CASE STUDY: DAMBIMANGARI ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

Case Study: United by values, connected by Country

SNAPSHOT 

Process: Code of Conduct (Ethics and Values) Awareness and Ownership Training

MosaicLab’s role: Codesign and facilitation of training

Host organisation: Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation

Timeframe: January - February 2025

Participants: 38

 
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OVERVIEW

January 2025 - February 2025

The Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation represents a community of over 1,000 people with deep cultural ties to the Kimberley region. Though the community is geographically dispersed, its traditions and identity remain strong. Most Dambimangari people live in Derby or Mowanjum, where the Corporation delivers health, education, and social support programs, while also supporting business development, employment, and training.  

MosaicLab and the Dambimangari leadership team co-designed a training process that honoured cultural values, prioritised community perspectives, and empowered staff to confidently uphold the principles of the Code of Conduct. 

Over a day and a half, Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation staff participated in interactive training sessions, exploring the Code of Conduct, its principles, and practical application. They gained clarity on respectful, ethical teamwork and built stronger connections with one another. 

Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation staff in training
Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation staff
Facilitators Lyndal and Fox in front of the 'Welcome to Derby' sign
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FAST FACTS

Fast Facts - 20 total facilitator hours, 38 participants, 10 hours of training, 2 facilitators and 2 facilitator sessions.
 

KEY CHALLENGES & Success factors  

The process needed to:   

  • create a culturally safe and inclusive space that allowed participants to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore workplace scenarios 

  • consider cultural practices during activities, for example, it is taboo for a son-in-law to see or be within the eye-line of his mother-in-law, so facilitators monitored and adjusted group interactions to ensure this was respected 

  • encourage participants to take ownership of the Code. 

THE PROCESS  

The training delivered both in person and online, combined discussions and interactive activities to explore the Code of Conduct, ways of working, and how to and how to staff can work well together. 

Rather than focusing solely on compliance, the sessions encouraged meaningful conversations about how the Code of Conduct applies to real-life workplace scenarios. 

Taking a hands-on approach, participants worked to create their own version of the Code. They explored its core values, discussed their practical meaning, and expressed them through imagery, language, and cultural symbols. This included drawing symbols, selecting meaningful images, and using language that reflected their lived experiences, making the Code more accessible, relatable, and deeply connected to their workplace culture. 

Participant drawing of a turtle
Participant drawing illustrating 'be there for each other'- listen, share knowledge, high fives, helping hand.

Above: Participants wrote their own version of the Code of Conduct, drawing images and writing relatable phrases that were informed by indigenous culture and ways of being.

 

OUTCOMES  

The training program delivered the following learning outcomes: 

  • a clear understanding of the core elements of the Code - values, ethics, conduct  

  • practical knowledge on how to apply the Code in everyday workplace situations. 

  • understanding of ways to tackle hard conversations with confidence and respect. 

  • clarity around behaviours that uphold or breach the Code of Conduct. 

  • awareness of how Dambimangari staff can work together with respect, integrity, and accountability. 

By the end of the training, staff had formed stronger connections - with many meeting for the first time. 

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