As part of our commitment to deliver positive outcomes for First Nations peoples’ health, education, and employment, we are always looking for new opportunities to collaborate with community members and organisations.
Across Australia, our teams actively engaged in a range of initiatives that brought communities together to connect and educate as part of NAIDOC Week 2023. Within the communities we work, our teams attended smoking ceremonies, flag raising ceremonies, and morning teas to officially open celebrations.
Our team in Brisbane celebrated the week by hosting a multi-faceted event where Guest speaker, Iron Traks Co-Founder Tracy Thompson, shared insights into the origins of the indigenous organisation’s unique resilience and confidence-building programs for young women. Our team is Brisbane has also partnered with Iron Traks on a ‘Return to Roots’ program, which will produce culturally significant pieces of art, spoken word/poetry and kapa haka (traditional dance), to further support connection to culture.
On Bundjalung Country, our Clarence Correctional team hosted a smoking ceremony to cleanse the area and encourage success, followed by a performance from award-winning dance troupe Garimaa Ngahri, before everyone enjoyed a traditional-style feast.
Aligning with the NAIDOC Week 2023 theme 'for our elders,' our Adelaide Remand Centre team invited Christine Abdulla, an elder from the Riverland region in Adelaide, to share her stories and culture, which were enjoyed by inmates.
We are proud to be actively involved in supporting First Nations organisations and peoples across Australia, finding ways to give back and continue to connect with community and culture.