For my Australian application essay, I used this quote by Judith Thurman:

“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.”

This is how I have always felt about Australia, and couldn’t have been more true!

First off – hello! My name is Alex, I am an MSW student, and I am on the Child Welfare track. My current placement has specific focus of working in outpatient therapy with adolescents with trauma; I also have a focus on youth mental health and foster youth.

Most Influential Aspect Career Wise of OZ

One issue I continually see, is the gap in service with level of care. Generally speaking, the level of care we have can be either outpatient therapy or hospitalization. (For the majority – some services provide in-home care, or specific issues part hospitalization.) A lot of kiddos I see; these options aren’t right. An adolescent who is overwhelmed- whether it be from a life event, mental health, or just stressors can be further traumatized from hospitalization. On the other hand, sending someone home when they don’t or as a professional you don’t feel completely comfortable can be just as harmful.

During agency visits, we visited Frankston Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (Y-PARC) with Mind Australia. The second we were ushered into the building I immediately knew – this was the place I didn’t know I was looking for.

Y-PARC is a voluntary partial residential which they consider both prevention and recovery care (PARC). The building is set up like a dormitory – but a dormitory focused on positive mental health. There is a room filled with art supplies and adorned with artwork made there.

There is also a room with guitars and bean bag chairs that is open and inviting. Included comes gym space, private rooms, sitting areas outside in the sun – and freedom. Part of what makes these spaces so inviting is the fact they are not forced as the building has a “come and go as you please” atmosphere. All the kids are there on their own accord, and they are encouraged to continue attending school and work – and encouraged to take the time they need when they need it. They have freedom to see their friends, or spend the night at home if they want to. They tailor make their choices.

The place from top to bottom exudes trauma informed care. Trauma informed care centers around detailed thinking of ways to make a person feel safer. Small things, like the daily schedule board letting the client know what lies ahead, and the policies and procedures in order. All of the staff (who are not counselors) still work from a strength based, choice theory approach allowing the youth to guide their own recovery. [Guide – not control.]

Treating adolescents in mental health is decisively tricky. Teenagers are treated with authoritarian power by the state, yet often expected to behave like an adult in society with similar pressures. I’ve always felt that there needs to be more medium ground with letting youth take part in their treatment, but are still treated as a non adult. Mind Australia Y-PARC creates a place like that and it’s reinvigorated my passion for adolescent mental health.

A place like this would be hard to create in the States… In my experience in youth care, there is A LOT of “red tape” to get around. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. I believe seeing a place like this exist will only further fuel me to help advocate for it’s existence here.

Changes need to be made in adolescent mental health and youth care services, and seeing Mind Australia reminded me why this is what I want to pursue. I would love to stay in Australia and have services like Y-PARC available, but right now that’s not possible. But at least I figured out my plans for what to do next. I feel as this helped further develop my career goals, as I was able to see a place like this exist, and work… This was said verbatim from youth during our visit – and as we all know they are the toughest critic.

Most Influential Aspect of my Goals in OZ

The truth is, social work and working in child welfare can be downright hard. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and jadedness can be very real aspects of the field. When everyday you are faced with some of the most heinous truths of human nature it can very easily get to you. No matter where you travel, child welfare is imperfect and kids can slip through the system and this trip solidified that. However, this trip also solidified the truth that wherever you go – there will also be helpers.

For me, working with others who are also wading in the trenches reinvigorates my passion for this field. (Crazy enjoys company right?) Having the opportunity to travel across the world and meet other people who are fighting for the same things fueled me in a way I never expected.

During a conversation with Suzy from Victorian Cooperative on Children’s Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG) I mentioned something that would never, could never happen in the states. In the gentle encouraging way social workers have a tendency to communicate in, Suzy asked “Why not? What would it take to be different?” I started to explain ways that things needed to change and then I realized Suzy was smiling at me. What I was talking about could change – but only if someone was bold enough to try to do it.

The biggest impact Australia had on me and my goals – was by making them as big as Australia! When we continue to look at a broken system the same way it becomes difficult to see ways we can fix it. By trying the view from somewhere else – all of a sudden we can start to imagine new ways to put it back together.

 


Most Influential Aspect Cultural Wise in OZ

I would like to pay my respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I traveled on, and also pay respect to Elders both past and present.

Before I can even begin to address the cultural learning aspects Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) helped teach me I felt I needed to include an “Acknowledgement of Country.”

One of the first ways we learned to show respect for Aboriginal culture and heritage is to say at the beginning of any meeting or gathering an Acknowledgement of Country. All this entails is acknowledgment that the meeting is taking place in the country of the traditional custodians.

I believe that taking a minute to ruminate over the rightful owners of the land is powerful. A brief minute (almost) daily, keeps the remembrance of the Aboriginal history fresh in everyone’s minds.

Before I visited Australia – it never occurred to me that Australia has a black history too.*

*Side note: Any person who identifies as Aboriginal – is. Being Aboriginal is not defined by skin color as it is the culture and beliefs that define the individual. “Black History” is inclusive to all Aboriginals (and Torres Strait Islanders) – no matter their skin tone.

Similar to what we are used to – level of skin pigment is impactful. In America, it was common practice for lighter skinned slaves to work inside and be considered more attractive; while darker skinned slaves were expected to work in the fields. It was also common for individuals who were mixed to struggle with identity as they were too light skinned to be considered black so they were rejected by the other slaves, and as they were half black they were rejected by white families.

Aboriginals have similar “light skin/dark skin” identity issues. Through forced colonization and a harrowing time of removing Aboriginal children and placing them white homes – culture became the mark of being an Aboriginal not skin color. Many white Aboriginals struggle with identity because people don’t see them as Aboriginal. One person I spoke with commented on how growing up as a white Aboriginal made him feel like he constantly had to prove himself.

He talked about one time he was dressed and painted in traditional Aboriginal clothing for a ceremony, and a person said “I know that you are Aboriginal” pointing to his darker skinned friends, but then they turned and pointed to him and said “but what are you?”

As an egocentric American, I’ve always felt that America has had the most racially charged history. America was not discovered, it was invaded- and taken through deceit and unfair advantage from the Native American Indians. The country was taken, then built off of the backs of slaves that white men decided to “take” as well. Our racial issues continue to stay a controversial hot topic, but our discussion of the Native Indian Americans has since died down.

During our cultural training at VACCA I realized that acknowledgment of past is one of the most healing aspects for the Aboriginals. This is why the Acknowledgement of Country is so crucial. Every single time someone takes a moment to mention the original custodians of land, it brings the issue back to the table and recognizes that a lot of pain has occurred.

What if Americans did the same?

Really.

What if instead of celebrating Thanksgiving- the real story was shared. What if instead of cheering for teams mockingly named “Redskins” – we opened sports games with an acknowledgment of land? What if instead of having a black history month acknowledgment of slavery and racial oppression was a continuous discussion? What if we acknowledged the pain our country has caused?

As much of my focus is working with trauma, I tend to view the world through that type of thinking. One important aspect of trauma work is acknowledging the power of the perception. As I have a clinical focus, I sometimes lose sight of the greater population as a whole. VACCA opened my eyes to the effect of this. If a single individuals’ recovery is greatly influenced by acknowledgment of trauma – imagine the magnitude of a whole country NOT showing acknowledgment.

When I listened to the firsthand account of the individuals from VACCA I realized much heartache has been endured, and continues to be caused by people not acknowledging the full scope of the pain that has occurred. In order to deal with the trauma of the country we have to first admit it has happened and the effects still linger.

I believe as a whole, visiting VACCA was one of the most empowering agency visits. The visit really encouraged me to think further than the “here and now” of racial and ethnic issues. The best advice from VACCA? All you have to do is two things.

1. ASK
2. LISTEN

Caring to learn about someone else’s culture – (acknowledgment) is one of the best tools we have.

Final Thoughts on life in OZ

G’DAY G’DAY!

My final thoughts and reflections on the program are quite simple. “I’m so glad I went.” The program catered towards my professional passions and my personal interests. I was both able to travel across the world to continue my education in pursuit of my professional passions AND play in nature as the adventurer and an explorer I love to be.

Yes, I am one of those people who keeps a bucket list. This trip helped cross off many items on my bucket list. Scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef, seeing the Twelve Apostles, seeing the Three Sisters, gloriously hiking through the Blue Mountains, living in another country, and most importantly HUGGING A KOALA are all huge checkmarks on my bucket list. Although these are not “educationally” related I kind of think they are.

As a person who focuses on clinical work, I understand I am my own “product.” If I want to encourage others to find the best lives for themselves, I need to know how to do the same for myself. As one with wanderlust – exploring is the best life for me, and I am overjoyed at the opportunity I’ve had to put that in practice.

CHEERS MATES

 

Music as a Mental Health Practice

One of the best, easiest, (and most COST EFFECTIVE) interventions we learned about this week was through the KidsMatter program at Beyondblue. The day before Beyondblue, we were at the agency VICSEG. VICSEG specifically deals with new refugee/immigrant/asylum-seeking families. The agency visit really opened our eyes to the challenges these families face, especially in community integration. With our minds still so focused on these populations’ struggles we were in awe of the simple yet insanely impactful practice from Beyondblue.

Music in culture is sacred. We learned how much a person connects to these culture values, and misses them when they are not there. Although families flee to Australia from danger of their home, the truth is they still miss aspects of their home. They often face a hard time from not being welcomed in Australia.

Beyondblue incorporated a seemingly small school intervention, which was met with tears of happiness from grateful families. The intervention? They incorporated music from various cultures of their students and families. Each day, in place of the standard school bell, a different song was played during the class breaks. This was an amazing solution to acknowledging the feelings that new refugee/immigrant/asylum-seeking families had of being left out. These families who were feeling not welcomed to their new school, had a feeling of being welcomed just by a few chords of a song,

The key to the intervention was Beyondblue listening to the community and assessing the needs. The key was, to not just have standard bells, or play Australian music, or play a generalized sweep of “African” or “Asian” music. The school and Beyondblue worked together to find music from the specific cultures and dialects of each of the children who attended their schools. With this simple switch, families with little to no English were still given the clear message that they were known and welcomed. It was a small and simple acknowledgement not just of the school’s diversity and multiculturalism, but also of each individual student and their family.

Video of the reactions of the families to hearing their own cultures songs was heartwarming. One woman commented, “walking my daughter to school and hearing my villages music was the first time I felt I really belonged.”

Let’s do it – Musical Implementation in Ohio!

This intervention is cost effective, practical, and easy to implement. This practice is something that we could easily adopt in the US and specifically in Columbus. Multiculturalism in our schools is increasing, to the dismay of some, and the awkward feeling of exclusion for many. Columbus has one of the highest rates of Somali individuals in the United States. Columbus only continues to grow more diverse.

 

In my experience of working with Somali families I’ve noticed the way the parents interact with (or, in reality, don’t interact with) the school systems. I understand where they’re coming from – they are displaced and not acknowledged, but no matter the situation I want to work towards what is best for their child. If the schools these children attended took the chance to spend a few moments creating a playlist of songs that are meaningful to their students cultures, slowly a bond between the system and the families could start to emerge.

The Musical Authors:

Alex & Kayla

Music – all cultures – all the time

One thing that has been present across all cultures, in all variations – is music. It is so defining to us. Ask any person – “what is your favorite band / song / genre of music” and you’ll notice it’s a question that will always engage a thoughtful response.

Music is an art form that can evolve to serve multiple purposes. We use it as a creative tool to express our culture, for example Aboriginals and the didgeridoo, and we use it as a way to define ourselves, like the great Beatles or Rolling Stones debate. For those wondering: Kayla = The Beatles; Alex = The Rolling Stones.

As mentioned, one way that agencies have reached out to try and work with immigrants and refugees is by playing their music. We saw this with Beyondblue playing different cultures’ music at schools to give them a sense of “home” where they might not have expected it. We also learned about practices VICSEG uses to embrace the refugees and asylum seekers using art, and music from their home countries during meditation to help alleviate stress and trauma. Even an amazing app created by Young and Well called Music eScape, which engages kids by using their iTunes library to create specific mood- altering playlists. All these mental health agencies understand: music is powerful. One-way music represents us is it makes us feel at home. Sometimes literally! Personally, I have never been to a sporting event where the national anthem wasn’t played. Another way music is powerful is it so deeply ties into our memories.

While here in Australia, we have developed a bit of an Australian playlist that will most likely be in our memories forever.

• G’Day G’Day – Slim Dusty
  • https://youtu.be/PT331BRkkP0?list=RDPT331BRkkP0
  • This song was introduced to us while on the Great Ocean Road trip. It’s catchy isn’t it? Well – all trip, it has been normal practice for one of us to randomly start the song, followed by the cohort chorus. Why are we so obsessed with this song? This song feels like Australia. While we have only been here a few weeks, this song captures the feeling of our “home” during our stay here. Also, the line “isn’t great- to be an Aussie…” is just so true! It really is great to be an Aussie.
• Archie Roach – Took the Children Away
  • https://youtu.be/aywDT6yHMmo
  • Here, much of our studies have focused on learning more about the Aboriginals. As many of us are focused on child welfare, the part that most resonated with us is the Stolen Generation. The Stolen Generation references a time where many Aboriginal children were removed from their homes, stolen from their families, and relocated. Archie Roach himself was a child who was removed from his home and placed in foster care. He wrote the song after his sister wrote a letter detailing his history. The song is so powerful, after a month of learning about Aboriginal culture the song still awes us with the haunting harmony.
• Men at Work – Land Down Under
  • https://youtu.be/XfR9iY5y94s
  • This song was the first time many of us heard of vegemite sandwiches. This is another song that we sang frequently during the Great Ocean Road trip. I’m not sure if any one of us ever learned any lyrics other than “land of down underrrr!” But we can really belt out those few lines!
• Come Let Go -Xavier Rudd
  • https://youtu.be/AHEkA5JzIbc
  • This song is most meaningful to me (Alex!). I have for years been a Xavier Rudd fan. I have loved the peaceful, and all inclusive message of Xavier Rudd’s songs for a long time. What is funny, is one day on the trip I started to feel homesick so I put on some relaxing music for something to feel familiar. Ironically – my playlist had songs by my favorite artists Xavier Rudd and John Butler Trio… Who are both Australian! The moment made me laugh, but still had the comforting feeling I was seeking. Being in Australia, I felt so tied to the song from the style, and the understanding of the musical influence of the didgeridoo from the Aboriginals. This song just really explains the trip motto of “just come let go.”
• Redemption Song – Bob Marley 
  • https://youtu.be/QrY9eHkXTa4
  • (Kayla’s song) One would think that since my dad used to tour with Bob Marley that I would have a special connection with his music. This is surprisingly the opposite, as I grew up as the type who rebelled against what he liked. One could imagine the shock and surprise, then, upon coming to Australia and hearing his famous “Redemption Song” over and over. It started in Cairns, where I met a French backpacker who played it for me on her guitar. Within my stay there, I had heard it at least four more times, either in the bars and restaurants I went to, or by street performers outside of them. In Sydney, I found it to be the same. By the time I got to Melbourne, it was almost a pleasant reminder song, telling me that I was still here in beautiful Australia. It was the first song I heard by a street performer when I exited the train at Southern Cross Station early in the morning on the way to meet the group for the first time. When we got to Wanderlust the next week, it was the first song covered by the band playing there. It was played another time while we were there, too. Today, on our last day here, I heard it played again from the tram car by another street performer. While it isn’t an Australian song, and one that I would not have chosen to listen to on my own, but it is now one that I will hold for myself as a memory token of my time in Australia.
• I Am Australian
  • https://youtu.be/jD3SkTyXzcE
  • This song explains itself. Are we Australian? No… But for the last month we have been in our own perception! So this song just came naturally. Also who can resist belting out “I ammmm, you areeeee, WE AREEE AUSTRALIAN!”

 

Music as The Great Equalizer

Before this trip almost none of us knew each other. The personalities so attracted to this trip were the ones who were kind of like, “sure, I’ll go to the other end of the world not knowing anyone because I like the adventure!”

We have now been together here for weeks. Often times spending literal days together in vans, traveling, camping, and eating. The time difference from home (being ahead a total of 14 hours) limits our communication to our people in the states, because half of our day they are sleeping – and visa versa. So here we are, a group of random folks thrown together by the lust of adventure and preference in academics. So we came together, not unlike the early group of Australians – metaphorically of course (minus the being convicts part).

Last night we realized we really created a little makeshift OSU goes to Land of OZ family. The best way to celebrate? MUSIC. As a group, we rallied together and spent our last night singing karaoke. Although karaoke might seem trivial, the truth is it was an opportunity to express ourselves as individuals, and as a whole group. We all choose songs together, or supported one another on stage.

During karaoke, there was a similar egregious group of Australians singing as well. Our two groups slowly merged into one big group – and the last song (Journey – Don’t Stop Believing) both of our groups belted out the words together. The last night summed up the feelings of the trip. We bonded both as an OSU makeshift family during our stay, and were warmly greeted and embraced by the Australians.

 

And so we say: G’Day G’Day!

G’DAY & Peace Out!

We have written out the following tourist commandments:

1. Thou shall selfie anywhere, and everywhere.
2. Thou shall ACTUALLY read street signs.
3. Thou shall ACTUALLY abide by the said street signs.
4. Thou shall not take forever at the register while everyone else waits behind you.
5. Thou shall be aware of thou’s surroundings.
6. “When in Rome” – do as the culture does.
7. Thou shall accept that looking stupid will happen.
8. Thou shall not forget that other humans will help.
9. (Further explanation for above) ASK FOR HELP.
10. Thou shall remember currency changes – but our bank account does not.
11. Thou shall be a respectful and conscientious.

 

Good Tourist, Bad Tourist, Real Tourist

Our good! When we arrived, we were so excited to be in Melbourne and as a group of social workers, we all tried our best to respect cultural differences and not be the “obnoxious tourist group”. We tried to be the best tourists we could be! Hint – we failed. Funnily enough, we have broken our own commandants on every account.:

We have:

• walked on the wrong side of the road
• continuously gotten lost
• accidentally not paid for a tram ride
• stood in peoples way
• looked the wrong way when crossing the street
• been stereotypical LOUD tourists
• stop and selfied in peoples way
• been ‘Merican
• cheered at the wrong moments during footy
• taken too long during group pictures
• …etc. I’m sure we could continue adding!

Our real… Now, we do the best we can – we pay for trams, we try to stay on the correct side of the road, we stay out of peoples’ way, we selfie consciously, we top off our myki cards, and we follow tram etiquette. We have not succeeded in lowering our voices, or always staying to the left, and the group pictures are just going to happen, however, we are consciously working on assimilating into the Melbs culture.

 

How Does Being a Tourist Translate to this Program?

Our first agency visit was to Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency or VACCA. VACCA graciously hosted us, as well as took us through cultural competency training on Aboriginal culture.

Good tourist: Our immediate social worker instincts lead us to sit quietly, act knowledgeably, say nothing controversial and abide by their cultural traditions and beliefs 100% – no matter if it contradicted our own.

This lead to us not learning the information we really needed. Gentle coaxing from our hosts encouraged us to ask and speak freely in the shared space.

Bad tourist… Turns out we didn’t agree with everything said about their cultural beliefs. We had a hard time removing our own views about gender and gender roles, to fully understand and accept their practices on the didgeridoo.

We smiled politely, but internally we couldn’t shake our beliefs. Their cultural traditions and beliefs directly contradicted ours.

We had to know: WHY. Why cant women play the didgeridoo?

The most important lesson during the training was to let ourselves be vulnerable. We allowed ourselves to be vulnerable enough to ask questions by trusting that they would respond knowing that we are coming from a place of respect.

Our questions came from intentions of respect – from a desire to actually learn more.

Our real: Even though our (amazing) trainers took the time and care to explain fully in great historical detail why women cannot play the instrument we still couldn’t 100% believe it, due to our core beliefs.

Aside from that, we soaked up every inch of the incredible cultural training. We were filled with knowledge, passion, and a newfound awareness of Aboriginal culture.

Maybe that’s just our real. We 99.9% abided by and digested the cultural training provided. However, that .01%, still contradicts our beliefs.

In the training, we were reminded that we bring our values wherever we go.

 

Be the Albino Kangaroo

Outside our cultural competency training and awareness of bad tourist ethics, we decided to have some fun. However, it turns out you can’t turn off the social worker in us.

While at Maru Wildlife Center, we noticed a single albino kangaroo. Unknowingly to each other, we both walked up to the kangaroo and spoke to him about how he was special. We reminded the kangaroo that uniqueness is to be treasured and to not let the other kangaroos get him down. We told Mr. Roo, as the magnets from Wanderlust told us – “Be you, and the world will adjust.”

Later when we reflected, we realized why we were drawn to the albino kangaroo. We enjoy finding and celebrating diversity within the animal kingdom, so why is it hard for us to do so often within the human species?

For this trip, we decided we want to be the albino kangaroo: unique and carrying the message of beauty in diversity!

 

Lessons Learned as a Tourist on This Earth

The truth is we are not always the good tourist, or the bad tourist, or even the real tourist. As [actual] tourists, students, and people, we are multi-dimensional creatures. 

We need to accept that even though we might always want to be the “good tourist” that is just not possible. Sometimes, our growth lies in our failures from being a “bad tourist” and accepting that it is a journey.

Maybe that’s some of the “tourist of the earth” lesson – the balancing act between respecting our own culture, others’ cultures, and practicing cultural humility for what lies between.

 

Moral: We are all tourists on this earth, and there are certain practices we should all (try to) abide by.

Short Version: LEARN BALANCE. (And how to selfie.)