The box is ticked…what do I need to do now?

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After a student has self-identified as Indigenous into your university should there be any further considerations? A starting point should be self-reflective, do you have the foundational knowledge of Australia’s co-existence histories to start building a picture of care and understanding to work from when engaging with an Indigenous student. These understandings may need to be extended to your institution and are these histories considered in the structure, policy, and processes to best support this student to engage with the systemic processes and their future education.

Throughout this presentation stories will be given to emphasise the importance of identified support mechanisms to ensure that new Indigenous students receive the necessary assistance to navigate their academic journey successfully. These stories are embedded through cultural understandings highlighting experiences of environments that welcome and engage Indigenous students to your institution. Examples can include culturally safe study spaces like an Indigenous Student Support Centre are foundational and the recognition of their identity and history right down to policy. These features are designed to increase the likelihood of Indigenous students’ completion and achieving what they see as success. 

Indigenous focused services increase access, participation, retention, and success for Indigenous Australians within the higher education sector. Having Indigenous presence and identity evident will provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to feel welcomed through teaching, learning environments, research, and community partnerships in higher education. These considerations that will be storied in the presentation.