The health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men still lags far behind their counterparts: life expectancy is more than 10 years below that of the average non-Aboriginal Australian and over a third die before the age of 45.Since 2010, Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness has been working in the male health and wellbeing space, consulting with men at local, state and national levels.

The result of this work has been the development of our Bring Back The Warrior initiative, a holistic healing model that seeks to address this disparity using culture-based projects.Our purpose is to empower and educate first nations men to pursuea journey to healing.

Our approach seeks to regain and celebrate the traditional roles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Men, to Bring Back the Warrior in themselves.

ABOUT BRING BACK THE WARRIOR

At it’s core, the BBTW approach is about facilitating a connection to culture and a safe healing space for men.

BBTW is an adaptable, culturally appropriate way of working that can be used both as a stand alone model or to complement a broader health and wellbeing framework.

All BBTW workshops draw on traditional teachings and yarning circles in contemporary retreat based formats.

We apply traditional cultural learnings to tackle poor health outcomes and create a framework for cultural and physical restoration in our communities.

The BBTW methodology focuses on 6 core outcomes and themes for males, however the specific content is driven by the participants. This structure is kept flexible deliberately to ensure each workshop addresses the needs of the group.

ON COUNTRY CULTURAL CONNECTION COMPONENT

BBTW’s on country experiences immerse participants in traditional teachings and culture.

This is always a hugely impactful experience for participants and is integral to the pathways for healing and better health on all levels.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES CAN INCLUDE:

• Traditional Smoking Ceremony
• Fire Sticks
• Spear Making Workshops
• Introduction to traditional movement through dance
• Artefact making
• Canoe Making
• On country walks
• Sacred Site Tours
• Didgeridoo Workshops

THE BBTW PROGRAM HAS PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ACROSS A WIDE VARIETY OF SECTORS INCLUDING:

• Justice
• Aboriginal Health and wellbeing
• Family and Children Services
• Employment and Training Providers
• Alcohol and Other Drug Services
• Community Projects
• Sporting Programs

DWAYNE ‘NAJA’ BANNON-HARRISON – FOUNDER OF BRING BACK THE WARRIOR

Dwayne or ‘Naja’ his traditional name given to him by his lore elder and Grandfather Uncle Max ‘Dulamunmun’ Harrison is a proud Yuin/Gunai Man with Watchabolic and Yorta- Yorta kinship connections.

Sharing his own story of what has been a unique and at times a traumatic journey he can share his experiences that most men can resonate with such as loss of identity, grief and loss, assimilation and finding cultue. Leadership and strong group facilitating skills is a quality that Naja specializes in along with using health and well being skills to complement his sound cultural knowledge.

BBTW is a vision and belief that is deeply engrained within Naja as this is his life story and know how that can be shared to assist men to at least start or acknowledge that they can start to journey into self-healing.

FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid AccreditedUSQ- Indigenous Pathways Graduate- Distinction
Accidental Counselor Accredited
Save A Mate endorsed facilitator (Australian Red Cross- Harm Minimisation Program)
2013 NSW Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Program of the year
2012-13-15 Key Note Speaker – NACCHO Annual Male Conference Forums

OUR STAKEHOLDERS

• The following stakeholders have been engaged in the development and initial participation of the BBTW model:
• National Rugby League – Indigenous All Stars players camp- Clark Island- 2017
• Australian Red Cross – Save A Brother Project – 2014-2016
• South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporaton- Bawley Point Healing Camp -2016
• Wandarma Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol –Bawley Point Healing Camp -2016
• Djuwin Mudgengaal Barraga Mens Group – Dardi Munwarro Healing Camp Bawley Point -2016
• ACT Aboriginal Justice Centre- 2014

“I would like to thank you for your involvement in the 2017 NRL Indigenous Players Cultural Camp. Your work on behalf of NNCA delivered the perfect experience and education we were seeking.Feedback from all Players and Staff involved in your workshops were all positive. It was the highlight of the weekend for many people.Connection to culture is very important for our playing group. The messages and teachings from the weekend were important in helping build that connection.”

George Rose
Community & Player Engagement
NRL Indigenous Strategy

GET INVOLVED
NNCA welcomes interest from government and private organisations in our Bring Back the Warrior model. To make a booking, or to discuss making a contribution towards funding a worthwhile community initiative, please contact us directly

Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness

Tel: +61 408 272 121

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