74 / 80
Echoing the cautious optimism of established
Indigenous leaders who see change on the horizon,
young Indigenous people looking to make a
difference, including those in Jawun’s Emerging
Leaders program, see a promising future.
It’s exciting to be a young Indigenous
person right now, but scary at the same
time. We hope we’ll see a new dawn,
if we can find the balance between the
two worlds.
—DIVINA D’ANNA,
EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, AARNJA
Reflecting on the hopes of a new generation of leaders,
Jawun patron Noel Pearson envisions meaningful
change for the
whole natio
n, founded on Indigenous
empowerment, recognition and cultural embrace.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart, representing
the aspirations of 12 dialogues held around the
country, calls for meaningful recognition and
the empowerment of Indigenous people in the
constitutional arrangements of our nation
. 56The
statement also recognises the link between cultural
embrace, self-determination and empowerment:
When we have power over our destiny our
children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds
and their culture will be a gift to their country.
Rachel Perkins, Jawun Board member and director
of Blackfella Films, describes the Uluru Statement
from the Heart as ‘a historic consensus from the
First Nations’ and ‘the beginning of pragmatic and
principled change for the benefit of all Australians’
. 57These are big, bold nation-building ideas fuelled
by the coming together of a more empowered
Indigenous voice, and a greater awareness from
mainstream Australia that our national identity will be
enriched by recognising our first peoples and their
rightful place in the nation, and embracing Indigenous
culture as a proud, integral part of Australian culture.
It’s about building the skills
and capacity, creating
the passion, making the
movement. It’s about
working together, in
partnerships. The strongest
thing is togetherness.
—DIVINA D’ANNA,
EMPOWERED
COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT
MANAGER, AARNJA
74 JAWUN
2017 LEARNINGS AND INSIGHTS