Art and Yarning: A Culturally Responsive Method to Engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Tracks
Ballroom 4 - In-Person Only
| Monday, October 12, 2026 |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Ballroom 4 |
Overview
Kate Anderson, Ms Tasha-Jade Cole and Ms Taleah Carson, Australian National University
Presenter
Associate Professor Kate Anderson
Senior Research Fellow
Australian National University
Art and Yarning: A Culturally Responsive Method to Engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Presentation Overview
Conventional research methods frequently fail to capture the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, positioning them as passive subjects rather than recognising them as knowledge holders with expertise in their own lived experiences. This paper introduces Art and Yarning, a novel research method developed for the What Matters 2 Kids (WM2K) project; a nationally funded initiative to co-design a culturally grounded wellbeing measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5-11 years.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Biography
Dr Alana Gall is a Truwulway and Litamirimina woman from the east/north-east coast of Lutruwita (Tasmania, Australia). Dr Gall is passionate about Indigenous Peoples' holistic health and wellbeing, globally. She believes that the wellbeing and identity of Indigenous Peoples are strongly centred around strong connections to Country/land, culture, spirituality and each other. Dr Gall is a Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Traditional Medicine, at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2026-2030), and an Honorary Research Fellow at both the University of Queensland and Menzies School of Health Research.
Ms Taleah Carson
Indigenous Project Officer
Australian National University
Art and Yarning: A Culturally Responsive Method to Engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Presentation Overview
Conventional research methods frequently fail to capture the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, positioning them as passive subjects rather than recognising them as knowledge holders with expertise in their own lived experiences. This paper introduces Art and Yarning, a novel research method developed for the What Matters 2 Kids (WM2K) project; a nationally funded initiative to co-design a culturally grounded wellbeing measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5-11 years.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Biography
Ms Tasha-Jade Cole
Indigenous Project Officer
Australian National University
Art and Yarning: A Culturally Responsive Method to Engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
Presentation Overview
Conventional research methods frequently fail to capture the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, positioning them as passive subjects rather than recognising them as knowledge holders with expertise in their own lived experiences. This paper introduces Art and Yarning, a novel research method developed for the What Matters 2 Kids (WM2K) project; a nationally funded initiative to co-design a culturally grounded wellbeing measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5-11 years.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Art and Yarning adapts the established Draw, Write, Tell method by integrating yarning; an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communication practice that encompasses collective knowledge creation, shared storytelling, and relational meaning-making. The method unfolds across three interconnected phases: children create artwork in response to a research topic, reflect on and describe their creations, and then participate in culturally grounded yarning circles that allow for collective sense-making and knowledge sharing.
The method was applied with approximately 220 children across 15 community sites and 22 sessions in diverse regions including the Torres Strait Islands, Tasmania, the Pilbara, and Dubbo. Findings from Indigenous facilitators who delivered the method indicate that Art and Yarning builds trust through cultural familiarity, accommodates diverse communication styles and capabilities, and generates rich qualitative data reflecting children's authentic perspectives. Critically, yarning was woven throughout all phases of engagement, not treated as a discrete activity, creating a safe and relational environment grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing.
Art and Yarning offers an important methodological contribution for researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It privileges Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ethics while generating meaningful data to inform policy and practice. Practical implementation insights, challenges, and recommendations for community-based adaptation are discussed.
Biography
