Creative healing practices to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

In this episode, Dana Shen speaks with Jem Stone, a practitioner with Wayapa Wuurrk, the first internationally accredited Indigenous wellness program. Wayapa Wuurrk combines earth mindfulness, narrative meditation, physical movement storytelling and earth reciprocity to create a holistic wellbeing program for children. 

Jem takes our listeners on a journey into her healing, talking about how Wayapa Wuurrk and the elements of creative healing practices filled that gap in her own story. Connection to Country and the earth is the starting point for wellbeing in these practices. Jem describes the Wayapa Wuurrk program, and how the elements of earth, mind, body and spirit connect to social and emotional wellbeing.  

Jem speaks about our reciprocal relationship with nature and how we can bring this connection into our work with children experiencing trauma. She details how the Wayapa Wuurrk program recognises that we are all on a learning journey, and describes the importance of passing on knowledge, so that we all have access to intergenerational wellbeing.   

Note: The preferred terminology used by Emerging Minds in our resources is ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’, as guided by our National Consultancy Group. However, in this instance the term ‘Indigenous’ has been used as it more accurately encompasses the healing practices and worldview behind the work of Wayapa Wurruk.

In this episode you will learn

• that every person is connected with nature and the earth [02:56] 

• how to use Country to ground children who may have experienced trauma [15:09] 

• about Indigenous concepts of healing and wellbeing that support children and families [16:51] 

• about the importance of connection to support wellbeing [20:15] 

Further information and resources:Replanting the Birthing Trees: Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children in the first 2,000 days (Emerging Minds online course) 

Healing through voice, culture and Country: Short films (Emerging Minds resource) 

Wayapa Wuurrk website