Moondani Balluk engages in and with community in a multitude of ways, including:
- partnerships with local community groups
- community education
- education and engagement initiatives within non-governmental organisations.
Partnerships
The University has a Community Engagement Strategy. It works with Moondani Balluk to establish and maintain respectful relationships with the Aboriginal community in the west of Melbourne.
Moondani Balluk is in partnership with Aboriginal groups and community groups. Our aim is to advance opportunities for local Aboriginal people. We work closely with:
- Footscray Community Arts Centre
- Kirrip Aboriginal Corporation in Melton
- The Smith Family Communities for Children Project, Brimbank
- Wangal United Aboriginal Corporation
- Wayapa Wuurrk
- Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre Committee and Wyndham City Council.
We also work with Aboriginal statewide organisations and local members of the Koori community in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
These groups and committees help us engage respectfully with Aboriginal people who reside in the west of Melbourne.
Outreach work
Moondani Balluk provides social support, lectures and talks to students, staff and community groups about the importance of cultural heritage to the identity of Aboriginal people. We also provide training and development in the justice, education, NGO and youth sectors.
Public education activities include:
- co-hosting and curating film screenings and exhibitions such as BlackScreen (Footscray Community Arts Centre), Executed in Franklin Street (Melbourne Town Hall 2015-2016) and Sovereignty (ACCA 2016)
- production of fiction and poetry such as Tony Birch’s Du meme sang (Mercure De France, 2016), Broken Teeth (Birch Cordite Press 2016) and Ghost River (University of Queensland Press 2016)
- development of theatre and TV-documentaries of historical and educational significance such as Foley (2011-2012) with Iljiberri Theatre, Persons of Interest – Episode 3 Gary Foley (SBS TV 2013) and Redfern Story (ABC TV 2014).
Aboriginal Resource Guide
VU created the Aboriginal Resource Guide for use by service providers and agencies and Aboriginal people. This was done in conjunction with the Department of Health & Human Services and the Brimbank City Council.
