Leeton's Elijah Ingram attended the 2023 Global Indigenous Dialogue event at Caux Palace in Switzerland

The proud Wiradjuri man has previously addressed the United Nations in Geneva as part of a delegation from the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and, more recently, was again in Switzerland to participate in the Global Indigenous Dialogue.

Mr Ingram and his Miil Miil Productions co-founder Bernard Higgins were invited to join a group of Canadian First Nations Elders at the Global Indigenous Dialogue event at Caux Palace in Switzerland in July.

The invitation stemmed from an earlier meeting with the Canadian First Nations Elders, including Lewis Cardinal, a Woodland Cree communicator from northern Alberta.

Mr Cardinal immediately understood the value of the work and the determination of Mr Higgins and Mr Ingram in using their skills to lift, share, and bring to life Wiradjuri language, wisdom, culture and story.

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As a result, Mr Cardinal invited the pair to join the Global Indigenous Dialogue, convened by him, and hosted by Initiatives of Change International at the Caux Palace, Montreux in Switzerland.

Though Mr Higgins was unable to attend, both Elijah and Uncle Hewitt Wyman attended and contributed to the dialogues, under the conference theme of "Healing the Wounds of the Past".

"It was an incredible honour to be invited to participate, most particularly to walk and talk in

the company of Lewis Cardinal who is opening new ground for global Indigenous dialogue

and perspectives," Mr Ingram said.

"As Indigenous nations our cultural experiences of course are unique, but we share many common connections and experiences.

"There is a commonality in our world view, in what we value and hold near and dear."

Mr Ingram participated in five Indigenous-specific panels across the week, commenting on themes and topics from an Indigenous perspective.

The forum focused on the experiences of people from all continents and many cultures.

Offering the opportunity to learn from each other and from quiet. Through trainings, plenaries, workshops and dialogues, it aimed to equip participants to contribute to peace and human security by fostering:

-A greater understanding of the impact of historical wounds.

-Heightened skills in dialogue facilitation, conflict transformation, trauma awareness and story-sharing.

-Learning from personal experiences of healing past wounds and building trust.

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