Cultural Exchange Program: A program to support the development of cultural respect and self-reflexivity in people working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Communities through experiential learning with local Elders.

The Cultural Exchange Program consists of 12 workshops delivered over 5 months that provide a transformative experiential learning opportunity suitable for both non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This report focuses on the pilot program that was hosted by Noongar facilitator Angela Ryder at Langford Aboriginal Association, Perth, Western Australia, from March to July 2021. Five Noongar Elders (3 female, 2 male) and six Wadjala (non-Indigenous) psychology researchers (5 female, 1 male) participated in the pilot program. The Cultural Exchange Program employs Aboriginal ways of being, knowing, and doing,
to encourage self-reflexivity in the participants through yarning with Elders, and building relationships, trust, and connection to community. Western ways of learning tend to focus on
observing to understand Aboriginal culture and achieve cultural competency. This mindset reinforces the dominant Western culture as the norm. Although education, through reading or
teacher/student experiences are beneficial, lived experience removes the distance between the reader and the content to allow for a deeper, more personal experience. To develop cultural respect and humility, it is necessary for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to reflect on their own cultures, cultural identity, and positions of power. The Cultural Exchange Program provides an opportunity for participants to engage with this practice. Over time, the development of cultural respect and practice of self-reflexivity allows participants to recognise that decolonisation, addressing race privilege, and empowering truth-telling, are lifelong journeys that require action.
The evaluation of the Cultural Exchange Program pilot demonstrated the transformational effect the program had on its participants through accepting the opportunity to be self-reflexive, activating reciprocity and responsibility, and making a commitment to action.