108 Bargara Rd
Bundaberg East, Qld, 4670
By Tanya O'Shea, IMPACT Community Services Managing Director
More than a word, reconciliation takes action.
The theme of this year’s Reconciliation Week aims to encourage braver and more impactful action.
We all have a responsibility and a part to play on the road to reconciliation.
This is a journey for all Australians, where First Nations people and their voices, histories, cultures, and futures are valued and championed.
Australia has a dark history and working together to shine a light on not only equality but equity moving forward is imperative.
As a community organisation we assist all people from the Bundaberg region, and are passionate about creating an inclusive environment.
IMPACT has completed its first steps with Reconciliation Australia to advance reconciliation efforts from within.
To visually reflect our support, we display Australian Indigenous art throughout our buildings, which was kindly donated by a family member of one of our Aboriginal staff.
Next month we will host an Elders Lunch and involve our staff in the process to raise awareness of the contribution that Australian Indigenous culture has to bettering our society.
Providing an opportunity for our staff members to learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is important to IMPACT, which is why all our new employees complete cultural awareness training upon commencement.
We have worked alongside many local indigenous organisations in our training and employment efforts and are honoured to have local leaders at our events to perform the Welcome to Country.
While we are proud of our organisation for the steps we have made, there is always more to be done.
To advance reconciliation efforts, we need to move from a safe approach to a brave one.
We need to have the conversations about inclusion, diversity, and opportunities for First Nations peoples and ask how we can be doing more.
Having the brave conversations or disrupting conversations that work against reconciliation are two easy ways we can support reconciliation.
Improving lives, all lives, starts and ends with us.
Let’s be the change we hope to see in the world.
Please note: This website may contain references to, or feature images, videos, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have passed away.