Capability Statement

Capabilities

Aboriginal Insights is unique to the Founder of the business, Jolleen Hicks, and her journey. We offer knowledge, insights, tools, and support, to interested workplaces and individuals that are committed to building respect and relationships with Aboriginal people, families, organisations, businesses, and Communities. Aboriginal Insights offers unique cultural education that responds to Aboriginal Engagement commitments and outcomes. The original main workshop was created in 2015 with a focussed on the Aboriginal Community of Roebourne. In 2016, it was updated to be delivered more widely as a ‘model’ for engagement. Our current cultural education options extend to: (1) Workshops (delivered in person or online); Online Courses (designed and pre-recorded by our Founder); and Tools (including a book, “Essential Aboriginal Insights: A Guide for Anyone Involved in Closing Gaps in Australia”).

Our cultural education options are focussed on Stage 1 Cultural Education, which is about providing foundations or baseline knowledge relevant to any commitment to Closing the Gaps or Reconciliation. The other stages are separate and described as: (2) Traditional Owner Specific (Type 3 Aboriginal Community); Regional Cultures Specific (Type 1 Aboriginal Community); and (3) Workplace or Profession Specific (Type 2 Aboriginal Community).

Aboriginal Insights has developed its own definitions that extend to:
• Aboriginal Person
• Aboriginal Communities
• Aboriginal Community System

The main workshop for Aboriginal Insights that has been delivered to more than 7,000 people from more than 100 separate workplaces around Australia, is called, Cultural Foundations for Workplaces – Empowering Respect & Relationships. This 4 hour session strategically covers the following topics: (1) Building Rapport, Setting the Scene, and the Myths; (2) Diverse Aboriginal Cultures; (3) Truth & Reconciliation; (4) Stereotypes & Assumptions; (5) Aboriginal Community System; and (6) Respect & Relationships. This workshop may be customised to suit a specific sector or workplace, and may be delivered in person or online. This workshop will lift the baseline cultural education of any workplace to ensure that they understand why we have gaps, what we are reconciling, and how we need to engage.

For workplaces wanting flexible learning options, we offer online learning, including a baseline cultural education option, “Cultural Awareness 101”. This covers six essential topics over two hours and the content has been designed and delivered by our Founder. Licenses are available for large workplaces of 100 or more staff. Other courses are focussed on building confidence and providing tools.

Our Difference

The unique topics covered by Aboriginal Insights extends to our Founders journey that is described as: (1) Living in an Aboriginal Community that was governed by an Aboriginal Community System for 17 years; (2) Living in the Mainstream Western System for 12 years; and (3) Living and Walking in Two Worlds since 2012. Aboriginal Insights incorporates cultural values into the way we operate and provides cultural education with honesty and respect. Our intent is to empower more respect and relationships in Australia to support an essential shift in our country from collective failure to Close the Gaps, to collective success. Aboriginal Insights believes that, we, as Australians, are not responsible for the past laws and policies of our country that caused the gaps and requires us to be on a journey of Reconciliation, but we do have a responsibility, as Australians, to respond to the truth that we have gaps and we have a broken relationship to reconcile. We are not responsible, but we have a responsibility.

Our Founders unique professional journey extends to: working as an Advisor in a corporate mining environment; working as a Lawyer in a corporate law environment; working as a Native Title Lawyer representing Aboriginal Groups from two separate States; working as a Company Director; working as a Director of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation; working as an Associate Lecturer for a university; and operating businesses that focus on cultural education, Aboriginal specific consulting; and supplying products.