Cultural literacy is best explained as a way of educating people of all ages to give them the tools, knowledge, and understanding to appreciate and acknowledge the cultural systems and beliefs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s important to pause and highlight that the broader definition of literacy applies to visual, auditory, and written stories, perceptions, practices, norms, and identities–not just books, language, and communication.

Strong levels of cultural literacy matter because they can help us overcome barriers to communication, mutual respect and acknowledgement of differences, where we understand and can engage with the ways First Nations people interact, the histories and experiences they share, and work towards social cohesion and reconciliation.

One of the many ways organisations can promote cultural literacy is through a workplace RAP–a Reconciliation Action Plan–defining how they will contribute to cultural literacy, awareness, and competency levels within the business and ensuring that Indigenous Australian inclusion strategies have clear, measurable targets and goals.

Understanding the Importance and Relevance of Improving Cultural Literacy Between First Nations Communities and Non-Indigenous Australians

Lack of understanding, empathy, or respect are key drivers behind disparities, marginalisation, disinterest, or dismissal of cultural beliefs or events. This inevitably factors into communities or workplaces with clear separation or isolation, which leads to poor inclusivity and missed opportunities for collaboration.

While we often assume that literacy only relates to learning at school, it also applies to every aspect of modern society, from the way we socialise and travel to the places we work. This is while noting that there are established benefits of augmenting wider-scope access to literacy tuition from diverse cultures within the educational system.

Indigenous cultural literacy isn’t necessarily about reading at all but gaining an intrinsic knowledge and understanding of how Aboriginal cultures may differ from others, ensuring there is the capacity for equal respect and acknowledgement of distinctions, and how our combined abilities, talents, and passions are often stronger when shared and protected.

A culturally literate individual can, for instance, interact with peers from any background, regardless of how much that varies from their own. They can also behave with sensitivity and respect for alternative ways of living and communicating without any assumptions about the ‘right’ way to solve problems or achieve a goal.

What Outcomes Do Cultural Literacy Training Programs Aim to Deliver?

The true value of cultural literacy is that it provides us with appreciation and awareness that act as foundations for inclusivity and celebrations of diversity. For example, we might expect a cultural literacy program to result in:

• Improved abilities to treat people of all cultures and backgrounds in a way they consider appropriate and respectful
• Knowing how our own cultural beliefs or norms might clash with others and being able to reflect on those differences without criticism or bias
• Seeing how more dominant or better-represented cultures behave and react to others and how we can address those imbalances to achieve parity
• Recognising the contrasts between cultural identities and how these form a key aspect of many people’s belief systems, family groups, and daily lives

Fostering cultural literacy isn’t about instructing groups on how to react and communicate. Instead, it’s focused on ensuring that there is space for conversation and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities guide those dialogues and choose how they wish their culture to be defined and understood–much as Reconciliation Action Plan partnerships are created from a foundation of active listening, rather than prescriptive strategy.

What Are the Impacts of Improvements in Societal Cultural Literacy?

The impacts of societal cultural literacy may vary depending on the environment, setting, or learning location. Still, in most cases, awareness can help to actively reduce prejudice and address inequalities or unconscious biases based on cultural differences.

Cultural literacy enables participants to perceive the value and importance of diversity and difference as positive attributes rather than barriers to dialogue. This, in turn, ensures that cultural differences cease to be seen as barriers to participation in community, workplace, or societal events and activities.

For adults, Indigenous cultural awareness and literacy equip people with the language, knowledge, and learning to engage, as a way to embrace the diversity of the communities we live and work in and open our minds to see how diverse cultures can coexist side by side–on the basis of respect, acknowledgement, and understanding.