At CoAct, we recognise our responsibility to contribute to Healing Country. It’s important to us because it ties back to our organisation’s original ethos around providing social and economic opportunities to those in need.

As our founding member Steve Lawrence said,

“There’s nothing more important than helping people who are socially excluded move towards work and lifelong learning. I do think it has to be combined with community building and social engagement though. So, it’s not just about a job, it’s actually about people connecting with their community.”

• NAIDOC Week 2021
• Heal Country, heal our nation
• Our Reconciliation Action Plan
• Get involved with NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week 2021

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a week not just for Indigenous communities, but for all Australians to come together in support for better rights for Indigenous people. The week is host to events and activities for everyone.

Heal Country, heal our nation

This year’s theme is Heal Country!. For First Nations peoples, Country is more than a place. It’s more like a person, and encompasses family, kin, lore, ceremony, traditions and language.

The theme Heal Country! calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.

It’s about resolving the many injustices which still impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still face today.

It means telling the truth about our nation’s past and doing the work to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have the social and economic equality they rightly deserve.

As the official NAIDOC website states,

“Healing Country is more than changing a word in our national anthem – it is about the historical, political, and administrative landscapes adapting to successfully empower and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, nations, and heritage. We are all looking for significant and lasting change.”

Our Reconciliation Action Plan

As part of formalising our efforts to reduce disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their employment outcomes, we’ve been working on our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We’ll be rolling this out over the next 18 months.

Our RAP is an agreed blueprint on how CoAct aims to contribute to the enormous task of closing the gaps between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider Australian community.

Our vision for reconciliation is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are empowered to take a place of equity and respect.

Our RAP is designed to empower CoAct staff to have the courage to shape a better future, challenge ourselves to think differently, show respect and value everyone that we work with and the contribution they can make.

We’re proud to have been working on Healing Country for over 20 years, by building stronger connections and growing relationships with First Nations communities, organisations and jobseekers.

Get involved with NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is a great time to show your support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. You can get involved in an event, learn something new about our First Nations’ culture or even update your social media banners with the official NAIDOC Week designs to mark the occasion. If you’re interested in learning more about NAIDOC Week or to find an event near you, click here.

You can read more stories here on our work with Indigenous jobseekers and the community.

This blog post was respectfully written on the land of the Gweagal people, Dharawal Country.