Page 34 - 10th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference and Festival Magazine

June 2018 Charles Town Maroon International Conference Magazine

Sustainability through Indigenous Social Work theory

and practice: Resilience and the Aboriginal Australian
Stolen Generation

Miimi Morris

My name is Miimi Morris, I am a Kamilaroi/ foundation in working in the area of trauma informed
Dhungutti, Koori woman from New South Wales, approaches, which are decolonising and empowering
Australia. I am a practicing Aboriginal Social Worker for young people through building cultural resilience
working as an Aboriginal Family Counsellor. I gained and identity.
my Bachelor of Social Work from Newcastle
University in 1999 and I have practised as an What I speak to is based on my experiences, I speak
Aboriginal Social Work Counsellor in various from a place of truth for myself only. I do not speak
locations throughout Australia, predominantly for the social work profession as a whole. I speak from
working for Aboriginal organisations in diverse my experiences as an Aboriginal woman who has been
capacities. educated within a mainstream institution and my lived
experience of a marginalised Indigenous person. I do
My Grandmothers country is Kamilaroi and not endorse or uphold any particular theory or
Grandfathers country is Dhungutti, which is in NSW ideology or profession, and my writing speaks for
Australia, it is freshwater, river country. The name itself as an independent free thinking Aboriginal
Miimi has duality - it means younger and older sister. person who sits outside of the dominant story. What I
I chose this language name for myself as a form of am describing needs to be considered and
resistance against having an English name and to acknowledged as an alternative description and way
reclaim my own identity and Aboriginal self. of looking at social work practices. Academic weight
needs to be given to these diverse experiences which
I am a mother of five children are intrinsic to the profession however they
and I am a Social Worker often sit outside of the
working for a small coun- profession.
selling agency with the
NSW Health Department. I As a young child I was
work as an Aboriginal taken from my
family therapist with Aboriginal family and
adolescents and their community and was made
families, from an invita- a state ward by the
tional model empowering children’s court of NSW.
families and youth in over- Throughout my childhood
coming trauma. My work I had many experiences
centres on cultural with social workers inter-
knowledge as a strong vening in the life of my

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