Day 2 began with an Acknowledgement of sacred Yawuru Country, and a check in to see where everyone’s energy levels and mental health were at.
Again, everyone shared so vulnerably and openly with their I AM statements, honouring their full selves. We were excited, and grounded, and happy, and reflective, and leaning in, and held by Country.
Aunty Ber led with vulnerability and spoke about a time she was raw and struggling. She shared the wise words ‘grief is only a loss when you get lost in it’ and highlighted that we all experience grief in one way or another, every day. Aunty Ber shared with us an excerpt from her published chapter in ‘RAW: Real Stories from Nine Resilient Women’, and we all reflected on what this story shares of resilience and vulnerability, while reflecting on times we too have been raw.
We yarned together about what real leadership is, versus what we have been told leadership is. We spoke about the importance of love, vulnerability, empathy, and support shown by real leaders in our Communities. We reflected on the Ways of Working presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) report, and shared about how we can all embrace this ‘Blakprint’ for our work within Community. We explored ‘Being Authentic and True to Yourself’, ‘We the People’, and ‘Which Way That Empowerment’.
Standing on the beach, feeling the sand between our toes, and breathing in the sacred breeze, we watched the sun set over the salty water. An incredible explosion of vibrant pink and orange was reflected in the waves as our team stood there speechless (just a normal night for our beautiful Yawuru Changemakers!).
Together we gathered in a circle and yarned about our journey so far together, what we had all learnt from each other, and how we had changed and grown in such a short time. We cried and hugged and laughed and played in the waves, we swam in the warm ocean as the sun set, keeping an eye out for any cheeky crocs, and bathing in the peace and serenity of the moment.
After our cups were full of salty Yawuru water, we met up with 30 other First Nations women who were on Yawuru Country for the Jawun Stories of Female Leadership SoFL Network and Convention. It was so powerful to be in space with so many deadly women leaders from around Australia and to be able to build connections with people we otherwise might never have met.
Stay posted for more blog posts about our beautiful time on sacred Yawuru Country!
With deep respect,
Your Yanalangami Sisters
