2021 WOMENS HEALTH | closing the gap indigenousconference

THE CONFERENCE PHILOSOPHY

The conference philosophy is based upon an approach of “Prevention is better than Cure” which require collaborative partnership between all stakeholders, working together to support First Nations communities in addressing First Nations Women's whole of wellbeing issues to close the gap. The foundation of the conference is to share and discuss positive models of change and initiatives. The event is structured in such a way as to develop a wider methodology towards preventative programs that are culturally appropriate and therefore more likely to succeed. This conference is devoted to highlighting successful First Nations women's general being programs rolled out in our communities and families today. Hence, the event has been developed with the belief that it is time to promote the positives and successes in Indigenous women's programs whilst still recognising that we still have a long way to go to close the gap.

CLOSING THE GAP REPORT

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison tabled the Closing the Gap report 2022 titled Transforming power: Voices for generational change in March 2022, which clearly highlighted that the Closing the Gap campaign is only making small in-roads into the gap between Indigenous people and the wider community in regard to general issues and has still got a long way to go. Some of the points highlighted were;

This year’s report, produced by the Lowitja Institute for the fourth time, highlights how First Nations peoples are leading the way in transforming health and community services, policies and programs, with foundations of culture and Country at the center, despite unprecedented health challenges from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It focuses on themes of First Nations transformation, gender justice and equity, and allyship – the need for trust and accountability in partnerships to enable transformation change.

Among its key recommendations are calls for action on gender and climate justice, a national housing framework, and full implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

THE CONFERENCE

The 12th National First Nations Women`s Wellbeing Conference will be held at Hilton Hotel Cairns QLD on the 14th -16th December 2022. The aim is to provide a platform for First Nations Women and bringing together women, Elders and professionals to exchange knowledge and information and raise awareness on First Nations Women’s issues, with this year’s focus being on women’s whole of wellbeing. This is the 12th National Conference in the series and is quickly becoming one of Australia’s Premier Women’s Gathering. This conference is a chance to work together and strengthen the advancement of First Nations Women's whole of wellbeing through effective strategic sharing of information and knowledge.

This women’s gathering is designed to inspire and enable First Nations women, services and other partners to take control, step up and take action to the next level, to ensure the rights and self-determination of First Nations women are upheld. To honor our Indigenous women and their families – their strength and resilience – by listening to their stories and strategies, learning from their experiences and committing to systemic change to protect the rights of our children, families and cultures.

To honor also the knowledge of our women elders and wisdom of our cultural responses, sharing successes and struggles to chart effective, evidence-informed ways forward. The conference provides a forum to discuss solutions by women and to connect and acquire knowledge from each other to heal the spirit, heal the earth, and sustain cultural practices for this generation and for future generations to come.

Today’s society is plagued with stories of all the wrongs in our communities when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. For years as First Nations women, we have strived to better our families which have given rise to countless numbers of great initiatives highlighting Indigenous monumental achievements. To share this knowledge has always been our cultural way; as such, we feel that it is time to start promoting these ideas so that others may be able to share and spread the knowledge to all Indigenous women.

CONFERENCE THEME AND FOCUS

The conference as the themes

Primary health and the whole of body wellness for First Nations women’s health
Successful community partnerships between First Nations peoples, governments and NGO`s
Innovative projects which promote leadership
Community/ grassroots-based initiatives towards Women's issues
Culture and its importance to creating better space for our sisters First Nations women
First Nations Women and Education
Achievements of First Nations Women
The Empowering of First Nations Women
The roll First Nations women play in our community

Empowering First Nations Women

First Nations peoples, nationally and internationally, will come together in an environment that can lead to the sharing of information via their cultural and historical values. The conference is designed as an educational tool to develop networking opportunities and information sharing to the wider community on Indigenous women’s issues. The event will focus on First Nations women’s issues and whole of wellbeing through the encouragement of strong leadership, empowerment and self-determination within our communities. Throughout the three days, we will be facilitating small group discussions with empowering and inspirational guest speakers. The conference emphasizes on the positives of First Nations resilience and determination to strive for a better tomorrow without the constraints of negative stereotyping which is more prevalent due to social media and bad media coverage. Today as First Nations women, we are making great strides to improve both ourselves and our communities. This event guarantees the opportunity to enlarge your network and information base, thus empowering all delegates to make greater informed decisions within their professional and extended communities.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

The 12th National First Nations Women`s Wellbeing Conference objectives are designed to empower and stimulate discussion in a positive manner that can and may be used back in our work environment to further develop strength unity and education. One of the most powerful objectives that Indigenous peoples have is the strength to overcome adversity through the power of sharing knowledge and therefore the conference will attempt to foster all of the issues set out in this conference.

To create a platform for open and frank discussion relevant to First Nations Women's issues
Highlight successful community programs and projects involving First Nations women
Bring together First Nations women to share their stories of empowerment, experiences and excellent outcomes of First Nations programs
Bring together workers, researchers, service providers, government agencies, policymakers/ developers and organizations
Outlining the priority area and enablers for better First Nations women’s performance both at work and in the community
Demonstrate the value of investment if First Nations women
Networking and lend support to individuals and groups working in the field of First Nations women’s
Exchange information regarding the successes of community projects
Strategies for linking holistic policy with First Nations women
Explore methods for improving accountability at all levels to sustain progress for First Nations women

ICS-MEES Pty Ltd

Indigenous Conference Services (Australia)

Postal Address: P.O.Box 702 Edmonton LPO Edmonton QLD 4869

Web: www.icsconferences.org

Email: adminics@iinet.net.au

Phone: 07 4000 9111, 04557 76 668

Please note this website is continually being updated.