Australia

By addressing unresolved mistrust that was caused by colonisation and actions between non-Indigenous Australians and First Nations Peoples - we are walking alongside communities on the path to build deep trust and recognition.

Why is trust needed? 

Australia’s history of colonisation continues to impact the health of Australia’s communities. Colonisation has resulted in inequity, racism and the disruption of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. The divide between non-Indigenous Australians and First Nations Peoples has remained deep and painful.
 
The project began as a response to the invitation of First Nations leaders for all Australians to join ‘in a movement towards fair and truthful relationships’. This vision was expressed in their ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ issued in 2017 at a national convention to consider changes to the Constitution, which has no recognition of the 60,000 years of First Nations possession and heritage on this continent. Their agenda of establishing at a national level a Voice to Parliament, a 'Makarrata Commissions to oversee forming a Treaty, and Truth-telling process has yet to be taken seriously by the federal government, though some states are moving in that direction.
 
IofC Australia’s trustbuilding project grew from the intention to participate in a movement towards this national agenda, launched as ‘Our Uluru Response’.

Truth-telling and truth-hearing
The Trustbuilding methodology is used to connect people in safe spaces,  through in-depth workshops, co-designed with First Nations people, to reveal the true history and present challenges.
 
Stimulating the formation of relationships
Engaging non-Indigenous Australians to build relationships with First Nations Peoples and communities, through dialogues and events like yarning circles and historical site visits.