Now that my trip to Australia has come to an end and I am back in the states, I realize just how much I learned from the agencies while there. I have been excited to share the knowledge I gained about the Aboriginal culture and the child welfare system and children’s metal health with others as I tell them about my experience abroad. One area that impacted my learning the most was discovering the history and culture of the Aboriginal people. Before this trip, my knowledge about this population of people was extremely limited, but thanks to the women at VACCA, I feel like I have a greater understanding of the struggles they have gone through throughout the course of history in addition to realizing that there are many struggles they still face today.

The Aboriginal population is the oldest civilization in the world, and yet they, like so many other indigenous groups worldwide, were targeted and slaughtered when the Europeans arrived and wanted to colonize Australia. There was no recognition of the hundreds of tribes who lived and thrived across Australia and most importantly considered this great country to be there home. Similar to the Native Americans in the United States, the Aboriginals’ weaponry was no match for the English and they also became victims of smallpox that the Europeans unknowingly brought with them. Unfortunately, the hardships of this group of people do not end here. The many different Aboriginal communities, languages, and values were not respected and instead they were discriminated against and the communities were disbanded by the government. The government also implemented a policy for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families in what became known as the Stolen Generations. The women at VACCA shared personal stories about how their own family members had been personally impacted by this horrible movement. What shocked and outraged me even more was that the official apology for the Stolen Generations was not issued by the Australia government until 2008.

Despite the horrors the Aboriginal population has faced throughout history and the discrimination they still face today in the form of conviction rates, disproportionate drug and alcohol statistics, and the widespread racism throughout the country, this group of people has shown great resiliency and determination to rise above all the negativity and honor their ancestors and culture. Today, land and spirituality are still very important to the Aboriginal people. 35% own their own homes and more than 70% of students in grades 7 through 10 are attending school. While there is a long way to go in regards to Aboriginal’s civil rights, they have come a long way as a population since the English arrived in 1788.

Visiting VACCA first and learning about the Aboriginal history and culture allowed me to recognize and appreciate the other agencies we visited acknowledging this group of people by flying the Aboriginal flag and giving recognition to the land along with the elders and ancestors. It made me realize that many of the social service agencies are pushing for true equality for this group of people which I found to be really valuable.

In addition to the Aboriginal culture, our time at the various agencies also taught me a lot about the child welfare in Victoria and throughout all of Australia. Overall, I found the child welfare system is Australia to be similar to that in the U.S. One of the main differences, however, is that Australia uses the title “foster carer” instead of “foster parent” like the U.S. does. This was representative to their reluctance to “replace” the parent with another caregiver. Many studies show that separation from their family can be detrimental to a child’s wellbeing. The U.S. tends to place a strong emphasis on reunification with parents, both because of this research and also because there is a shortage of foster parents. It seemed like Australia emphasized keeping the families together even more and that the laws in place to remove children were slightly different. That is not to say they would not remove a child if the situation warrants it, but by calling the new caregivers foster carers, they are creating an atmosphere in which the parent is not giving up their title and therefore are not as hurt and angry over the situation, thereby allowing more possibilities for the parents to have the motivation to get the help they need in order to care for themselves and their children.

Unfortunately, one similarity Australia’s child welfare system shares with the U.S. is that at 18, the children age out of the system. This leaves many children on their own with no resources or support to live independently and be a contributing member to society. Multiple organizations we visited are working towards addressing this issue. Lighthouse targets homeless young people between the ages of 16 and 22 in order to give them a loving, safe home and the support they need to succeed on their own. Anglicare is the largest foster care agency in Victoria, and they also mentioned how they are in the process of developing programs to help with the negative impacts aging out of the system has on many young people.

Since I have my undergraduate degree in psychology and am specializing in mental health, I was especially interested to learn how approaches children’s mental health and how it differed from the U.S. The most notable difference is that Australia has universal health care which makes mental health services more widely available to children and families than it is in the United States. While more expensive, private agencies do exist, many mental health agencies in Australia are publicly funded by the government and therefore free for the consumer. I think this approach opens up many more opportunities for individuals and families to be able to access the mental health services they need. In the U.S. there is not only a shortage of available services, but they are also incredibly expensive and often difficult to get covered by medical insurance.

I am not saying that Australia’s system is perfect, however. When we visited the Bouvarie Centre, we learned about the many different methods they were using to help families in Australia address and treat their mental illnesses. Despite the high quality of this organization and the many people they have been able to give mental health services to, the waiting list is always longer. Like in the U.S., Australia seems to have a greater need for mental health care than there are services provided. While more funding and an increase in the number of mental health organizations is needed to help address this issue, I still feel like they are doing a much better job than the U.S. at making mental health care accessible to everyone.

My experience in Australia was absolutely amazing. Not only did I learn about the child welfare and mental health systems here, I also had the opportunity to explore a new place and learn about a new culture. I enjoyed seeing the various sites in Melbourne and loved even more seeing the penguins on Phillip’s Island and exploring the scenery and wildlife along the Great Ocean Road. The memories and relationships, both personal and professional, that I am taking away with me are invaluable to my life moving forward, both personally and in my education and future career as a social worker. Learning about child welfare and children’s mental health in Australia has inspired me to not only keep learning about these areas in other cultures, but to complete more research in them in my own. While I am still eager to begin my career working as a clinical social worker focusing on children’s mental health, I am also more interested in investigating mental health policies in the U.S. and using other countries, like Australia, as an influence to implement a positive change.

Before leaving for Australia I was so nervous (my family can attest to that!) It was my first time traveling solo at all, let alone across continents! However, after studying abroad, I can truly say it was an unforgettable experience. In more ways than one. I learned not only about facts and figures that set the U.S. and Australia apart, but I gained incredible insight into how individuals feel about the policies, practices, and services being implemented. I also met some incredible people along the way, and was exposed to several ideas and opinions that both challenged and sparked different ways of thinking.

One layer to this entire experience that moved me greatly was hearing about Aboriginal experiences first hand (through VACCA- the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) and also seeing how welcoming and accepting the other agencies are to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals. I did have limited prior knowledge of Aboriginal people and the varieties of cultures they encapsulate (you can’t really speak for everyone as there is so much diversity!) But hearing about the Stolen Generation, where thousands of Aboriginal children were taken and put with other families or in state care, and how recent it was, very much gave context to what we were learning. Trauma can move through generations, and though Australia has recognized the need to apologize, one still has to recognize all the trials faced even today. Though one resounding theme was resilience. Through hardship, there is still a thriving community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals that are proud to be so, and that is so incredible to see and experience.

In addition, we visited an organization, VICSEG, which lends support and services to newly arrived immigrants. Melbourne is a wonderfully diverse city, as is Australia as a whole (over 25% of permanent residents are born outside of Australia). Australia also offers English language lessons to newly arrived immigrants (and childcare for their kids during) free of charge. VICSEG has unique groups that, in some cases, allow mothers and children to learn English together. They also have soccer groups for kids and teens, playgroups, and tons of support services and training.

In the visits to the other agencies, I was reminded time and again that culture really flows through several aspects of life. Agencies were ready and willing to not only learn from people of different backgrounds, but take their suggestions and make their voices be heard. And that’s incredibly important working in the mental health field. One may think they know what’s best for a person, but through hearing about their unique experiences and really having empathy for different struggles, a middle ground may be found. Cultural competency and sensitivity to other cultures is a necessity.

Beyond the need for cultural sensitivity, I’ve learned so much that will help me in my future endeavors. I’m a psychology major, and I actually learned psychology and social work go very well together! Having never taken a class in social work, I didn’t know quite what to expect, but there were definitely some similarities in the different concepts we talked about. Among my favorites are strengths-based approaches, and the family therapy components, which we learned quite a lot about. I will definitely take into account different strategies utilized by some of the agencies. And it just solidified my love of family therapy. If one doesn’t understand a client’s environment, there may be a crucial element missing from treatment.

This experience also gave me insight into other professions (beyond social work) and how they all work together on an individual’s case. I was very fortunate to be able to go to a renal team meeting at Royal Children’s Hospital. Doctors, nurses, a dialysis nurse, a psychologist, an Aboriginal services liason, social workers, and others have a team meeting every week where they discuss every patient (recent admits, current patients, and future admits) to the renal ward of the hospital. It was so cool to hear everyone throwing out ideas and really respecting each unique perspective on a patient’s case. The holistic approach is very much reinforced in Australia, which I love.

Studying in Australia was an incredible experience. From the diverse, thriving city of Melbourne, to the small towns we saw along the Great Ocean Road. Meditating in the rainforest, to setting up a playgroup for young kids at Berry Street, to visiting amazing historical sites. This trip was filled with so many experiences I will cherish and utilize going forward. Until next time, Australia!

Did anyone else know that Australia had such a diverse culture?

Forty-six percent of Australians have at least one parent who was not born in Australia. Wow. That is nearly half the entire population!

In my first blog post, Parisa and I spoke a little to the diverse foods, such as Asian and Italian, that we were seeing but I wanted to complicate that a bit. Whenever I asked about “Australian food” I was typically bet with several phrases such as “Uhhhh,” “Well,” and “Uhmmm”.  But when you think about it for yourself, I can’t really think of hardly any traditional American foods either. As it seems, Australia is just as much of a melting pot as the United States is, and perhaps even more so. Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chinese, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese are all spoken in Australia, just to name a few. Of course, the first people’s to arrive to Australia were the Aboriginals. Then in the 17th and 18th centuries many Europeans came to explore, such as the Dutch and the British. During the 1800s several Chinese and other Asians came to New South Wales to work in the gold fields during the gold rush. Consider too, the simple proximity of Asia to the land down under. After World War II was another time of massive immigration from European countries to Australia.

Being an egocentric American, I always thought that the United States was always where refugees and immigrants came when they needed to escape or leave their home country. If I wanted to leave my home country, though, I think Australia would be an excellent choice. I was amazed at VICSEG by the emphasis that they placed on linking up refugees with people of their own culture via playgroups. The idea of having community workers who have recently undergone the immigration process themselves show new refugees the ropes of day to day living really struck me as well.

Did anyone else know that Australia had a rich Aboriginal history?

The Aboriginals have had their own culture for the past 40,000 to 60,000 years, marking themselves as one of the oldest living populations on Earth. In this time, the organized their own government, produced their own language, created rules around mating and marriage and found a way to make a highly functioning society. They created their own methods of healing such as herbs, massages, secret chant and steam baths. I appreciated learning that if the Aboriginals were living on a piece of land too long and they noticed it was taking a toll on the environment they would move to a new location. Furthermore, Aboriginals traditionally only took what they needed from the ecosystem: if there were two eggs in the nest and they only needed one at the time they would leave it. As an American, that blows my mind, only taking what you need- we’re so greedy. Though much of their history is not written, the Aboriginals have a thriving oral history that includes over 500 language groups.

Many are doing all that they can to save and preserve the Aboriginal culture. Today, several Aboriginal families still follow traditional gender-based roles, such as only the men being allowed to play the didgeridoo. When it comes to the elders, men play the biggest role in settling disputes meanwhile women handle mating totems and marriage. And every time we walked into an agency and they acknowledged the original owners of the land I got chills. Unfortunately, however, this has not always been done. It breaks my heart to know that the government did not issue a formal apology to the Stolen Generation until February 13^th, 2008, and still there is much work to be done.

Did anyone else know how innovative Australians could be?

The Lighthouse Foundation, Young and Well and Reach Out all struck me as highly innovative and original.

Coat of Arms, picture taken at The Melbourne Museum

Young and Well and Reach Out are doing a fantastic job of researching and creating new ways that technology can affect and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people. I think the United States is currently underestimating how much technology can influence teenagers and that we really need to follow Australia’s footprints in this department. I also really loved how The Lighthouse Foundation is set up, placing four youth in one home with two full time carers and a community base around that home to support them. The foundation plans to expand from just forty beds to one thousand beds over the next year and it is my hope that there framework can become the basis for other agencies all over the country.

Also, I just wanted to mention the Australian Coat of Arms, or crest, because it has been something I have been so absolutely hung up on and something that I have shared with nearly all of my friends and family. The Coat of Arms is the official symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia and features a red kangaroo and an emu. Okay, so what? Many people say that these two animals where chosen not only because they are indigenous to Australia, but because they are two animals that cannot move backwards. The kangaroo and the emu only move forward, signifying the progress Australia is striving to achieve.

Did anyone else know how similar the US and Australia are?

When most people think of Australia I would venture to guess that they either picture beautiful beaches or a dry, dangerous dessert. I had this idea that Australia would be so absolutely different from the United States. Sure, Australians drive and walk on the opposite side of the road and every living creature there could kill you, but on a day-to-day basis it really was not that different. Just like in Columbus, the people of Australia wake up every morning and go to work, use their selfie sticks, love their football and cannot escape road construction for the life of them.

Helena at VACCA spoke of the systematic racism that Aboriginals still are facing today. According to her prison rates for Aboriginals are still disproportionately high compared to the general population. Aboriginals face stereotypes of being violent, angry and always on welfare. Still, the Aboriginal history is not really taught in the school system. When she was saying all of this I could not help but to think of how Americans still portray and treat our American Indians.

Did anyone else know how absolutely friendly and helpful Australians are?

One thing that always makes an impact on me is how people treat me. Just walking the streets, on the train or in a shop nearly everyone we came across was kind. People went out of their way to be nice to us, even given our awkward group of fourteen loud women. On our first day in Melbourne we were walking to the Preston Market and a older gentleman stopped us and asked us if we would like to pet and play with his dogs. How simple (and of course we wanted to pet them, we’re young women!) but that struck me so and I can say that I have never had that happen here in Ohio. Everyone is so self-involved in the states. We tend not to think of others unless it benefits us. In the trains and trams we often had people ask us if we needed help getting somewhere, and often time we did. When we asked a question on the street we were always met with a positive attitude, rather than annoyance or rudeness.

Playing some beach volleyball with Outback Billy!

Our agencies were very warm and welcoming as well. I feel like I keep saying this phrase but I was amazed that almost if not all the agencies had morning tea and coffee with biscuits for us as soon as we got there. A few agencies even offered us lunch on their own dime. In down time, faculty usually engaged with us one-on-one asking about our personal lives. I value all the time that Trish took in helping Dr. Cash organize this incredible experience with us. I never expected for her to bring her whole family out just to have dinner and meet all of us. And honestly, Outback Billy and Holistic Hiker, Katie, went above and beyond for us. Looking back, it really touched my heart that Outback Billy drew up a mock volleyball court on the beach and started a little game of volleyball with us.

Did anyone know else how much I would change from just one-month abroad?

I grew up in a little village in Appalachia. I thought Columbus and its diversity had changed me, and it has, but it was nothing compared Australia. I have lived a sheltered life. I had never been west of the Mississippi, let alone out of the country. Now that I have been, I cannot wait to leave again! People keep asking me if I want to go back to Australia, and sure, I would love too but I cannot help but asking, what else have I been missing out on? Where else can I go next? A fire has been lit inside of me.

Now, I am only twenty-one and only going into my fourth year of undergrad. I do not feel that I can say that I one hundred percent want to work in the social work field for the rest of my life. If anything, Australia and this program have left me questioning my plans for the future—but that is okay, it is actually a good thing. Even though I am a social work major this program has given me a newfound respect for the field. It is one thing to learn about social work in the classroom but it is truly a completely different thing to watch it happen in front of you in real-world situations. The added culture value was a pure bonus!