Mobilising Indigenous Knowledge into Action

The Lowitja Institute in conjunction with the Indigenous Education and Research Centre and the Cairns Institute, held the first of a series of two day workshops for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations to come together to explore knowledge translation and research impact within their organisations. Participants came from Brisbane, Cairns, Thursday Island, St George, and Adelaide. The workshop series titled “Pathways to KT and Impact in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research” was developed and led by Associate Professor Felecia Watkin Lui, Professor Komla Tsey, Associate Professor Mary Whiteside, Ms Lynda Ah Mat and Rev Les Baird. The series aimed to engage participants in activities and discussions around what is research and the importance of good research governance for Indigenous community organisations.

Through a series of mentored activities, participants were also guided through thinking about the priorities for their communities, and what research information they needed to inform decisions and challenges facing their communities. Associate Professor Watkin Lui says “the workshops are opening up conversations about what is knowledge, how that knowledge can lead to impact, and what constitutes evidence to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities”. Similar workshops were delivered in Melbourne and online. The JCU team have been commissioned by the Lowitja Institute to evaluate the program’s outcomes.