• Universities can become culturally regenerative, by using revitalising practices in, of and through place-based teaching, learning, researching, governing and daily practice. Everyone has the capacity to learn to reconnect with their places and ecosystems.  This situates the research within the environmental humanities.

• There is much to be learned socio-culturally, and cooperative inquiry emphasises that experiential, imaginal and practical ways of knowing, being and doing as just as important as propositional, abstract and verbal ways of knowing, and it is transformative of practice.  Cooperative Inquiry can enable the learning of place-based interconnectedness (Wooltorton & Reason, 2023), and bring about social change (Wooltorton et al., 2022). 

• These rich concepts – revitalising wisdom, practices and ways of knowing – are current and practical in Indigenous and place-based cultures and ways of knowing, being and doing – everywhere. As a place-based philosophy, Indigenous knowledge is replete with explanations and descriptions of a living, thriving world of relationships, which is still common in other parts of the world including parts of the UK and Europe. 

• This project is one of ‘walking together’ in deeply respectful ways of learning that need to form part of a new, mainstream socio-culture. (Wooltorton, Stephenson, et al., 2025)

"Our team believes that cultural diversity is a valuable resource in education and should be embraced. The GLO8 project positions First Nations voices and communities at the centre for positive change, self-determination and an inclusive future."

• An ethic of care and kindness: Involves deep listening and creating space for being together

• Respecting Aboriginal knowledge: Inclusive of Traditional Owner and First Nations people, cultural knowledge, practices, protocols and relations

• The business of experiencing: Expanding capacity to respond to challenges through lived experiences of relating with sentient, animate places and kin in non-linear time

• Place-based / place-led learning: Developing caring relations with community and learning from and with Country

• Foregrounding Indigenous knowledges: Learning ways of being, knowing relating that support reciprocity, renewal and restoration

• Accepting complexity and ambiguity: Transformative process that needs to be cross/inter/transdisciplinary approaches

Living on Stolen Land. 

Authors 

Kwaymullina, Ambelin. 

ISBN 

9781925936261 

Publication type 

eBook 

Publication date 

2020 

In some ways, being part of this project feels like home to me because its and extension of a way of being, knowing and relating that we practice in the CRF. In our weekly catchups we've been talking about how these practices are a repatterning. But I'm starting to notice shifts in my work through the intentionality of cooperative inquiry. Being part of the project is creating space for a consciousness: how I can bring experiences of culturally regenerative practice into my new role, and team, in a different part of the university? It's become a way of working that I want to share with my new colleagues, as part of regenerating our team culture. In one small example, Acknowledging Country, and our Elders and Ancestors, at the start of our team meeting this morning was a lovely way to connect on a different level with my new team. I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes us next.

I've being based on three out Deakin's four Australian campuses. My place-based connections with each campus metropolitan, regional and rural has been an important part of making work in a performative academic institution livable. The non-human beings, trees, plants, creeks, wetlands and rivers that form the landscapes of these campuses in their own way express dāna (Pali/Sanskrit) unconditional generosity and remind me to be thankful (nyatne ~ Wadawurrung) for their presence and role in supporting spiritual wellbeing and sustaining the web of life. Re-minding also to see beyond anthropocentric self-occupation and the noise of neoliberal individualism that can easily condition University working life.

So getting out on Country, planting trees in one's workplace is a privilege, a regenerative practice but also a small expression of reciprocity and interbeing.

Tree Planting ~ Delama Dja (Embrace Country ~ Wadawurrung)

At first it felt awkward. My weight was on the balls of my feet; urging me to propel forwards and move to the rhythm I was used to, and to the pace of my mind. But that was not the task and certainly not the rhythm expected in meditative walking. In resisting the rush, I became more aware – aware of my feet, my new rhythm, my body in space, but then, of my surrounds. Walking across the university campus, I began to feel some stillness amongst the busyness of campus life. It reminded me of the millions of things that rush at us across any day, and that take our attention; that we feel compelled to respond to; that contribute to us feeling overloaded, exhausted and wrung out. We hold up cars as we step mindfully across the pedestrian crossing, but nothing seems to matter. We have all the time in the world.

1. Education for Sustainability (EfS) mightn't always describe elemental contact, being touched by, being in touch with other lifeforms and natural processes as EfS. In the video link above messaging about sustainability learning for children, young people and teachers is brought back to first principles: opening the senses, trace the movements of other beings across landscapes and on Country. Makes me reflect on how to build regenerative knowing and being through multi-sensory and ecosomatic pathways.

2. On coffee or lunch breaks I've taken to quietly walking and whispering to the big trees, birds and waters around my home campus workplace. Acknowledging Country by saying hello and paying respects to all custodians and ancestors in this place. Feeling presence and vibration of large river red gums (biyal ~ Wadawurrung), towering spotted gums, white faced heron, sulphur crested cockatoos (djirnap ~ Wadawurrung), magpies (parrwang ~ Wadawurrung), wood duck, swamp hen and ponds/wetlands (yaluk ~ Wadawurrung) that weave their way through parts of this campus. "Hello, this is Llewellyn my respects to you, and you and you..."

This restorative contemplative practice has emerged organically as connections to the natureculture of this University workplace have deepened over many years.

Amanda shares her experience of being part of the Centre, and the project, in this video.

Our core group of co-researchers have participated in a variety of Centre activities and events over the last few years - On Country Days, Futures Forums, Regenerators, reading groups, research projects, conference presenting, leading workshops, collaborative writing projects and more.

In October we are planning to host a "Regenerator" where we will share learnings from our cooperative inquiry with our Centre colleagues. Llewellyn will lead us on a walk on Delama Dja, so we can see this culturally regenerative practice, and think about how the centre has been supporting us to become culturally regenerative. What ripple effects are we noticing? We will also host an on Country Day on Wurundjeri Country, returning to what has become a special place for the centre - Sherbrooke Forest. We're looking forward to continuing our collaborations with Country and each other.

Cultural Regenerative Regenerator

Inviting CRF members, allies and friends to be part of a CRF Regenerator focusing on culturally regenerative practices at Deakin. We will share a bit about the CRU project, walk together through Delama Dja, and yarn about how this project, and being part of the centre, is creating ripple effects into our research, teaching and leadership.

Friday 17 October, Waurn Ponds Campus, 10am-12pm followed by lunch from 12.15pm (Waurn Ponds Estate). Arrive 9.45am for a 10am start.

Meet at Building IC2.108 Meeting Room

10-10.30 Introduce the CRU project / our practices - Zoom for those who are not able to make it.

10.30-11.30 Deakin Delama Dja Walk

For those who aren't with us there will be an activity involving being with the Country you are on.

11.30-12pm Yarning circle which we will record (Zoom if possible).

12.15pm Lunch at Deakin Waurn Ponds Estate.

And so it has become a time for listening,

to let go of the raggle-taggle words

that I have always seemed to want to speak,

the words that keep tumbling out in my search,

and just to listen.

To listen and to learn.

Time to stand on Country,

and hear the whispers of the Ancestors in every breeze,

rustle and twig snap,

to hear the lure of the Songlines

in every pathway and track,

to hear the secrets
in every crash of the waves.

It is my time
to listen and hear the messages and lessons
in Country and Place.

It is my time to listen and to learn.

Regenerative approaches to repatterning the cultural norms of the “research conference”

Breath, as (our) elemental connection to the web of life, as a way of leaning into the trouble of climate catastrophe/ecocide/inexorable change.

Breath was one of our premises from which to begin some of our planning for a research conference workshop within our University’s School of Education (SoE) – The Future of Education a futuring inquiry process. We found a reference point in Róisín O’Gorman (2024) What takes your breath away? Notes towards

somatic training in times of ecological crises, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 15:3,

518-538, DOI: 10.1080/19443927.2024.2372414  

Our inquiry with our peers and colleagues interwove with whole and small group dialogue animated and mobilised by regenerative improvisational, dramatic and somatic movement practices exploring 2 questions:

·       How do we feel about climate change, biospheric, ecological and civilisational collapse? (small group)​

·       ITE and educational research continue to be a largely Anthropocentric enterprise! How does the uncertainty of our Anthropocene futures change the nature of education and how should the SoE respond, what are the implications for our teaching and research?​

In my planning journal notes I wrote:

Breath, movement, stillness and gravitational awareness (practices) what connects us to the web of life and our inquiry process reflects human systems implicated and entangled with nature’s systems. Somatic movement and improvisational practices provoke attention to our own body systems, that express our living process, connects us to the wider web of life rather than perpetuating nature-culture fractures and disjunctions which may lead to “othering” of our biosphere, bioregions, local ecologies, Country.

These regenerative practices of shake & stillness, breathing and stillness, whole group movement and murmuration, being earthbound connect body-feet to floor/earth, gently and playfully aimed to disrupt, interrupt habituated patterns of interaction commonly seen in academic cultures e.g., expert talking at you, talking with others as the only mode of dialogue, talking at each other, linear non-relational approaches. Everyone in this conference session (around 40 people) stayed with the process, stayed in the room, stayed generously with the uncomfortable questions being asked and the disruptive, curious practices we invited people to engage in.

Centre for Regenerating Futures (CRF) & Culturally Regenerative Universities (CRU) Regenerator Impressions

Lead up to this day 12-09-25

Why do we feel so connected in this (CRU) grouping/subculture?

Being witnessed and being held by the collective energy and ethos and then held by Country place, space…

Reflecting on Delama Dja (Waurn Ponds Campus Walk) and Wadawurrung Custodians Bunjil’s lore:

·       Do no harm

·       Have no greed

·       Love, respect and care for Mother Country and she will care for you

Cultivate a mind unsullied by greed, non-harm, reciprocity and interbeing with Mother Earth/Gaia no separation - trees, plants, skies, animals all are ancestors...

On the Day 17-10-25

Continuity of Country to all phenomena across country across places, space and time, all are kin, all is Country.

Shared insights from our walking and embodying Delama Dja Walk (Deakin University Waurn Ponds campus) and outdoor yarning circle at forest walk-wetlands site . People were online and in-person.

Our yarn circle (in-person and online) began with two combined practices “The Stand” (from Contact Improvisation) connecting vertically with self, earth and sky and “geographic listening practice” reaching into space with hearing only while being unsighted.

Zoom meeting camera pointing at the sky

Non-linearity, experiential, propositional, repatterning, leading from relationship, interbeing, connectedness and safety.

Quick! Don’t get ready” ~  John Tarrant contemporary Zen koan

The centrality of “affect” in our collaborative inquiry process.

One taste emotion ~ intellect

Eadie Mayhew – “The trees want to know how are you?

Grounded in place, space, interbeing, slow cultural practices, who am I?

Only one reality ~ Spinoza – no differentiation

All sounds express emptiness

We don’t pay enough attention to sound and aesthetics of noise

On this bright day, in this yarn circle, so many wise calm voices, murmurings, human, more than human, digital clouds and sky, bird and machinery chatter…

Seemingly lost for words.

I'm expected to know what I'm writing, how to write and write and write and.....

But I don't know.

Knowing is more than the mind, the crafting of a sentence, the focus of energy from the (un-affected, conscious) brain through the fingers to type. Isn't it? Maybe?

Challenging expectations. Welcome my affected, unconscious self :) (Ready but not ready to embrace)

How and why am I patterned this way?

Perhaps I could dig into this patterning. But that seems somewhat scary, I'm not sure what will unravel.

Easier to stay structured, bounded, knowing 'what' to say, following accepted practices, established norms.

Disrupt (please, if that's OK). Asking permission. Why?

Entangled shifting. Noticing the unusual to realise the usual.

Altering to view, belong, become other-wise, self-wise.

Listening again to Emily speak about being back on Country after living elsewhere and working as an academic. Her life's work is

"Championing Willianu, protect it and share knowledge with future generations. There is no one better to do the research because of my relationship with Wiliayanoo."

She spoke abouit how wilianyoo was given to her as a totem, and what this means. And spoke about knowledge and learning in a way that resonated deeply with me, even though our cultures are different.

"Asking and talking is a way of learning knowledge about Wilianyoo, listening and behaving well is a way of earning it"

This was perhaps the comment that has stayed with me most from the whole cooperative inquiry season, something to think with about what it means to be part of culturally regenerative practice.

I also wrote in this reflection:

The pull of country,

A switch flicked

watching this

Connecting with the SBS show.

The birdlife where I live

{And as I write this, I remember}

Fieldwork with family, seasonal being with.

{And as I listen, I remember}

An antidote to climate

{And as I write this , I remember}

Recording our reflections of place

{And as I write this, I remember}

In ways that work for us

{And as I write this, I remember}

A place to share them

Researching and learning with place

{And as I reflect, I remember}

goes beyond the bounds

{And as I write this , I remember}

of reserch and place.

{And as I write this, I remember}

Thinking about time and slowness...

{And as I write this, I remember}

"More Than"

Co Researchers

I am a student to them

I am a student to place

And a reminder,

at some point,

to listen

to the last ten mins

of Emily's talk

An elder in training

As Emily talks

I listen,

I remember

In our case  CRU process and practices afforded gentle interruption of patterns of normalcy around meeting, dialogue and academic research engagement. Repatterning as rewiring of schemas or habits of mind connected with research culture.