Healing for Our Women, by Our WomenA Yarn with Yasmin Johnson

Intro Music / VoiceoverWelcome to Daa'ring Yarning, a gathering place for sharing stories of strength, culture and connection from First Nations communities. Here, we will shine a light on ideas and programs that contribute to reducing violence against women and children, and healing practices for all who have been affected by family violence. We will also explore the culture that keeps our mob strong, and what it means to our communities. Hosted by First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence CEO Kerry Staines, Daa'ring Yarning is a safe space for storytelling, learning, healing and community connection.

Kerry StainesWelcome to Daa'ring Yarning. I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands I'm coming to you from today, the Gurung Gurung people, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, for they hold the memories, traditions and culture and hopes of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people. I recognise their continuing connection to our land, water and community.

Kerry StainesWelcome everyone, we're thrilled to have Yasmin Johnson with us today. As CEO of Maburra Collective Incorporated in the Townsville region, and we're really wanting to hear about she's got a new program that she's starting up there, and a program that the community has identified there's a need for. So we're just going to explore how it's all come about and how Yasmin's got to where they are now. So welcome, Yasmin.

Yasmin JohnsonThanks Kerry, it's a pleasure to be here.

Kerry StainesYasmin, I'd just want to start if I can, if you can just tell me a little about your mob or your country and where you're from.

Yasmin JohnsonYeah, thanks Kerry. As you know my name's Yasmin Johnson. I'm a Wulgurukaba woman from Yunbenun, which is Magnetic Island in Queensland, and Gurumbilbarra which is Townsville language name. So I've also got connections to Nywaigi people of the Sunday region, and the Gurang Gurang people of Bundaberg.

Kerry StainesOh great, well that's where I'm on today, I'm on Gurang Gurang country. So I'm on your mob's land. All right, if you could just tell me about the Maburra Collective and what your service is, what you're doing and then also what you hope to achieve?

Yasmin JohnsonMaburrra Collective has been operational for about nine months now. But as you know with our community services they develop over long periods of time. So Maburra Collective has been in the making for about seven years since working in the space of domestic and family violence. We're a not-for-profit for-purpose organization. Our main focus is around creating healing programs for our women and our children and community around domestic and family violence advocacy work, education, and just making sure that our community comes along the journey of healing within that space is really important.

Yasmin JohnsonMaburra stands for our women and collective women. It reflects our strength and our resilience and our collective healing, which we know when working in the space this is what our women and our communities are crying out for and there's a real need for healing in our communities. And I guess that's the reason and the purpose for creating Maburra, you know, I've been in refuge on a number of occasions and I said to myself you know how can I give back to community in a way that can create transformational change in a different way. And that takes a long time when you've gone through lived experience and you're a victim-survivor. And I don't know if I like that word or connect with that word victim-survivor. You know we go through many challenges as you know when we're dealing with domestic and family violence you know and when we're going through crisis. And so it's important that we speak to not the deficit of where we are and where we place and where we may be labelled, but we speak to our strengths as community members as leaders and as women in our community. And for me Maburra Collective is about the healing journey that we need to go on in the space of domestic and family violence within our communities.

Kerry StainesThere's so many powerful things that you've just said there. I'm not quite sure which threads to pick up on, but I guess to say, you know, healing as a focus is something you're right that you know we don't hear about as often as what we should. And I did hear a term the other day about you know lived experience it should be living experience because those experiences can also be positive and life-changing so I'm definitely with you on the victim-survivor. I'm not sure about the victim because you know once people move you don't want people to be held in a space and you want to allow for that growth so it is you know it is really challenging coming up with what is the correct terminology because it's probably a blend of all of those things. But no, thank you. And it's, you know, it has been a long journey, like seven years is a long time. Probably just talk me through or go if you can cast your mind back seven years ago, and I know that you've talked about your own personal experience and wanting to then you know give back to the community, but obviously there was a collective that then got involved. How I guess did you look at what the community needs in terms of recognizing what that service needed to look like specifically how you wanted to give back I guess?

Yasmin JohnsonWell, I guess for me it was my own you know personal experience personal journey, but also that collective wealth of professional work that I'd been engaged with over the past you know 20 odd years you know in social services sector, working in frontline practice, working in very different and diverse roles but always coming back to understanding and working in the intersectionality of domestic and family violence. Within child safety space, within family crisis intervention, within justice spaces. And saying to myself what and community in the different areas that I've worked in particularly in Mackay and in Townsville and in Brisbane they were all saying and identifying healing is a component that may be lacking and missing in a lot of programs and services that are developed. We have the most amazing ecosystem of frontline practice service supports, crisis intervention supports, but none of them really spoke to well what really do we really need? Particularly for First Nations women and our men as well, and that was around healing. And what might that look like in a service and supports and programs?

Yasmin JohnsonAnd I guess I was in a position where I'd gathered all this information and all this learning through my professional capacity, you know initially as a frontline specialist practitioner in domestic and family violence, and then moving into leadership roles and then also moving into policy and research. And so that wealth of information and knowledge I said to myself well what needs to be created for our communities so that we can bring back and ensure that our connection to culture and community is embedded in the development of an organization. And many organizations as you may know are created quite differently. But I was adamant that Maboora had to be created with the voices of our women. And we have a wonderful and amazing board of eight women on Maburra, who both have lived experience in very different areas of life, but also have strong professional capacity in the work that they've done previously. You know in education, health, in justice, in you know youth and family child and family preservation. And so that wealth of knowledge adds and guides the work that I do.

Yasmin JohnsonAlong with some other things that I thought were really important in the community. And speaking with particularly with my elders and a number of elder mentors who had been, you know, who had their own lived experience of domestic and family violence and said to me what's missing is healing for our women, and healing and education and advocacy. And I'd worked in Mackay, worked down in Brisbane, in Victoria and in other spaces and it was really needed back home in community. And I said to myself, you know, despite my experience and my continued healing journey I needed to get back home on country and ground myself in belonging back into my community. And say well this is what our women need you know in my community and I have the capacity to help nurture that and grow that and support that and that's the reason why Maburra Collective exists.

Kerry StainesYeah, no that's really special and it's a great example. You know we have all these new terms now: self-determination in action and all those things, but it's community doing what community does in caring for one another and yeah I think it's a great example. Can you walk me through a little bit about how the community's received the program? You know, was there any difference between maybe any initial reactions seven years ago to now or I guess community awareness about the program?

Yasmin JohnsonYeah, it's been a slow, bit of a slow uptake. Because and I'm not too sure if you're aware, although we are operational we are not funded. And so the work that I do for Maburra is done solely on a volunteer basis. But that's okay because I'm laying and our board of directors our collective women's strength and in knowing that this is what's needed in community, through the wealth of knowledge and the community engagement that they've all contributed to in being in community. Our programs are what's needed for our community and for our women and that's around, you know, advocacy, educating our women around what domestic and family violence and sexual violence might look like, and how do we take the steps or support women along their own healing journey.

Yasmin JohnsonYou know it may not be immediate that they find that space to come into one of our programs and begin healing. It may be that they're still in crisis, but that doesn't mean that we can't support them in other ways through our priorities around you know our acts of kindness and giving. You know it may be a single woman who has you know three or four children and they're struggling to put food on the table or to get the kids prepared for attending school. So we are hoping that through this grounded work and the foundational work that we're laying down that community will receive that and be supportive of our continued growth and development.

Yasmin JohnsonAt this stage, we've received three wonderful grants from the Queensland Government, Office of Women, Department of Women, which we've run one of the grants was to run a financial well-being program. So we've run one workshop specifically targeting domestic and family violence and the impacts of women around financial abuse. And we received almost about 50 people interested in the program, which you know, is a great example of the need. We had 25 women register for our program, and we had 20 women attend on the day. And so we've run one wonderful workshop with our women. So the next workshop will run probably at the end of June early July, and then we're going to hopefully also do a webinar around the financial well-being program. So that in itself says to myself as the CEO but to our board of directors that there is such a need for our women to learn more about some of those things that impact on domestic and family violence and what are the things particularly around financial abuse, coercive control, you know what do they look like in a cultural sense or the cultural lens that we need to apply in helping our women understand some of those things that happen on a broader sense. But how do we make sure that our First Nations women, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a great understanding of how it impacts them.

Kerry StainesAnd also I would imagine that the practical application. So you know, if someone's looking at what their financial situation is, whether they've got access to funds or how they can create some funds for themselves. You know it's really a foundational need and a right to have access to finances. So I think learning and educating gives people more opportunities to choose the life that they would like to live in the way that they want to live it. So I think it is always that practical application when you you know like you said talk about coercive control, we need to bring that into what does that mean for our community and our women and what does it look like and how is it surfacing so that because they're just words otherwise that it's hard to understand.

Yasmin JohnsonYeah, that's right. Yeah. And I've made a point of ensuring that when we are doing our programs or facilitating a workshop that there is a healing element as part of the workshop. So it could be, you know, at the end of the workshop we make sure that we're allowing some dedicated time, it may be an hour, it may be an hour and a half, and we bring in an elder to talk about their experience or we do a weaving workshop, you know, we incorporate some weaving or some narrative therapy into the workshop. To make sure that yes it's important that we talk about those issues around financial well-being, but part of that is also about healing as well and making sure that our healing practice is embedded in all the workshops that we create for our women.

Kerry StainesYeah, I look I think that's something that's very unique because a lot of those programs have great information but it is good to finish with that connection and something that brings healing. Which brings me really to my next question for you to talk to me a little bit more about what the healing and recovery work looks like in your community. So you've talked about there one way of adding it to the end of some of your workshops, but what else does Maburra do in terms of that healing and recovery work?

Yasmin JohnsonWell, I think for us in community, you know, healing is not an individual, it is an individual journey, but it's also a collective journey around creating that circle of safety for our women. To know that they're in a space where they're supported, their well-being is recognized, that they have women in the community that they can reach out to and that they can go to for support. Not just within organizations, but as individuals, we've always said to our women that everyone on the board is available and ready to give advice and support whenever it's needed. And that's quite unique because, you know when you sit on boards you can be restricted by you know some of the complexities within what you discuss in a board. But with our women we want our women to be connected to our board members because we are community members. We're seen out in the community on a day-to-day basis, we work in you know we may work at community level, we may work at government level, but when we come on board to engage with Maburra and the work that we do our hearts are open and our hands are open and our reach is open to ensure that our women feel safe. And that sort of work in recovery is around making sure that our women feel safe, that the wrap-around services are there, and that they can count on us when they need us. Maburra does not have a base, we work from our home and so of course you have to put up those professional boundaries, but we also have to say you know we are open to meeting you out in the community, to engaging with you and supporting with you wherever that may be.

Kerry StainesYeah, I love that. And you're right, you know, around the boundaries, but we also know that as a community member who's accountable to our own communities that work doesn't stop. And it's great that there's some very outwardly facing people you know that are safe people that your community members can count on and go to. I think that's really powerful. What are the next steps for Maburra? Where do you see yourselves being in a year's time?

Yasmin JohnsonI'd like to see us become fully funded and operational. I'd like to see that we can create some full-time positions in Maburra so that we can service our community and our women and our young people to the greatest extent that we can. So that our programs are far-reaching not just in Townsville and Palm Island, but in our other communities like Charters Towers, like Richmond, like Julia Creek, like Hughenden, that they can know that you know there's a healing program in Townsville how do we get involved with it? How do we make sure that our women in our community, whether they're in Charters Towers or in Innisfail or wherever it might be or Tully, can come down to Townsville and that we can open up that circle of safety for them to come in and to learn and to create networks and to be engaged in the ecosystem that can support them going back to their communities. Whether or not that's through a referral pathway, or that we create a referral pathway that may not be there. I think that's important too also in the work that we do. If it's not there, then we as a community and we as strong Aboriginal women can create that.

Kerry StainesHmm, yeah that's great. What has been one of your proudest moments so far in your journey?

Yasmin JohnsonI guess there've been quite a lot, but for me I think when I worked in Mackay and I had the great opportunity of you know setting up the Mackay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Violence Support Service through Marabisda, we developed in co-design with NIAA and co-design with community and elder stateswomen in the community a healing program. And that healing program is still running. We were awarded 1.5 million to run the program, which was a great achievement for a small organization like Marabisda. But one of the greatest achievements was also the men said that this was the first time they had an opportunity to sit around the table and talk about family and domestic violence. And that was a real blessing for the community, for Marabisda, for the healing program. And they also created a healing program for the men, which was awarded 1.5 million and is still up and running. And so I was really blessed to be a part of that, and to be an advocate for it and to support the women of the community to get that up and running. So that is probably one of my greatest achievements amongst many, but I do feel really blessed to be a part of that project.

Kerry StainesWhat a yeah, it's an amazing experience and yeah being a part of such an amazing project. And, you know, I love when community comes alive and you know, like you said, the community said we want a men's program, we want to do the same thing and it's great that you know everyone enabled that to happen. Regardless of what the project is, if you listen to community, we keep saying they have the solutions, just resource them. One last question I have for you, which is about you probably more in particular, is really how do you keep culture central in your day-to-day life and what helps you remain connected to country?

Yasmin JohnsonThat's such a great question Kerry. And you know I've been away from community, away from home for probably seven years now, you know, being on my own healing journey. And for me coming back to community, finding the connection again and feeling the belonging back to community is really important. And it could be going back to Yunbenun, which is a 20-minute ferry ride from Townsville, putting my feet on the warm sand again and being near the ocean, that's where I find my groundedness and my connection. And it can be hard when you live in the city or you know you live in urban settings, but if you can find a place where you feel connection, whether or not it's you know being close to the ocean or being in the mountains or being out bush, I think that's where we find our connection and our groundedness.

Yasmin JohnsonI went to Canberra probably about four months ago and I visited a dear friend down there and she does weaving work. And she taught me how to weave. I'm trying to work on this little basket, and I'm still working on it, but that grounds me also. You know when you're doing cultural stuff and I'm also working on a language revitalization project. And so doing that work embeds me in that cultural healing aspect of what's so important in our communities. And so just learning to weave, which is you know takes a lot of practice and you can make mistakes along the way, but it also feels very it's that foundational work and it's that connection to culture and community that really makes you feel centered when you do it. Whether or not it's sitting around the table yarning with our elders with a cup of tea, it's sitting around with our sisters doing some weaving work, it's just yarning with community, that's what grounds me in the work that I do. And I'm so blessed and proud of that, being called to do that as you know as part of our life's purpose and our journey in the work that we do. But at a professional level, that also centers the work that you know we get busy with reports and budgets and grant writing, it's important to come back to that and be grounded. This is the reason why I'm here you know in culture and community and belonging, and I think that's a great blessing that we have to stop and smell the roses sometimes.

Kerry StainesYeah, that's amazing and I think that's really practical and I'm feeling more connected just hearing you talk about it. But you're right it's that doing but thank you so much for your time today Yasmin and really loved to hear about the work that you and the community in Townsville are doing, and we really look forward to watching the service grow and expand hopefully in the next year. So thanks again Yasmin.

Yasmin JohnsonThank you Kerry, I do appreciate the wonderful work that you do, and the wonderful support that you've given me you know along my journey so I do appreciate it. Thank you.

Kerry StainesOh, I'm sure it's not going to end here. Thanks Yasmin.

Outro Music / VoiceoverIf you or anyone you know is experiencing family violence, call 1800RESPECT for a referral for a service in your area. Thank you for listening to our Daa'ring Yarning podcast. If you found something valuable in this episode, please follow, rate and share with a friend or colleague who would enjoy it too. Until next time, take care.