Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place

Willum Warrain (‘home by the sea’) Aboriginal Association is the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. It is a gathering place where Aboriginal people come together to realise community aspirations and forge shared identity.

As the only local Aboriginal community organisation on the Mornington Peninsula, Willum Warrain has been educating the local community about Voice and raising awareness about the upcoming Referendum.

“Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place has been promoting understanding and awareness of the pro-Voice case on the Mornington Peninsula for the last 8 months,” said Peter Aldenhoven, Chief Executive Officer. “The Rapid Response grant has enabled us to redouble our efforts in the crucial lead-up to the Referendum.

“We are planning to make a big impact with a large marquee event, multiple presentations to community groups, and signage and advertising targeting the broader public.”

Learn more about Willum Warrain

Kol Halev: Jewish Voice for Yes

Kol Halev (meaning “call of the heart”) is an Australian Jewish community education campaign for Yes led by Stand Up.

Working in partnership with First Nations and Jewish leaders in Melbourne and Sydney, the campaign is calling on the Jewish Community to engage with the upcoming Referendum and raise their voices alongside First Nations.

“The Jewish Community has a long and proud history of working together with first Australians on their journey towards justice and reconciliation,” says the official campaign statement. “And this year, we have an opportunity to recognise first Australians in our constitution, and give them a say on the issues that matter to their communities.

“It’s an important step forward for first Australians and all Australians. We believe it’s a step forward that the Jewish Community knows to be right. Because we remember our own story – it reminds us what it is to be voiceless.

“This year, we have an opportunity to deliver the Voice – to vote Yes in the upcoming referendum, and bring about historic change for first Australians. But if we want it, we need to work for it.  And with the referendum around the corner, we have no time to waste.

“That’s why Stand Up (in partnership with JCCV) is launching Kol Halev (meaning “call of the heart”), and calling on the Jewish Community to engage with the campaign, get informed, bring along your family and friends and support ‘Yes’ alongside first Australians.”

Courtney Winter-Peters, Stand Up Chief Executive Officer, said support from the Rapid Response Referendum Grant Round had enabled the organisation to ramp up the campaign.

“With the referendum only a few months away, we recognise a large push for education and advocacy is required and the work is urgent. With the quick turnaround from the Rapid Response Round, we were able to employ a Community Organiser, lock in our large launch events, and start planning a range of more targeted events throughout our community in support of a Yes vote.”

Learn more about the campaign

Yes23 Community Facilitators Network

Members of the Victoria Sahara Association at the Northcote Senior Citizens Centre after their session on the 2023 Referendum and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The session was conducted by Dr. Surjeet Dora Dhanji, a volunteer with the Yes Community Facilitators Network.

In partnership with First Nations leaders in the Yes23 campaign, the Yes23 Community Facilitator Network provides community education about the campaign and upcoming referendum.

The Yes23 Community Facilitator Network is a group of retired educators and activists working to engage diverse communities around the upcoming referendum. The Network is run by volunteers under the guidance of First Nations leaders in the Yes23 campaign.

Members of the volunteer-run network collaborate with local councils, cultural advisors and other groups to offer short sessions on the 2023 Referendum, Constitutional Recognition, and why a Voice matters. The group also supports others in the community to have these conversations themselves by providing a train-the-trainer model, resources and other facilitator support.

“Support from the ACF Rapid Response Grant Round has enabled us to reach more groups like the Sahara Indian senior citizens of Northcote,” said a spokesperson for the Network.

“Our Referendum education sessions provide information in relevant languages and in a culturally respectful manner to people who would normally find information on the referendum difficult to access.

“Learning about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Referendum, in the places where older people feel supported, amplifies their understanding of their role in this pivotal moment in Australia’s history, boosts their wellbeing and increases their sense of community connection.”

Learn more about Yes23

Community Voices Say Yes on Community TV

Working in partnership with First Nations community media organisations, Channel 31 is developing a community television campaign in support of Voice., Channel 31 is developing a community television campaign in support of Voice.

The ‘Community Voices Say Yes on Community TV’ campaign will use Channel 31’s in-house production facility to produce three short videos that support a resounding YES to the Voice to Parliament referendum.

These will then be broadcast on high rotation and viewed by an average of 750,000 Victorians, and a further 250,000 Australians per month.

Channel 31 is viewed as a key part of the local media landscape as it reaches parts of the community that are often overlooked by mainstream media. These videos will resonate with the broader Victorian community and will similarly reach demographics that may not digest commercial or mainstream media outlets.

Community Voices Say yes on Community TV project is unique opportunity to further advance the push to elevate the Yes campaign and give it the best chance of success, especially within Victorian communities.

Learn more about C31

Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council 

Alisha Agland and Kishaya Delany (local Aboriginal women who lead the Working Group) address an OLALC Information Session.

The Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC) provides support and services to Aboriginal people in Orange, NSW.

In the lead-up to the Referendum, OLALC is providing community information sessions in support of the Yes case.

“We’ve had great feedback from participants and the information sessions have been a great way of tapping into community support for other aspects of the campaign,” said Orange Aboriginal Land Council CEO Annette Steele. “This has included people signing up to help with letterboxing and promoting meetings and information.

“We are now working on compiling videos and testimonials from local people (high-profile as well as people of all ages and from all walks of life), which will form part of our continuing campaign. The testimonials will also be used for media promotion in the local papers and social media, to push the Yes case.

“We are still seeking funding from local businesses and individuals but the RRR grant has given us the confidence to proceed with our campaign activities, especially the written material and advertising. We are enormously grateful for this great support.”

Learn more about OLALC