Meet Karyn, a member of the Collaboration Circle who works at Aboriginal Hostels Limited. She is passionate about driving positive change for First Nations people across the Australian Public Service.
As part of the Collaboration Circle, Karyn has been working closely with both Chief Operating Officers and First Nations staff to improve cultural competency and create employment opportunities for First Nations people within the APS.
We caught up with Karyn to learn more about her involvement:
How would you describe the Collaboration Circle?
I see the Collaboration Circle as two sides of a coin. On one side is the desire of senior leaders to listen and learn from the lived experiences of the First Nations members. On the other side, is the desire of First Nations members to use their collective and extensive public sector experiences to shape solutions on matters that relate to them.
How is the Collaboration Circle a different way of working?
It’s a safe environment of like-minded public sector professionals representing different levels and agencies, respectfully working together on practical solutions to APS-wide issues. In this case, employment related matters affecting First Nations APS employees.
What impact on the APS would you like to see the Collaboration Circle make?
That it demonstrates the power of listening and learning from the lived experiences of employees, and how incorporating these experiences in the design and prioritisation of programs creates more meaningful outcomes. Also, and probably more importantly, that it demonstrates the power of whole-of-APS collaboration.
Have you taken anything from your experience in the Collaboration Circle back into your workplace?
I’m currently considering how I can use a similar version of the Collaboration Circle to address learning and development at Aboriginal Hostels Limited.
What is next for the Collaboration Circle?
I would love to see the concept of the Collaboration Circle expanded to address other common APS-wide topics.
Get involved in 2025!
If you're First Nations staff from the APS and interested in joining the Collaboration Circle, we’d love to hear from you
- a one page Expression of Interest
- your location
- your APS level
- why you are interested in joining the Collaboration Circle in 2025.
The Collaboration Circle will develop a list of potential members that will be used to fill places over 2025. Please submit your Expression of Interest by COB Friday 17 January 2025 to CollaborationCircle@apsc.gov.au
To find out more about the Collaboration Circle, visit the APS Reform website.