First Contact Series

In exploring the idea of Indigenous and Western Australia, I chose to look at the SBS First Contact series. In this persuasive piece, I have detailed the Indigenous perspective on the First Contact series in particular, the thoughts of Nyinyikay islander Marcus Lacey. The persona I have adopted is that of a journalist and the piece is constructed as a magazine article. During the 8-10 weeks of research on the topic, I learned many things about the indigenous culture including their way of life, how they think about their land and how they think of their own community as well as the outer world communities.
Empathy assists students to develop a sense of solidarity with others through imagining the perspectives and experiences of others
as if they were their own. Therefore by considering and imagining what it might be like to ‘walk in Nyinyikay leader’s shoes’ to identify their feelings, situations and motivations helped to developed my understanding of what it means to interact and empathize with others. The capacity to process or reflect on the meaning of experience is an essential element in intercultural learning. To write the article it was important to observe, understand and reflect on how the behaviour of SBS participants had unintended effects on Marcus and his communities. Reflecting on these in my article helped me to better understand the actions of individuals and groups in specific situations and how these are shaped by culture.