CUAIND302A - Develop and maintain relationships with Indigenous Australian performance mentors

CUAIND302A
Develop and maintain relationships with Indigenous Australian performance mentors

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to connect with Indigenous Australian traditions and to establish and maintain effective professional relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance mentors.The knowledge required to achieve competency in this unit may only be accessible to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and may be the cultural and intellectual property of specific communities. Respect and maintenance of community protocols would need to be adhered to. Organisations delivering this unit would be expected to work closely with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community or Community Advisory Board (CAB). Information on the composition and role of CABs is provided in the Assessment Guidelines in CUA11 Live Performance Training Package.The unit has been developed and written in the context of Indigenous Australians maintaining control of their cultural heritage and directing if and how this heritage may be passed on and assessed. It is intended to be delivered by and to Indigenous Australians.

Application

The skills and knowledge outlined in this unit apply to Indigenous Australian performing artists who wish to enhance their performance of culturally appropriate dance activities through mentoring arrangements. The unit is also relevant to individuals whose work requires them to observe industry protocols, copyright requirements and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols.

Mentoring with Indigenous Australians who have specific cultural knowledge and heritage is an essential step in maintaining current knowledge and building effective networks.

Work performed requires a range of well-developed skills where some discretion and judgment are required and individuals are expected to take responsibility for their own outputs.

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Establish and confirm links with own heritage or Indigenous Australian traditions

1.1. Collect appropriate information on features of family, culture and knowledge of own language, region or country from identified holders and custodians of information

1.2. Approach community members and custodians or elders in culturally appropriate ways showing respect for local Indigenous culture and customs

1.3. Determine own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity in relation to ways in which culture and family may inform performing arts practice

1.4. Explore past and present roles of individuals, families and communities or societies in performing arts practice

1.5. Document cultural beliefs and values related to artistic performance, including cultural significance, economic significance and nature of performing arts within the community

1.6. Develop and document, in consultation with elders, custodians and mentors, a connection to cultural tradition and current practice

1.7. Identify methods to demonstrate the compliance of cultural maintenance against theft and exploitation in relation to performing professional Australian Indigenous dance

2. Negotiate the terms of relationships with mentors

2.1. Determine benefits of, and need for, a mentoring plan between the mentor and mentee

2.2. Negotiate timeframes and outcomes for each party and rules of interaction for the mentoring program

2.3. Agree on reporting methods or reporting technology and collate negotiated outcomes for the mentoring relationship

2.4. Evaluate and document mentoring program against agreed outcomes

3. Maintain good professional relations with mentors

3.1. Communicate in culturally appropriate ways that show respect for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and customs

3.2. Behave consistently and with respect for mentors, those in cultural authority and those with expertise

3.3. Perform dance movements and activities which appropriately express cultural context and according to cultural, copyright and intellectual property requirements

3.4. Adhere to cultural, professional and performance direction from the mentor or cultural custodians

3.5. Respond to opportunities to enhance cultural and technical skills and knowledge

Required Skills

Required skills

communication and teamwork skills to:

research and use appropriate cultural communication skills, including:

cross-cultural

cross-gender

gender-specific

interpersonal

respond appropriately to feedback on own skill development and performance

participate in mentoring arrangements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

implement conflict management and negotiation skills as required

initiative and enterprise skills to observe protocols appropriate to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in performances

learning skills to:

identify environmental and cultural sustainability mechanisms

investigate and employ relevant cultural protocols and culturally appropriate communication

participate in developing and implementing strategies to maintain mentor relationships

literacy skills to:

document, monitor and review mentoring arrangements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

undertake research and interpret research findings

planning and organising skills to meet work requirements and make informed decisions

problem-solving skills to negotiate with others and achieve consensus on agreed outcomes

self-management skills to seek and follow advice as required

technology skills to:

develop documentation for reporting in standard word processing programs

search for and download information from the internet.

Required knowledge

cultural values and major features in contemporary Indigenous Australian cultures, including:

cultural diversity: cultural groupings, skin, country and language groups

family structures, kinship, women’s roles, men’s roles

relationship to land and customs

racism and discrimination

issues that may affect an individual’s cultural identity

values

traditional law and economy

history and roles of the arts in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

ways in which cultural values and protocols may affect work practices in different environments, such as:

commercialisation of cultural material

tourism

intellectual property

protocols in relation to moral rights, intellectual property and copyright in the physical expression of cultural material, including appropriation

how to maximise cultural maintenance in the choreographing and performance of dance for multicultural expression.

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit	Evidence of the ability to: demonstrate knowledge of the context and structure of cultural systems, including the role of dance, story-telling, music and body painting as expressions of cultural systems develop understanding of their own and a community’s cultural history and identity develop a mentoring relationship with an Indigenous Australian elder or custodian of knowledge, including negotiating the terms of, maintaining and enhancing professional relationships effectively document and evaluate a mentoring plan maintain cultural protocols and effective communication strategies in interactions with mentors apply knowledge of cultural maintenance of performing arts practice in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context.
Context of and specific resources for assessment	Assessment may take place on the job, off the job (for example in communities and training organisations) or a combination of on and off the job. This unit requires access to: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders, custodians and other culturally knowledgeable people authorised by the relevant communities to act as mentors in performance disciplines people able and authorised to support both mentors and students in the context of the required skills and knowledge contained in this unit. Trainers and assessors in this unit should be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people validated by the Community Advisory Board set up to oversee implementation of this training.
Method of assessment	A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance observation of the candidate contributing to group discussions evaluation of project work and mentoring plan in the agreed medium journal work, including documenting the maintenance of the mentoring relationship verbal or written questioning to test knowledge as listed in the required skills and knowledge section of this unit case studies and scenarios as a basis for discussion of issues and challenges that arise in the context of developing and maintaining relationships with Indigenous Australian performance mentors direct observation of candidate by mentor. Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy) and the needs of particular groups (e.g. people with disabilities and people who may have literacy or numeracy difficulties, such as speakers of languages other than English, remote communities and those with interrupted schooling).
Guidance information for assessment	Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: CUADAN302A Increase depth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance technique CUAPRF305A Perform in ways that respect customary law, ethics and traditions CUVATS301A Develop and apply knowledge of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultural arts.

Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Features of family and culture may include:	belief systems economic activities language spoken oral history parts or whole of kinship systems predominant religion and spirituality responsibilities and obligations to family members systems of law and order types and patterns of family groupings value systems history, pre-European contact and post-European contact traditional life and culture contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life and culture music and dance body decoration and dress tools and implements custodianship of land cultural sites.
Identified holders and custodians of information may be:	accepted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural educators community elders cultural or traditional dancers family groups local community groups other sources of information on region, country, family and kinship, located in: libraries archives museums cultural centres books galleries.
Culturally appropriate ways may include:	communicating appropriately, such as: clearly and appropriately expressing expectations respectful interactions active listening providing appropriate feedback following community protocols and rules of behaviour, including: accessing and obtaining information and materials sharing information visiting individuals and communities seeking permission for activities who to approach for what, and how to approach seeking or receiving copyright, moral rights and intellectual property permission custodianship organisation of ceremonial life livelihood and trade performance of elements of cultural heritage teaching and learning rules of behaviour, including: governing communication, access to and use of cultural information and practices that form the heritage of the diverse range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies full set of protocols of a particular community or cultural grouping, which is likely to be unique communities, including institutional communities kinship land language groupings objects, images, ceremonies and performances story-lines.
Economic significance may refer to:	link between the arts and other areas of economic activity, e.g. tourism positive effects on local community economy role of the arts within community development statistical data.
Nature of performing arts may include:	significance of cultural arts within a given community types of performance work dance, music and story-telling ways in which performance of dance is promoted and distributed in a culturally appropriate way.
Cultural maintenance must include:	protection and continuation of: natural and cultural integrity stories song lines spiritual practices artefacts sites of significance language responsibilities and obligations to individuals, country and the community authentic replication of approved: cultural stories music in the dance form for demonstration of culture outside the community environment.
Mentoring plan must include:	agreed reporting mechanisms agreed timeframes monitoring and review strategies objectives purpose rights and responsibilities of each party roles of each party, including cultural, personal and professional.
Mentormay refer to:	an Indigenous person with cultural knowledge and community-endorsed authority to advise and direct students and other teachers and assessors on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, other performance or related matters.

Sectors

Performing arts - industry context

Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.

Licensing Information

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.