What's happening?

As part of Council’s first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), we are conducting a listening project to engage with our First Nations community and stakeholders. The objective of the project is to build a stronger understanding of the perspectives of First Nations people living and working in the City of Canada Bay.

Council has appointed Indigenous facilitators and cultural educators, Koori Kinnections, to work with our community directly, with support from Council's Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group.

The intention is not to approach this project with any preconceptions or expectations from the community, but to act as a welcome, safe listener of issues, concerns, aspirations, and priorities for our community.

Project scope

We invite our First Nations community to come and have frank and honest conversations about issues affecting them in our area in a culturally safe environment. Council is not looking to gather cultural intellectual property, but is hoping to foster trust and connection so that we can be guided on programs and priorities for Council to undertake in our next RAP. Our vision is that our next RAP is informed by our First Nations community.

The listening project will run from October 2023 to mid 2024, giving the community several opportunities to engage with Council and with one another.

https://koorikinnections.com/

Koorikinnections is an Aboriginal cultural education organisation with over a decade of experience working across Greater Sydney.

Jess Sinnott (lead facilitator Koori Kinnections),Yuin and Wailwan woman with strong ties to the Laperouse Aboriginal community and Northern Sydney community. Trent Kelly (lead facilitator Koori Kinnections)- Yuin and Wailwan man with strong ties to the Laperouse Aboriginal community.

If you would like to reach out directly, please feel free to contact them:

• Trent Kelly - Operations Manager for Koori Kinnections
• 0487 102 861
• Available Mon- Thurs 9am-3pm
• or via email koorikinnections@outlook.com

About our Koori Kinnections facilitators

Koori Kinnections offer a range of Aboriginal educational tours, catering and programs for people of all ages. From bush food cooking classes to school incursions, guided bushwalks, culturally interpretative tours, resource talks, weaving workshops and more.

Yuin and Wailwan woman, Jess Sinnott is the Founder/Managing Director of Koori Kinnections – a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated Cultural Education business, offering education programs and tours for all ages. Growing up and living on Wangal and Dharug lands (Sydney), Jess gained a wealth of knowledge about Aboriginal culture, history, and heritage from her family, community and co-workers.

Trent Kelly is a proud Yuin and Wailwan man.

Trent was born and raised in the LaPerouse Aboriginal community in South Eastern Sydney on Dharawal country. He draws his cultural knowledge from his family, community and co-workers and strives to extend and deepen this knowledge as he believes that cultural education is a lifelong endeavor.

Trent has worked in education for many years including both high school and primary school. He has worked at schools with high populations of indigenous students and otherwise.

Trent took part in The Aboriginal Cultural Residents Program which is an initiative by The University of New South Wales that is attempting to install Aboriginal cultural educators into primary schools as part of the standard curriculum.

“I believe that ignorance breeds prejudice, so as an educator i believe that it is my duty to share my cultural knowledge and insight with a broad audience in order to widen our understandings of one another and close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.”

https://koorikinnections.com/facilitators/