Kimi Alcott – Aboriginal Artist and Presenter at Enough is Enough

Kimi like so many Australian Indigenous woman found herself in violent relationships which saw her close to giving up on life itself. This is when Kimi discovered her talent for painting. Her emotions are shown through her artwork.

Kimi was born in a small country town as a Wiradjuri woman in a home where alcohol was very dominant in the family with her father being physically abusive as well.
After several abusive relationships, Kimi moved with her children to the east coast of NSW where she knew no-one and started a new life. She obtained work and welcomed the chance to partake in any education or training available to her. Although being a single mother her children never went without and she was always there for them.

“What always got me through was knowing there is always someone worse off than yourself, so appreciate what you have”. - Kimi Alcott


We invite you now to take a short journey through Kimi’s paintings and discover for yourself her world of the thoughts and feelings through art, belonging to one of the most oldest cultures in the world - Aboriginal Australia. 

To find out more about domestic violence programs, presenting by Kimi Alcott at Enough is Enough, please click here.

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Indigenous Community : Hope for the Future

Australian Aboriginal People

2.5%     Indigenous population in Australia in 2006
28%      Percentage of Aboriginal children with teenage mums
3           Times the Aboriginal male suicide rate is higher than non-Indigenous men. Most suicides happen between 25 and 34 years of age

It is not easy to define Aboriginal identity. People who identify themselves as 'Aboriginal' range from dark-skinned, broad-nosed to blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, very much to the surprise of non-Indigenous people. Aboriginal people define Aboriginality not by skin colour but by relationships.
55%     Percentage of mixed partnerships in 1996 where the woman was of Indigenous identity

Domestic & Family Violence
If you are an Indigenous woman living in rural and remote areas, you are 45 times more likely to experience domestic violence than a white woman. Violence patterns are passed on from parents to their children. It takes police up to two years to respond to cases of domestic violence and take victims seriously. Domestic violence in indigenous community extends to one-on-one fighting, abuse of Indigenous community workers and self-harm, injury or suicide.
4         Times an Aboriginal youth is more likely to be a victim of domestic violence than their white peer
40%    Percentage Indigenous children make up of all hospital admissions in the age group 0 to 4 who are admitted for assault

In 2008 Aboriginal men gathered to discuss how they could prevent domestic violence and why Aboriginal men were violent. They also tried to explain the background of male domestic violence :
Patrick Dodson said that "there has been a process of undermining the role and status of Aboriginal men within our society since the early days of Australia's colonisation and continuing in recent commentary around the Northern Territory intervention."

Chairman of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress John Liddle adds that "when you add to this the rapid changes in the role of males within that colonising society and the consequent dislocation of non-Aboriginal males and their struggle to define new self-images, it is no wonder that Aboriginal males may struggle to make sense of the contemporary world."

"And if those critical views of us as Aboriginal males are expressed with no effort to understand our cultural values, or the pressures caused by the colonial relationships and contemporary social transformations, then we become alienated from this society."

"This alienation is at the core of the struggle for male health and well-being, as it acts to debase men, stripping away their dignity and the meaning in their lives. We therefore need to confront these social relationships that shape our health."

In our next post Indigenous Community: Hope for the Future ,we'll tell you about Kimi Alcott , Aboriginal Artist and Enough is Enough'  Coordinator and Presenter for Indigenous Programs "Promise Keeper" and "Silent Anger".
We'll tell her story in the hope she may help others learn that there is hope and you can move on and stay strong and proud of who YOU are.

 
References:http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/people/domestic-violence.html

The Cycle of Change. Managing Change.

Change rarely runs smoothly. You cannot eliminate these challenges. But you can at least set expectations so that no one is surprised by what happens.

The change cycle normally takes the following pattern:

Stage 1: The enthusiasm of an early start with some early wins.

Stage 2: The fall into despair as the challenges and the opposition mount.

Stage 3: The valley of death. This is where it seems that things cannot get worse. 

Stage 4: The roller coaster moves back up as you start to see thta success is possible. Enthusiasm builds the closer you get to the finish line.

Remember, people reach levels of success for change at different times.

Please read:

Coping with Change and Transition in Life 

Are You Ready to Change? Managing Change

Bibliography Jo Owen(2006) The Leadership Skills Handbook Kogan Page

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Are You Ready to Change? Managing Change.

Change is about people. Most  people do not like change.
Change involves hard work and risk:

• Will I succeed?
• Will I need new skills?
• Will I still have a job/a partner/a family after the change?

The big question: What exactly do you want to change about your life? Click here.

Change succeeds when:

N X V X C X F > R

N= need for change. How much pain and threat do you experience with the way things are at the moment?

V= vision of the end result. Do you see the benefits of change?

C= capability and credibility. Do you have a successful track record of change?

F= first steps. Do you have some practical first steps that build momentum, achieve some early wins and build confidence?

R= risks and costs of change. How large are the personal and financial costs of the change?

Repeat this exercise to see how ready you are to change.

We must learn to view change as a natural phenomenon - to anticipate it and to plan for it. The future is ours to channel in the direction we want to go.. we must continually ask ourselves, "What will happen if.." or better still, "How can we make it happen?".
~Lisa Taylor~

Related articles:
Coping with change and transition in life

The Cycle of Change. Managing Change.

Bibliography Jo Owen(2006) The Leadership Skills Handbook Kogan Page

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For information about Enough is Enough Anti Violence Movement visit: www.enoughisenough.org.au