PIACBulletin16 - Public Interest Advocacy Centre
PIACBulletin16 - Public Interest Advocacy Centre
PIACBulletin16 - Public Interest Advocacy Centre
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Our Strong Women – Indigenous Women, Law<br />
and Leadership Project<br />
At a celebration in Darwin on 12 August<br />
2002 the National Network of Indigenous<br />
Women’s Legal Services (NNIWLS)<br />
launched its national advocacy training<br />
program, Our Strong Women Indigenous<br />
Women, Law and Leadership The program<br />
is a joint project of NNIWLS and PIAC<br />
and is funded by the Commonwealth<br />
Office of the Status of Women under the<br />
National Women’s Development<br />
Program<br />
Carolyn Grenville, Training Co-ordinator<br />
PIAC’s training co-ordinator, Carolyn<br />
Grenville, has been working closely with<br />
the NNIWLS to present a series of twoday<br />
workshops for Indigenous women in<br />
nine locations around Australia During<br />
this year, Carolyn has conducted<br />
workshops with women in Darwin,<br />
Broome, Port Augusta, Kalgoorlie,<br />
Townsville and Brisbane<br />
The training aims to enhance community<br />
leadership skills amongst Indigenous<br />
women and promote their status and<br />
interests at a community, regional, state<br />
and national level It also seeks to change<br />
policies and improve the quality and<br />
delivery of services to Indigenous<br />
communities<br />
Participants learn about systems of<br />
government, challenging government<br />
decisions, effective campaigning and<br />
community representation In addition,<br />
they learn media, negotiation and<br />
lobbying skills<br />
The Darwin workshop saw Indigenous<br />
women travel from Katherine and Alice<br />
Springs as well as Darwin For the<br />
Broome workshop, Indigenous women<br />
came from across the Kimberley and the<br />
Pilbara and many participants travelled<br />
long distances from Kununarra and<br />
Fitzroy Crossing<br />
All workshops, which attracted capacity<br />
attendance, have produced advocacy<br />
action plans initiated and designed by<br />
participants for working towards<br />
achieving specific objectives Participants<br />
Photos show participants at the Broome<br />
and Darwin workshops of the Our<br />
Strong Women, Indigenous Women,<br />
Law and Leadership program, August<br />
2002 — Photos: Carolyn Grenville<br />
have reported that the workshops have<br />
made them feel empowered, have<br />
increased their knowledge across a range<br />
of activities and enabled them to use the<br />
new networks and skills for concrete<br />
purposes For example, women who<br />
attended the workshop in Broome have<br />
committed to establish the first Pilbara-<br />
Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Network<br />
and women in Darwin have undertaken<br />
to work on ensuring that Indigenous<br />
women have a stronger voice in the<br />
Northern Territory and to achieve a<br />
specialist legal service for Indigenous<br />
women in Darwin Port Augusta women<br />
mapped out plans to work for a new<br />
counselling and healing centre in town<br />
* p 11<br />
10 PIAC Bulletin No 16 • December 2002