Kamira’s Story

About Kamira

Kamira Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services Inc provides residential treatment options for women, pregnant women, and women with children who are experiencing problematic alcohol and/or other drug use across New South Wales.

What was the problem you were having before you discovered Blakworks?

I was struggling to get everyone on board with the practice of prioritising Aboriginal women at intake. About 40-60% of our clients are Aboriginal women, and I was frustrated by a small number of staff who didn’t understand why. I was fielding questions where I felt a bit useless trying to answer the seemingly simple question of why. I had a sense there was so much more we needed to – and could - do, but I didn’t know what or how.

What did the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem?

I’ve always had this awareness that there’s this horrific problem, but always felt very lost. I knew I was in a position to do some good but felt very useless.

I didn’t know how to get everyone on board with what we wanted to do. I didn’t face direct opposition, but there were questions that I didn’t feel equipped to answer. I wanted everyone to understand and be a part of the solution.

What was different about Blakworks?

My leadership team and I worked with Blakworks in the Respectful Workplaces program, as well as putting the whole team through the Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for Workplaces program. The way that Lindsay delivered the history from a personal angle was the first real understanding I think I've had in any sort of training session - and I've done a few over the years.

Lindsay guiding us through the Respectful Workplaces program has given me the framework I needed. We can start talking about the truth of what happened, how it still remains today, and how we can move forward together. I didn’t realise that I had to do the work. I expected to pay and have it fixed for me (like you pay for anything else). But actually doing the work transformed me and my team.

Take us to the moment you realised our product was actually working to solve your problem

All Kamira staff attended an Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for Workplaces session. It provided the collective understanding that we all needed to ‘get’ Aboriginal experience and with a way to hold each other accountable. We all understood that Kamira had to be a safe space for Aboriginal clients and for future Aboriginal staff.

The language policy was also a big hit for us. We were all so lost – and having language to use gave us the power and the confidence with how we move forward. The language decision brought us together as an organisation, instead of individually. When we rolled out the language policy, we felt that we had the beginnings of a safe place for Aboriginal people to enter. To have the language to use was very empowering.

Tell us what life looks like now that your problem is solved or being solved

Working with Blakworks has meant that I now feel like I can stand in any crowd and use my language in a way that is going to empower and talk about how we got to the situation today. I consider myself a truth-teller.

We’ve got policies and procedures in place that will guide Kamira long into the future. The service has clear standards of acceptable practice that will enable us to hold each other accountable.

Now, every new staff member goes through the cultural awareness to make sure they’re brought up to speed.

If you're interested in finding out if Blakworks can help you, the next step is to book a call with Lindsay Stanford.