Enacting the Third Cultural Space

‘Diversity and richness of Indigenous communities in Australia and the vast distances between communities means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are vital to meet student and community needs.’ (AITSL, 2021 p. 8)

It is important for all school staff to understand the Third Cultural Space as a place of deep listening to diverse perspectives, expectations, hopes and aspirations of others. This is a space where authentic dialogue happens between members of diverse cultural groups.

Within the Third Cultural Space, creating and accepting equal positions of power builds stronger relationships. There should be equal partnerships between First Nations workers, community, school teaching and leadership staff. The Third Cultural Space accepts diverse perspectives, where:

  • people’s experiences are not denied
  • the impact of experiences are not diminished
  • people are not demeaned.

Importantly, Third Cultural Spaces have potential for growth and transformative change.

Research has found the following:

In the Third Cultural Space, creating and accepting equal positions of power are essential to building stronger relationships. Teemant et al. (2021) advocate for equitable partnerships between First Nations workers, community, school teaching and leadership staff in local contexts.

Implementation strategies and considerations

Strategy

Rationale

Within the Third Cultural Space, value equal positions of power to build stronger relationships
  • In the Third Cultural Space:
    • diverse perspectives are valued
    • people’s experiences are not denied and the impacts of these are not diminished
    • people are not demeaned.
  • Third Cultural Spaces are places for innovation and creativity.
  • Working collaboratively within the Third Cultural Space is often done through an indoor or outdoor yarning circle. However, it does not have to be a physical space.
  • Yarning circles are a culturally safe way to share knowledges. There is no hierarchy, each person can see everyone around the circle, and everyone is seated in equality.
  • Third Cultural Spaces can also be created spiritually, emotionally and socially, driven by relationships of equal power and authority.

© 2023 Commonwealth of Australia. These resources may be used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. These resources were created by Stronger Smarter Institute and Indigenous knowledge-holders.