Facilitator
Jingi Walla / Kaya
I am a proud Bundjalung women from the Northern Rivers of NSW and a proud Wongkumurra women from Western NSW. More than this, I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter, niece, granddaughter etc. My family is my driving purpose, and my community motivates me to do better and strive to do better.
I am passionate about mental health and destigmatising mental health in our communities and for our youth. Intergenerational trauma is the way trauma can be passed down through generational lines in its simplest form. Grandparents to parents to children to grandchildren etc. That’s the basis. But we never sit down and look at why – what was the trigger. It was by sitting down with my Elders and listening to their stories that I began understanding my healing journey I needed to begin. The stories of massacres and stolen generations and governmental oppression. After the fact, we can recognise these stories for the resilience and strength our Elders had, but at the time, you consider the trauma in the moment, it changes you. It changes your perspective and responses.
I am now on my healing journey. Motherhood and family and connection and culture and faith are all catalysts in my journey to healing. It is about how I recognise the importance of healing now, because I have my own jarjums (children) to raise to I need to help them heal.
I am healing from trauma that isn’t even mine. To be clear, this isn’t anyone else’s fault, but it is my responsibility to begin my healing process.