Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the Traditional Custodians of Australia, with more than 65,000 years of continued history, culture, stories, songs, leadership and lore. Colonisation and the historical removal and cultural dispossession of land have directly disempowered Indigenous Australians, impacting their social, economic, physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing.

Australia’s First Nations women face unique disadvantages, as they are disempowered in society and often in their communities too. Current epidemic levels of gendered violence demonstrate this, showing that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 45-times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous Australian women, compounding intergenerational trauma. A lack of community-based solutions, insufficient funding in grassroots programs, pertinent opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander female leaders and positive media representation leaves a deafening silence in Australia.

Yanalangami seeks to address these issues by enhancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s leadership on the ground, which improves their safety, strengthens women’s confidence, provides healing and grows their networks in local and national spheres of influence. Our cultural leadership program focuses on cultivating wellbeing and is driven by the understanding that leadership is not something that happens in isolation but takes the strength of many women empowering each other and walking together to create meaningful change.