15th Reintegration Puzzle Conference

The Tree of Me: Enhancing Aboriginal Cultural and Genealogical Engagement Through Technology

This paper presents an overview of the development and implementation of the “Tree of Me” initiative aimed at encouraging the engagement of Aboriginal people in the justice system to gain an enhanced understanding of cultural and genealogical knowledge through an interactive digital experience. Research with Aboriginal people from a number of countries (e.g., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US) indicates that an understanding of genealogical and other influences plays an important role in one’s cultural understanding, self-esteem and self-worth. A number of recent studies have also begun to identify the importance of delivering justice programs and initiatives through an interactive digital experience in order to increase the engagement and impact on participants. The “Tree of Me” program was designed as a response to the confluence of this research. The program allows participants to engage in a self-paced and self-directed journey of discovery with regard to gaining a better understanding of who they are through an identification of the people who have influenced them in a positive way. This presentation will also discuss the implementation of this program within the justice system and provide some preliminary results with regard to participant perceptions of the program as well as impact on a variety of issues such as self-esteem, cultural knowledge and engagement.