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Jawun burnie beans.

Photo: Frederic Courbet

A South Australia Leaders Forum facilitated by

Jawun was a forum for collaboration between

Indigenous leaders, a chance to review how to get

the most out of a Jawun partnership (including

its Emerging Leaders and reverse secondment

programs) and Empowered Communities. Over

two days, 12 Indigenous leaders, hosted by the

Ngarrindjeri Nation and its leaders, held rich

discussions and shared experiences and insights.

Sean Gordon, CEO of Darkinjung Local Aboriginal

Land Council, recalls what he learned about

successful collaboration from the Ngarrindjeri’s

nation-building agenda, which has used Jawun

secondees very strategically:

I was inspired by how quickly and how effectively

the Ngarrindjeri mob has embraced the Jawun

program, and the immediate impact the program

has had on their organisations, programs and

services.

My highlight was re-engaging with the

Empowered Communities leaders and continuing

our discussions over the two days on the next

phase of work needing to be undertaken, and

again reflecting on how far we’ve all come

together. Individually we each do great things,

but together, collectively, we are changing the

status quo of our people’s disempowerment!

Clyde Rigney Junior, CEO of Ngarrindjeri Regional

Authority, says it was a further step for a nation’s

journey to use connectivity to support community

empowerment:

The opportunity to have such an inspiring,

passionate and experienced group of leaders

come and connect with Ngarrindjeri was an

honour. For Ngarrindjeri, connectivity is life, and

for us to create these connections to help us on

our journey of supporting community to lead

healthier, more empowered lives is a very exciting

step forward.

Since its inception, Empowered Communities

has created a network of Indigenous leaders who

collaborate with and learn from each other, and also

offer each other support.

Fiona Jose, a Cape York Indigenous leader, said:

The collaboration of Empowered Communities

elders around the nation has given me, on those

toughest days, the assurance that’s it not just

me: this is tough, this is hard work, but I have

like-minded people to draw on and keep going.

64 JAWUN 

2017 LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS