How to embrace your region's Indigenous community in your event

As a way for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games to meaningfully include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the event organisers did something no other major sporting event in the world had ever done: develop a Reconciliation Action Plan to leave a lasting and meaningful legacy for Indigenous Australians beyond the traditional inclusion of Welcome to Country in Opening Ceremonies.

The Reconciliation Action Plan specified how to increase opportunities for Indigenous Australians through

  • employment and training

  • business development

  • participation in sports and volunteering

  • showcasing Indigenous arts and cultures in the Games

  • building a culturally-capable workforce

  • procurement from Indigenous-owned businesses. 

AUSTRALIA'S USP

One of Australia’s unique advantages is Indigenous culture – an advantage of tourism offerings to both international and domestic markets.

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Smaller events and festivals can also create a Reconciliation Action Plan to drive social change in their own backyards, creating economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples in their communities based on taking small steps together. 

The framework for a Reconciliation Action Plan is provided by Reconciliation Australia. There are four kinds of Reconciliation Action Plans that can transition from one stage to the next to recognise Indigenous culture, leverage economic and social opportunities, and leave legacy outcomes:

  • Reflect

  • Innovate

  • Stretch

  • Elevate


IDEAS ON HOW EVENTS CAN INCLUDE THEIR LOCAL INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY

  • Commit to including Indigenous people

  • Use Indigenous-owned businesses (such as printers, farmers, chefs, trainees, sports coaches) or purchase from companies that have indigenous staff, are social enterprise businesses, or that have their own RAP

  • Employ Indigenous people as professionals, trainees and volunteers

  • Increase Indigenous participation through schools, arts and youth

  • Ask Council to build the capacity of Indigenous businesses with pre-tendering workshops and meet the buyer opportunities


     

HOW CAN YOU DO THIS PRACTICALLY IN YOUR EVENT’S MANAGEMENT?

  • Start with a vision of inclusion

  • Use existing networks in your community to find out who to talk with

  • Leverage government agencies

  • Be open and transparent in your engagement

  • Manage expectations, recognising it’s not possible to please everyone

  • Be open to change, such as in using different suppliers
     

DIRECTORIES TO HELP YOU FIND ABORIGINAL-OWNED BUSINESSES

OVER TO YOU

Do you have a success story to share of working in events as Aborigines or Torres Strait Islanders or with them in an event partnership? Please share in the comments!

Cristy Houghton

Cristy's unique career has taken her from country NSW to the city lights of Clarendon Street South Melbourne and back again. With an early career in radio as a copywriter and creative strategist, she is now a Jill of all trades as a graphic designer, website builder, blog writer, video editor, social media manager, marketing strategist and more. 

In fact, give her any task and this chick will figure out how to do it! Go on, we dare you!

No, really, we DARE you!!

Cristy has won two Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs) for Best Ad and Best Sales Promotion, and even has an 'Employee of the Year' certificate with her name on it.

Cristy and her husband James have traveled extensively through Russia, China and South East Asia, and have two fur-babies, Sooty (cat) and Panda (puppy). Cristy loves drinking coffee, meeting people to drink coffee, coffee tasting and coffee flavoured cocktails. She also enjoys road trips, TED Talks and watching cat videos on youtube.

http://www.embarketing.com.au
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