Building Stronger Aboriginal Parents transcript

Ronnie: My name is Ronnie and I’m a proud Wiradjuri man and I coordinate the Building Stronger Aboriginal Parents program here at Birrang. It’s a place of safety and practical learning.

Our community like coming along to Birrang because it’s a comfortable space, it’s somewhere where they can be themselves, they don’t feel judged at all, they feel like they’re coming to get support, they know that we have their back.

Alanna: Hi, I’m Alanna, I’m a proud Barkindji woman living in Orange. Birrang has been a welcoming and warm place for me and my children to attend and it’s been such a gift.

I first heard about the Birrang program when I attended a playgroup with my youngest child. One of the programs that we’ve done here is budgeting and I think it’s been great. I’ve learnt how to budget for school stuff, within my own household and I’ve also done cooking.

I feel really comfortable coming to Birrang because it’s run by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people.

Ronnie: We include those participants in our planning stages and identifying what they want and what they need, and we try and meet those needs to improve the capability and the capacity of their lives.

Nay: I first started coming to Birrang about six years ago when my kids were little. During that time, I learnt so many essential life skills, such as cooking, budgeting, maintaining a home and now I’m doing a TAFE course and I’m doing my work placement here at Birrang.

Ronnie: We’re all about building stronger Aboriginal families who can build upon their lives with optimism. We really value our partnership with DCJ and since 2003, thousands of clients have benefitted from our services.

Alinta: I really love the programs here at Birrang. My family feel so supported here and we’ve built great friendships. We’re optimistic about the future.