“Kind regards”: Negotiating connection to Country and place through collective storying

Somerville, W.; McKenzie, V.; Fuller, L.; Godden, N.; Harrison, A.; Isaacs-Guthridge, R. & Turner, B. (2023). “Kind regards”: Negotiating connection to Country and place through collective storying. Australian Journal of Environmental Education 39(3), 1–13. doi:10.1017/aee.2023.24

Within this paper we explore the process and outcomes of a year-long exchange that investigates how active learning can emerge through collective place-based storying. Beginning with Country as our guide, we shared, responded, yarned, listened and revisited one another’s contributions. Using the “threads” of an extended email exchange and online yarning sessions, we wove together this collaborative work to present findings generated from the creative practice of storying and sharing knowledge. This work required ongoing openness to vulnerability; we resisted the urge to remain silent and risked being wrong. As we negotiated connection to Country and place through collective storying, six key themes emerged: Country and personal sites of significance, honouring children and childhood, relationality, the significance of sensory engagement, the significance of vulnerability, and acknowledging Earth violence. This collaborative paper explores a practical approach, grounded in kindness, to negotiating connections to Country and place.