In pictures: Optus hosts KARI Foundation students on campus

Optus is a proud partner of KARI foundation, which helps strengthen the bonds among Aboriginal people and their families. Working with First Nations people, communities and school students, KARI plays a vital role in our society.

To help young people get more in touch with their Aboriginal heritage, the bonds that they have with the land and the strength they give each other, Optus hosted KARI at our Sydney campus. Let’s take you through the day.

The day began with a traditional smoking ceremony led by KARI Head of Culture and Engagement Troy Dargan. The ceremony was performed with a Coolamon, a traditional wooden dish, filled with smoking eucalyptus leaves. According to Deadly Story, In Aboriginal life and lore, smoking ceremonies are typically performed to accompany a welcome, and to cleanse the people and place of bad spirits.

The Coolamon was carried around to participants, who were encouraged to smell the burning eucalyptus.

After the smoking ceremony, students were brought into a meeting room where they were encouraged to talk about navigating difficulties in life. Students were also tasked with dropping a tag on a map of where they were born, to represent from which Aboriginal nation they come.

Students placed tags on the map to indicate which Aboriginal nation they stem from.

Outside on the basketball court at Optus’ Sydney campus, students and organisers held pieces of string between each other in a circle, forming a ‘Songline’. This was to illustrate the bonds shared between different nations – the trade routes and cultural exchanges across the Australian landmass.

To demonstrate how these relationships broke down, Troy began cutting the pieces of string one by one. These could be retied, but like with a retied piece of string, a knot (representing trauma and experience) would remain.

After this, the students were broken up into groups of boys and girls, with individual workshops taking place with information relevant to them.

Optus supports KARI Foundation by partnering on scholarships for Aboriginal students across New South Wales and Queensland. Optus also supports a one-on-one mentorship program for First Nations students.

Beyond this, Optus’ Donate Your Data program also supports Aboriginal communities, with eligible recipients receiving Prepaid SIMs with data, plus unlimited calls and text every 35 days. You can learn more about Donate Your Data here.

Alternatively, you can also support KARI Foundation through the link below.