Reflections on my first trip to Pukatja

Posted by Stents on 31 March 2011 | 0 Comments
Tags: Challenge, Tjungu, Venture Support

Tjungu: Learning Country is breaking ground, testing new ways to encourage and support enterprise within remote communities.

On this first trip to Pukatja, not only was I fortunate to see some simply stunning scenery (some of the best I’ve seen in the Central Desert), but I was able to get together with a really inspiring group of people who are doing really interesting things. People to whom partnership and collaboration are more than just buzz words or static notions. It was obvious from the outset that I was coming into a project where this approach and way of thinking is something which everyone believes in and values; in order to create a truly collaborative space where opportunities can be harnessed and flourish.

Needless to say, I’ve been thinking a lot as to why this partnership and collaboration stuff is so important. At this point, this is where my thinking has got to…

A project of this nature needs to be built on solid foundations. In recognition of this, much time, energy and discussion has been centred on getting the right kind of governance framework in place. This isn’t to suggest that we have the answers (in some way, we might have worked out more of what we don’t want as opposed to what we do!). But what I see occurring is that we’re identifying and naming the sorts of the things needed to create a responsive, respectful and inclusive governance structure. Things like transparency, valuing relationship, understanding cultures and having a clear strategy (to name just a few). We also need to remember that culture influences governance and that different cultures have different governance models, not to mention looking at tradition and history. What can we learn from? What has been successful/not-so-successful in the past? Are there bits we can shave off, collect and reframe? Such big questions!

So as you can imagine, the time factor is proving to be so crucial. If we invest the right kind of energy into getting this stuff right in the first place, we might just save everyone a whole lot of time, energy and $$$... and I think we all agree that’s something to tweet home about!

I can’t wait for our next trip in May…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Adriano Pupilli