FRSA Webinar: Growing Up Strong from early childhood

Описание: FRSA are showcasing presentations from the 2025 National Conference delivered by or in partnership with First Nations peoples, in this webinar series.

In this fifth webinar Associate Professor Stuart Ekberg & Tirritpa Ritchie, Flinders University & Professor Kristin Laurens, Queensland University of Technology presented Growing Up Strong from early childhood: Stories and other findings from Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children

Abstract:
Childhood is a critical time for healthy development and wellbeing. Knowing more about what helps children from their early years right through to their teenage years means communities can feel stronger, and services can be better planned and supported. Governed by a steering committee under Indigenous leadership, the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) has been specially designed to provide information and evidence about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children grow up strong. LSIC follows the development of more than 1,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families living in cities, regional towns, and remote communities across Australia.

Since 2008, children, families, and teachers have shared their stories and experiences each year as part of LSIC. To date, analyses of LSIC data have predominantly focused on statistical analysis of quantitative data. In this webinar, we will show how LSIC data can be used to tell stories about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can grow up strong. We will also show how these stories can be used to inform and enhance statistical analysis. To achieve this, we have adapted existing storying methods to make them suitable for analysing longitudinal data. We will show how we used Indigenous Research Methodology, a strengths-based approach, and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander conception of social and emotional wellbeing to guide this process. Through this storying process, we found ways to bring to life the experiences of LSIC participants. Having told and listened to these stories, we then designed statistical analyses to understand how important parts of stories have consequences over time.

Through this work we found: 1) where children grow up (geographic location) shapes their developmental experiences, during early childhood and the years beyond; 2) early connections to culture, Country, language, and feeling proud and strong in identity, and belonging to Mob are important for kids' wellbeing as they get older; and 3) when parents feel good and have support, their kids grow up stronger. By committing extensive time to whole-team discussion, learning, reflection, and debate, our project processes identify ways to foreground Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing. This has produced insights that are reflected in robust statistical analysis and meaningful stories. These have implications for education and care services, communities, and policymakers.