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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