Indigenous-style "working the business of life" as tools for active growth and healing reflexivity

This paper describes Interpretive Ethnography and Participatory Action Research being applied in community, as tools for participatory rehabilitation and community empowerment, among young adults living with intellectual disability and/or mental illnes. It shares participants' perspectives from a University of Western Sydney Action Research project involving 30 pairs of buddies, keeping a fortnightly journal of their feelings and experiences over one year (2004-5). The project includes clustered peer support groups, an overseeing "consumer" advisory group, documentary film and photographic essay, and an "in community", on-going conversation valuing diversity in consciousness (onto-diversity), and "working the business of life", using a structure of feeling and experience to stimulate awareness. The paper describes some creative narrative sharing strategies, among journalling buddies, and in the peer support community of belonging. The philosophy grounding this work values intersubjectivity and diversity in consciousness (onto-diversity), which translate into a project designed to nurture a community of belonging, and practical empowerment over prejudice. Through voicing feelings and experiences, and sharing perspectives to achieve balanced self and group awareness, participants learn from and grow with one another. Theory advocates relationship, and practice illustrates that "in relationship", growth, healing and development can occur. The Going Walkabout Together Through The Suburbs - Life Journalling with Volunteer Buddies (GW3TS) project aims to achieve change in the lives of its participants, while modelling cost-effective, local community, self-help approaches to rehabilitation.