What does it take to raise strong Aboriginal children?
~ Families Speak The panel members: Shane Steele Fathers have a role too Eunice Bartlett Grandmothers raising young children Yanni Rose Young mums involved in parenting programs Cherrie Allan Young mums involved in parenting programs Lorraine Williams Elders aspirations for the next generation This session proved to be a highlight of the symposium. A panel of Aboriginal people, speaking from the heart, offered their time and their experience to talk to s about the issues they have confronted in raising their children. Some of the issues raised concerned single parents, teenage mums, poverty, parents in prison, parents and substance abuse, and changing dysfunctional patterns. The major issue emerging from these discussions was a general concern with keeping Aboriginal kids out of the ‘system’. The Aboriginal way of raising children was explored in terms of complex kinship systems that are often mistakenly labeled dysfunctional rather than simply complicated. The importance of respect fo
