is still not recognised as a problem and is therefore not discussed or addressed. Most Aboriginal services and programs are not funded to address problem gambling, therefore the issues are not being confronted. The failure to identify the seriousness of gambling in these communities is alarming. Considering that gambling in Aboriginal communities can often be linked to poor mental health, domestic violence, crime, alcohol abuse, drug usage, suicide, unemployment and financial hardship.
Gambling has a significant effect on Aboriginal communities, given the higher rates of unemployment experienced by Aboriginal people and their lower levels of income. This is a damaging societal trend that requires change before the gambling problem escalates to the level of damage felt by Aboriginal communities as a result of alcohol and substance abuse.
Workshops
Session 1
The Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) is proud to deliver the Services Our Way (SOW) program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families experiencing vulnerability in NSW.
SOW provides culturally appropriate service coordination, support and capacity building that empowers people to improve their well-being and achieve their goals.
SOW works with families to prevent or resolve issues before they become a crisis, including challenges such as homelessness, eviction, domestic and family violence, and children at risk of being removed into out of home care.
The workshop will go through a successful client case study and detail how this innovative and unique program – designed, managed and delivered by Aboriginal staff – works holistically and collaboratively with families to develop individualised and practical support plans.
For many people in the community, having an Aboriginal support worker to share their journey and their goals with makes all the difference.
However, SOW staff also work with their non-aboriginal colleagues to help strengthen the service sectors capacity to engage with and work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families in a culturally competent and respectful way.
Hands-on workshop learning how to use art for healing
Lateral violence is a new word for age old behaviour – a behaviour that has existed since the beginning of time, or at least since more than two human beings began to roam this earth.
Lateral violence is where a person uses destructive behaviours to diminish, manipulate, dominate or control another person. This behaviour is about how the perpetrator is feeling about themselves, rather than anything the victim has said or done. The perpetrator will engage in these behaviours in an attempt to feel more in control of their own feelings or behaviours.