First Nations Campaigning and Organising Fellowship
A leadership course in public advocacy and senior campaigning curated for First Nations advocates, campaigners and changemakers.
Building the capacity of First Nations changemakers.
The First Nations Campaigning and Organising Fellowship brings together 25 diverse First Nations advocates, campaigners and changemakers from across Australia and Aotearoa in a unique leadership program dedicated to building the leadership skills in public advocacy and senior campaigning.
In partnership with leading organisations including GetUp, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network and the First Nations Workers Alliance, the Fellowship will cover best practice modules to mobilise your community and lead winning campaigns including campaign strategy, community organising, message development, decision-maker engagement and more.
The program will also explore key issues in First Nations justice including criminal justice reform, land rights and deaths in custody as well as the cutting-edge campaign case studies in support of self-determination and justice.
LEAD TRAINERS
LARISSA BALDWIN
First Nations Campaign Director, GetUp!
Larissa is a widjabul woman from the Bundjalung Nations and currently First Nations Justice Campaign Director at GetUp, a movement powered the values and hopes of a million everyday people working to build a progressive Australia and bring participation back into our democracy. She dedicates her life to fighting for First Nations justice and Self-Determination. From staunch grassroots resistance, to building the Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, to starting First Nations Justice campaigning at GetUp. Larissa has a passion for mentoring young people, and crafting brilliant campaign strategies.
LAURA O’CONNELL RAPIRA
Executive Director — Capacity Building,
Foundation for Young Australians (FYA)
Laura is the Executive Director of Capacity Building at FYA. Previously, she was the Director at ActionStation, an independent community of 150,000+ members campaigning and acting together to drive a fairer, more just and sustainable Aotearoa. Laura is also the co-founder of RockEnrol, a youth-led volunteer organisation building and activating political power for young people. She is passionate about unleashing the power of the crowd through digital and community organising, effective collaboration, values-based storytelling and creative campaigning.
SUPPORTING FACILITATORS
AMELIA TELFORD
National Director, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network
Amelia is a young Aboriginal and South Sea Islander woman from Bundjalung country is the National Director of the Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Amelia is passionate about supporting a grassroots network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to protect our land, culture and communities from the impacts of climate change and fossil fuel extraction and be a part of creating positive change for our people. Amelia was awarded National NAIDOC Youth of the Year 2014, Bob Brown's Young Environmentalist for the Year 2015 and Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year 2015.
LARA WATSON
Indigenous Officer, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Lara is a Birri Gubba woman from Central West Queensland and the Indigenous Officer with the ACTU. She has been involved with the Trade Union movement for almost 15 years. Lara has worked on numerous Indigenous campaigns with Unions, including the fight for Muckaty, Queensland Stolen Wages, the NT Intervention, and she is currently organising the First Nations Workers Alliance & the ‘Wage Justice’ campaign for Community Development Workers in remote Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities.
EDIE SHEPHERD
First Nations Justice Campaigner, GetUp
Edie Shepherd is a proud Wiradjuri and Noongar woman. She has worked as a youth worker, community organiser and campaigner within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, as well as in broader social and economic justice spaces. Edie has spent the past three years working as an organiser in the trade union movement, running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organising and political capacity building programs in Victoria. Edie now leads as Senior Organiser at Original Power.
The First Nations Fellowship is a joint initiative of GetUp, Seed and Australian Progress
