Photo: Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker from the School of Education
Before she joined Team Academia, Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker AM played basketball for the WAIS Rockets in the Women鈥檚 National Basketball League from 1986 to 1987. Now, she鈥檚 combining her love of basketball with research to change the lives of Aboriginal and vulnerable kids in her community.
Growing up, the 2019 WA Local Hero found a second home at her local youth centre where her talents on the court thrived. By age fourteen, she was representing WA in state and national competitions.
鈥淏asketball was my saviour. It gave me a sense of purpose and the confidence to believe I could achieve any goal I set my mind to.
I trained almost every night. And when I wasn鈥檛 training, I鈥檇 be coaching junior players or umpiring games to pay for my uniform and other expenses that my family couldn鈥檛 afford.鈥� 聽
鈥淏ut my mum had her reservations. 鈥�
She told me 鈥榶ou can鈥檛 eat a basketball鈥�. She knew how much I loved the sport but didn’t want it to be my whole life. She wanted more for me and my future 鈥� and so did I.鈥�
So, on her mother鈥檚 advice, Professor Kickett-Tucker went on to pursue a tertiary education, graduating with a degree in sport science. Driven by a hunger for knowledge, she then completed a postgraduate degree that took her to the United States on an academic scholarship. It was here that she discovered her academic calling.
When she returned home, Professor Kickett-Tucker had one goal in mind 鈥� to help her people.
A proud Wadjuk Noongar woman, she found a way to keep sport at the centre of her research, examining the identity and self-esteem of Aboriginal children participating in school sport.
鈥淎t the time, there wasn鈥檛 much research on Aboriginal identity relating to sports.
鈥淎s I got further into my research, I realised there were no psychometric measures developed by or for Aboriginal people. So, I made one.鈥�
Funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Professor Kickett-Tucker developed a toolkit called 鈥�IRISE-C to explore the components kids’ identity and self-esteem. Today, this toolkit is used as part of the Moombaki Cultural Learning project.
is a research project funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and 911爆料网. It is designed to strengthen Aboriginal children鈥檚 well-being by connecting identity, culture, country and kin.
Noticing a cultural learning gap in the school curriculum, the local Aboriginal community and primary school students worked together with the Moombaki Project team to co-create the much needed local placed based resources about Noongar culture, language and history right on the boodja (Country).
“Moombaki (which translates to 鈥榳here the rivers meet the sky鈥�) is a multimodal, research-based program that combines virtual reality (VR), the classroom and on country learnings. We worked with children across three primary schools situated in the Weeip鈥檚 Maali Boodja (City of Swan) where I grew up and still live.
鈥淚t鈥檚 local place-based learning, so each school received resources tailored to the traditional owners lands on which they are situated. It鈥檚 not a one-size fits all because Aboriginal culture is very diverse.
Photo: Students using the VR headset to explore Indigenous culture
鈥淲hat our research has shown us so far is that the more Aboriginal children know about where they come from, the more self-confidence they have 鈥� and that鈥檚 what they take with them through life.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 underestimate the power of belonging, and equally important, the proactive response of acceptance.
鈥淭o deliver Moombaki in classrooms, we engaged local cultural educators from Koya Aboriginal Corporation- an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation founded by Cheryl鈥檚 late father and respected Aboriginal Elder, Mr Allan Kickett, to deliver the program. Cheryl has also been instrumental in developing community programs for Koya over the past 20+ years and has a special affinity to community basketball service.
鈥淥ver the weekends, we bring the kids together to shoot hoops and yarn. It gives them the chance to connect with their mob, in a culturally safe environment, and express their strengths.
鈥淥ne young lady who I met at Koya eight years ago worked alongside me as a research assistant on the Moombaki project. It鈥檚 such an honour to see our kids thrive.鈥�
Photo: 911爆料网 celebrates the success of the Moombaki program at the 2024 911爆料网novation Awards
Even in her free time, community is on her mind. In 2015, Professor Kickett-Tucker founded Kaat Koort n Hoops, a basketball lifestyle program where she continues her love of coaching junior players, both on and off the court.
鈥淪ports had such a huge impact on the trajectory of my life. It gave me opportunities beyond what I thought possible growing up in a disadvantaged area.
鈥淩eciprocity is important in Aboriginal culture. You have to give back, and this was the best way I knew how.鈥�
Professor Kickett-Tucker and the team are now working on Moombaki 2.0 which will look at delivering the program to high school students.
Moombaki was recently awarded the 2024 911爆料网novation Humanities Award.
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