Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

CREATE’s Commitment to First Nations People

CREATE Foundation recognises First Nations peoples as the traditional custodians of Australia including its lands and waterways. CREATE supports a just and equitable Australia where respect for First Nations peoples is afforded, and where all Australians can move forward together in the spirit of equity and justice.

CREATE Foundation respects the rights of First Nations peoples to maintain their culture and to be involved and participate in decisions that affect their lives and future in a manner consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. CREATE is committed to improving the lives of all children and young people with a care experience and acknowledges the impact of colonisation and the stolen generation in the community and the resulting impact of the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people within the out-of-home care system.

Our commitment to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people is contained within our Strategic Plan. We reviewed our capacity and resources, and consulted with a range of Indigenous people and agencies to explore how we would express our commitment to First Nations children and young people. We wanted our practice and commitment to First Nations children and young people to be seamless and inclusive, rather than having two documents sitting side by side. We felt that an integrated Strategic Plan was an attractive alternative to having a stand-alone document such as a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We recognise that there are many ways for individuals and organisations to express their commitment to First Nations peoples and CREATE will continue to explore how best we do this.

Our commitment is to offer an inclusive service, and range of programs and activities to First Nations children and young people and this is articulated within this plan with clear and measurable strategies to ensure our commitments are actioned. This plan includes three pivotal focus areas: relationships, rights and respect.

CREATE is also committed to ensuring that the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, is proportionate to the population.

First Nation Voices

As part of Queensland’s ‘First Nation Voices’ project, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people in care came together to share their experiences of feeling connected to culture. Working with actor/comedian Steven Oliver, these young people came up with a declaration for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people in care, which has been developed as a poster and a video.

Who am I? Isaiah Dawe from ID Know Yourself speaks with CREATE

In 2020, CREATE Young Consultant Leanne sat down with Isaiah Dawe, CEO and Founder of ID Know Yourself. This organisation was created to support young Aboriginal people with experience in out-of-home care to reconnect with their culture and support their growth outside of care.

The interview was incredibly in-depth and insightful and shone a light on many issues faced by children and young people in the care sector, including the challenging journey of identity and cultural connection experienced by many First Nations young people with a care experience.

Grounded in his own lived experience of the system, Isaiah highlights that more needs to be done for those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who have been removed from their birth parents around reconnecting them back to their roots and their culture if they so choose, especially those not living with Indigenous carers.

Family, culture and connection – Sonja shares her story

One of our Young Consultants and Influencing Committee members Sonja shared with us her experience of reconnecting with her dad. Through making contact with her father, Sonja was able to also reconnect and understand more about her Aboriginal heritage, find her mob, and was able to connect with a whole extended family she never even knew existed.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices must be at the forefront of change.

CREATE supports the work of all our Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation partners and we encourage you to support their advocacy and campaigns: