'You do your best with what you know and until you know better'
Vision
Our vision is to support individuals and workplaces to Close the Gaps and achieve Reconciliation in Australia.
Mission
Our mission is to empower Aboriginal people, families, and Communities to achieve personal self-determination.
Purpose
Our purpose is to teach lessons and learnings of the two worlds to empower Relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
'You do your best with what you know and until you know better'
Aboriginal Insights was created by Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Aboriginal woman, Jolleen Hicks in 2016.
Jolleen has a background that covers successful Aboriginal Engagement with over twenty separate Aboriginal cultural groups in Australia; leadership; and business. Jolleen believes that Reconciliation cannot be achieved without understanding; recognition; and respect between Aboriginal people’s and non-Aboriginal people.
"As a six year-old attending Roebourne Primary School, I wanted to be a Teacher. I became a Lawyer and I thought it was through the Law that I would make my greatest impact for Aboriginal People. I wanted to support, empower, and represent Aboriginal People. I was passionate about promoting and improving the rights and recognition of Aboriginal People's in this country.
The more I learned about the Legal System, the more frustrated and disappointed I became. So I left that profession to start my own consultancy. It is through Business that I now teach and through Aboriginal Insights that I am making my greatest impact. I am humbled by the opportunity to share in the cultural education journeys of Australians. I confidently and respectfully share my lessons and learnings of living and walking in two worlds to empower respect and relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
Jolleen Hicks ~ Founder Aboriginal Insights
I developed my first cultural awareness training workshop in 2015 in response to a report by Government that my Aboriginal Community were receiving 209 services from 66 service providers as part of Closing the Gaps. These service providers were achieving little to no outcomes, which meant that resources that were needed in my Aboriginal Community were being wasted. I decided to design and deliver education to these service providers that would help them to better understand my unique Aboriginal Community.
I wanted to create understanding about the stories of our Aboriginal families, the diverse representation of Aboriginal cultures, the cultural differences to non-Aboriginal people, and share my lessons from successfully engaging with Aboriginal People in my Native Title experiences. Soon enough, I recognised that I had developed a model that could be shared with other service providers outside of my Aboriginal Community. I have been fine tuning and evolving this model to respond to the needs of workplaces in Australia since 2016 when I launched Aboriginal Insights.”
About Jolleen Herself:
Jolleen was born in Wickham in Western Australia, which is located on Ngarluma country, and is the second child to her mother, Joan. “My Mother is the strongest role model in my life and is the person who has inspired my passion; determination; and potential My mother is an amazing woman of great family values and respect for people. She is my biggest and strongest supporter as well as my most important Teacher".
“It is important for all Australians to recognise that we are not responsible for our history, but we are given the responsibility for healing the impacts of it. We accept that responsibility because those that will benefit the most are our children- yours and mine. A commitment to creating a reconciled Australia requires us all to commit to a journey of Truth and Healing.”
-- Jolleen Hicks, Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi Aboriginal woman, founder of Aboriginal Insights
Family is Everything - I am an extension of my Family
I am not one person or an individual that can just make decisions in my best interests. I am part of a Family, Two Aboriginal Cultures, and an Aboriginal Community. As a minimum, I am part of a family of 6 people, my Mother, and four siblings. On my journey away from home to pursue education and career, and my journey today, in business, they are with me. My decision-making impacts them too.
One of the most common cultural differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are our family structures – the roles, responsibilities, obligations, and expectations.
Lessons and Learnings
The main differences between my cultural education and others in this space is that I design my content based on my own personal and professional lived experiences that is unique to my journey so far. I translate the content into the language of workplaces; and I provide models or tools that can be applied by participants to their own situations. I have also strategically set layers of learnings to create Understanding, Respect, and Leadership, on the part of participants. This comes through in my Protocol Pathways to Cultural Awareness Education.
I have gained my lessons and learnings from my lived experiences over the past 21 years. I willingly share these with others through my cultural education products – workshops; online learning courses; and my book.
Vision, Purpose, and Mission
Our vision is to support individuals and workplaces to Close the Gaps and achieve Reconciliation in Australia. Our purpose is to teach lessons and learnings of the two worlds to empower Relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Our mission is to empower Aboriginal people, families, and Communities to achieve personal self-determination.
A Unique Journey
Aboriginal Insights is built on the unique cultural identity; journey; experiences; perspectives; and understandings of its Founder, Jolleen Hicks.
I highly recommend to every community member and leader to read Jolleen’s book ‘Essential Aboriginal Insights’ and attend her training face to face or online. I have learnt so much from Jolleen and feel determined to do what I can to support change in my role at Zonta House but also in our greater community. Jolleen’s passion, perseverance and determination has been evident in all of our interactions and teachings. My sincere gratitude and thanks for sharing your truths Jolleen, supporting the community and especially workplaces on how we can live in a better world, close the gaps (not just halve them) and why we should all want to live in a reconciled Australia.
Kelda Opperman
CEO Zonta House
Join the Aboriginal Insights journey on a path to greater understanding for Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.
You will be amazed at what WE can achieve together!
Take your first step. Buy the book; register to attend a workshop; or complete our online learning courses.
Let's make a difference!
Essential Aboriginal Insights
This Book offers my learnings over my lifetime with a focus on a universal Aboriginal cultural value of sharing. I want to share this with you. I want to empower the relationships between Aboriginal Communities and those responsible for achieving positive outcomes for Aboriginal people. I want Aboriginal Communities to be understood, respected and supported.
“My hope is that every Australian has a copy of this book so that every Australian is empowered with the minimum learning required to positively impact the spaces of Reconciliation and Closing Gaps. Collectively, we have a responsibility that we are failing to deliver on. We are failing to eliminate racism from our country; dismantle the racist structures, systems, processes, institutions, and discrimination that still here today; and we are failing to preserve Australian Cultures and Heritage. I want this book to be a way to empower Australians with the confidence to walk together respectfully and successfully.”
Acknowledgement of Country
I recognise and acknowledge that we live on Aboriginal lands in Australia. I pay my respects to the many separate Aboriginal peoples and their cultures of the lands of this country. I am grateful to yours and my old people for their strength, resilience and survival, so that present and future generations can continue to walk these lands with pride.
I personally recognise my Elders and thank them for their courage, strength, and spirit that they continue to walk with to inspire us younger ones.
My work through Aboriginal Insights is about supporting and empowering respect for Aboriginal people and cultures from across Australia.