icea annual report 2015

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616, Stirl ing Highway, Mosman Park, WA 6012 [email protected] www.iceafoundation.com.au

ICEA Annual Report 2015

ICEA Annual Report 2015 2

Table of Contents Message from the Chair of the Board .......................................................................................... 4

Message from the CEO and COO ................................................................................................. 6

Our Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 8

Our Approach ............................................................................................................................. 8

Positive Experiences .............................................................................................................................. 9

Strong Genuine Relationships ............................................................................................................... 9

Understanding of Indigenous Culture .................................................................................................... 9

Our Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 10

Remote Communities ................................................................................................................ 11

Objective ............................................................................................................................................ 11

Our Sponsors & Partners ..................................................................................................................... 11

2015 Targets ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Report ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................... 12

Marja Series .............................................................................................................................. 14

Objective ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Our Sponsors ...................................................................................................................................... 14

2015 Targets ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Report ................................................................................................................................................. 14

Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................... 15

ICEA Classic ............................................................................................................................... 17

Objective ............................................................................................................................................ 17

Our Sponsors ...................................................................................................................................... 17

2015 Targets ....................................................................................................................................... 17

Report ................................................................................................................................................. 18

Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................... 19

Yarn Program ............................................................................................................................ 21

Objective ............................................................................................................................................ 21


Our Sponsors ...................................................................................................................................... 21

2015 Targets ....................................................................................................................................... 21

Report ................................................................................................................................................. 22

Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................... 23

Sustainable Organisation .......................................................................................................... 26

Objective ............................................................................................................................................ 26

Our Partners ....................................................................................................................................... 26

2015 Targets ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Report ................................................................................................................................................. 27

Appendix 1. Evaluation Survey Questions ................................................................................. 29


Message from the Chair of the Board

Wow! What a huge year for ICEA! By reading the following pages of this 2015 Annual Report you will appreciate that our ICEA management and volunteers have committed to and achieved some amazing goals and outcomes in 2015, based on great planning and a tremendous amount of hard work.

From the viewpoint of ICEA’s Board the 2015 events saw the following important milestones in the evolution of ICEA as an organisation:

� The transition from a “hands on” Executive Team running the organisation, to a formal Board working with the CEO and COO to agree a strategic plan, prepare business and project plans, and establish systems and processes to implement and monitor these plans.

� The appointment and successful integration of a new CEO and COO, whilst at the same time carefully recognising and respecting the incredible contribution of our Founder and first CEO, Lockie Cooke. The increasing maturity of ICEA is reflected in how well such a major change of vital senior management could occur with the support of all of our ICEA team and stakeholders.

� Maintaining the financial viability of ICEA, which is so dependent on the support of major sponsors such as Shell, Lotterywest, the Australian Government and many others. At the same time we introduced more sophisticated bookkeeping and accounting functions, with the wonderful guidance and support of our Board member, Daniel Cloghan. Of course for an organisation such as ICEA, the need to find sponsors and support from our stakeholders and the community is never ending but, as you will see later in this 2015 Annual Report, we are planning to become more self-funded via our Yarn Program.

Annual Reports give the Board the rare opportunity of publically saying how much we appreciate the invaluable and very important contribution of the following people to the wellbeing of ICEA.

� Our retiring CEO and Founder, Lockie Cooke: In the latter half of 2015 a number of functions were held to celebrate Lockie’s unique role in the history of ICEA. All had the same theme of thanking him for his energy, determination and strategic thinking in starting an organisation from scratch and leaving it in such a strong position on his departure. We will always be indebted to Lockie and can never really thank him enough for everything he has done for ICEA.

� Our Management Team: Clearly ICEA could not work so effectively without our dynamic management team, which for 2015 included our departing CEO Lockie Cooke and Operations Manager Basha Stasak, as well as our current CEO Tom Joyner and COO Ashton Kealy. The Board thanks all of our management team members for their hard and excellent


work in planning, organising and implementing our core programs and events (Yarn Program; Marja Series, Remote Communities and the ICEA Classic) in such a successful and fun loving way. As I said earlier, it has been a remarkable year!

� Our Board Members: To my fellow Board members Barbara Bynder, Roger Bayly, Daniel Cloghan, Lockie Cooke and Matt Hayes, I say a very big thank you for your very respective important contributions to the work of ICEA as mentors, respected advisers and leaders.

� Our Very Important Stakeholders: Finally and very importantly the Board would like to particularly express our appreciation to all of our volunteers, sponsors, co-ordinators, cheerleaders, joint venturers, service providers, clients and schools for their unique and vital contribution to the heart and soul of ICEA.

All this is left to say is “bring on 2016” and look forward to another inspiring and exciting year for ICEA!

David Craig (DAC)


Message from the CEO and COO

Dear ICEA supporters,

2015 was a huge year for ICEA in many ways! As always, we had big ambitions for the year, coupled with some significant changes in staff and the evolution of our programs. We had a focus on ensuring the sustainability of the organisation and the work that we do. We are proud to report that 2015 was a year of positive change and increasing growth, in both depth and reach of our programs.

We began the year with a transition from Operations Manager, Basha Stasak to our first Chief Operations Officer, and second full-time, paid staff member Ashton Kealy. Later in the year we had a big shift when Lockie Cooke, our founding CEO handed over the reigns to long-time ICEA member Tom Joyner. With the support of our amazing Board and team, we were able to make these transitions smoothly.

Our Remote Communities program evolved into a formalized three-way partnership between the Kimberley Land Council Ranger groups, schools in Beagle Bay, Djarindjin and Lombadina and One Arm Point, and ICEA. This program now sees young rangers taking the lead, rewarding students with high attendance with incentives and leading a bi-annual cultural excursion, which encourages learning on country and youth leadership.

The Marja Series, an amalgamation between the former Marja Mob and Waves Series programs, was introduced in 2015. With the support of the legendary Marja Series team, three events were delivered to high school students throughout Perth, and we were able to celebrate Indigenous culture and have a blast with a whole lot young crew keen to build new relationships and learn something new.

In amongst the Marja Series events was the ever-epic ICEA Classic, organised by the Solid Fella’s team and headed up by Head Cheerleader, Leigh Jarrett. Having an experienced events manager made all the difference, with the sixth Classic becoming bigger and better than ever, with increased focus on skating and music.

Last but not least, the Yarn program officially started in 2015! In a nutshell, the Yarn is a bi-culturally facilitated education program that opens up a space for young people in schools to have ‘big’ conversations around prejudice, racism and Australia’s shared history. The Yarn also captured the interest of a few corporate sponsors. It’s a game changer for ICEA in many ways: as a fee-for-service, we were able to pay our facilitators and earn income for ICEA.

From a whole of organisation perspective, our work in 2015 was grounded in understanding our impact and ensuring that we are working in the most effective and sustainable ways possible.


We introduced standardized surveys across all programs and events run by ICEA, and the outcomes can be seen throughout this document. Our governance transitioned from an Executive Team to a formalized Board structure and with the help of our incredible Chair, David Craig, plus our Leadership and Business Coach, Jo Kirker, we have been able ensure ICEA is run in a sustainable way for years to come!

Tom Joyner (CEO) & Ashton Kealy (COO)


Our Purpose

ICEA (Indigenous Communities Education & Awareness) is a youth-driven not-for-profit organisation creating positive environments for young Australians to come together and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of each other’s culture.

ICEA’S OVERARCHING PURPOSE IS TO ACHIEVE RECONCILIATION THROUGH MUTUAL RESPECT FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS

This purpose guides our day-to-day operations and long-term strategy. ICEA’s staff, volunteers, ambassadors, programs and activities recognise the values of harmony, reconciliation and respect. We believe that through respecting and understanding each other’s cultures in a positive and friendly environment, we can achieve progress towards national reconciliation.

Our Approach

According to Reconciliation Australia, the majority of young Australians (81%) have a strong desire to advance reconciliation, but less than half know how to go about it.

We believe that to facilitate truly genuine and mutual reconciliation and acceptance, it is important to work with both indigenous and non-indigenous youth together. For this reason, our programs do not solely focus on one or the other group, but instead bring Western Australian youth together.

Our philosophy is that everyone undergoes his or her own reconciliation learning journey, or ‘Kuditjiny’.

At ICEA we support reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous youths by providing positive experiences , building strong genuine relationships and promoting understanding of Indigenous culture : this process is ICEA’s Kuditjiny.

Our target audience is primary school, high school and university students, plus young graduates, between the ages of 20 and 25 years. ICEA has assisted many young people form a greater understanding of indigenous culture, form new friendships and connections, break down cultural barriers, and build their inner strength and confidence during their school and Tertiary education years. What makes ICEA unique is that it achieves reconciliation by inspiring young people through activities that bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together in a genuinely inclusive way that are considered ‘cool’ and ‘fun’.


Positive Experiences ICEA gives young people an opportunity to develop experience in leadership, mentoring, cross- cultural understanding, activism and event coordination, while working hand-in-hand with other young Australians of all cultural backgrounds. These skills can be transferred into the wider community and give ICEA participants an openness to other cultures in adulthood.

Strong Genuine Relationships ICEA gives young indigenous and non-indigenous people the opportunity to build relationships in a fun, safe environment, whether that is in high schools across the state, on Perth beaches or in remote regions of the Kimberley.

Understanding of Indigenous Culture These relationships give young people the opportunity to develop an understanding of each other’s culture, history and beliefs. ICEA believes that reconciliation requires commitment and understanding from Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.

Our three main programs: Remote Communities, Marja Series and Yarn, plus one special event, the ICEA Classic, are used as a vehicle to facilitate peoples’ Kuditjiny.


Our Objectives

Our overarching objectives as defined in our Strategic Plan 2015-2017 are to:

1. Maintain and evolve ICEA’s connections with remote communities. 2. Amalgamate the existing Marja Mob and ICEA Waves Program into the Marja Series. 3. Retain the ICEA Classic as an annual flagship event. 4. Create a Yarn Program for schools that builds understanding of indigenous history and

people. 5. Create a sustainable organization that can deliver ICEA’s programs


Remote Communities

Objective

MAINTAIN AND EVOLVE ICEA’S CONNECTIONS WITH REMOTE COMMUNITIES

Accountability: Ashton Kealy, Chief Operations Officer

Responsibility: Caroline House & Curtis Spencer, Remote Communities Coordinators

ICEA has connections with three remote communities on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region. We have been helping to enhance educational outcomes for school students in the following communities through an incentives program since 2007:

Ø One Arm Point Remote Community School Ø Christ the King Catholic School (Djarindjin/Lombadina) Ø Sacred Heart School (Beagle Bay)

Our aim has been to increase the young people’s educational aspirations to graduate, develop skills and become employed in jobs on country. Consultations with these communities led ICEA to believe it should also now work towards strengthening young people’s connections with cultural practices to increase their self-respect and sense of identity. As a result, ICEA trialled a new partnership with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) rangers in 2015.

Our Sponsors & Partners

2015 Targets 1. Secure continued Shell sponsorship to support the program 2. Pilot KLC rangers delivering school student incentives 3. Pilot cultural camps by KLC rangers as student incentives 4. Pilot leadership training activities for KLC rangers

Report Last year, KLC rangers handed out school incentives in partnership with ICEA representatives, with a view to transition the program to a more autonomous, community-led model. Another


pilot was to take school students who achieved 100% attendance on cultural camps delivered by KLC Bardi Jawi and Oorany rangers together with ICEA volunteers, based on Aarnja principles (‘both way sharing’) that focuses on caring for country. This addition to the Remote Communities program supports young people to learn on their country, hearing important messages of culture and conservation being delivered by young Rangers.

Lastly, in September we were able to offer six young, Kimberley-based Rangers the opportunity to attend an ICEA training camp (in conjunction with the Yarn program) where we focused on facilitation skills, public speaking and sharing culture with non-Indigenous groups.

Everyone involved in the 2015 Remote Communities program deserves a huge thank you. Our partner communities are always welcoming to us, and it is truly humbling to be able to share in their culture and lives. The schools and rangers are extremely accommodating and we are excited to continue to grow these ongoing relationships in the form of an official three-way partnership. Lastly, a big shout out to our amazing program coordinators, Curto and Caz, for leading the way in 2015!

Shell continued to be the major sponsor of this program, with their ongoing support enabling us to develop a sustainable model that is championed by local communities.

Evaluation Our 2015 Remote Communities program was able to successfully deliver on all of its targets and set a solid foundation for 2016. The focus for the coming year will be continual improvement and evolution of the program. Moving forward, we aim to improve our planning and liaison with our community partners, which has been incorporated into our 2016 Remote Communities Program Plan and the ICEA Communications Plan to be rolled out this year.

The attendance statistics for our three remote community schools are shown below.


Name of School Students Who Achieved 85% Attendance Rate

Students Who Achieved 100% Attendance Rate

One Arm Point Remote Community School

39 out of 93 (42%) 1 out of 93 (1%)

Christ the King Catholic School (Djarindjin/ Lombadina)

25 out of 82 (30%) 1 out of 82 (1%)

Sacred Heart School (Beagle Bay) 61 out of 98 (62%) 29 out of 98 (29%)


Marja Series

Objective

AMALGAMATE THE EXISTING MARJA MOB AND ICEA WAVES PROGRAM INTO THE MARJA SERIES


Responsibility: Ali Angeloni & Jasirah Bin Hitam, Marja Series Coordinators

ICEA wants to inspire young people to engage with Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) in their schools, universities, workplaces and communities, by introducing them to Indigenous culture through fun, grassroots events at an early age. Our aim is to generate interest and commitment to reconciliation, reduce social isolation by building positive social relationships and build confidence and resilience that will endure beyond involvement in ICEA.

The Marja Series was introduced in 2015 and is structured around the six Noongar seasons, such that an event involving youth-led sport and cultural activities occurs every 2-3 months. Over time, we aim to grow interest in the Marja Series, develop closer ties with more Indigenous youth, particularly those of Noongar descent, and broaden the understanding and experiences of students from other backgrounds.

Our Sponsors

2015 Targets 1. Secure 1 year sponsorship for the Marja Series 2. Secure accredited surf training and Indigenous community partners 3. Trial Marja Series at North Cottesloe and one other location

Report Last year, the Marja Series became one of the main vehicles for ICEA to engage Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in Perth. With a variety of events delivered from March through to August, it became another unique program within ICEA’s portfolio, focusing on encouraging


young people to experience and celebrate Indigenous culture whilst creating new relationships and increasing their understanding of Indigenous cultures throughout Australia.

We held three Marja Series in 2015, in line with the Bunuru, Djeran and Djilba seasons at both North Cottesloe and Leighton Beaches. The Marja Series team was largely responsible for organizing and running these events, with a move towards a more festival-themed focus for the latter events. The cultural activities run by Indigenous facilitators were a particular strong point of all three events, ranging from tool-making workshops to Indigenous contemporary dance, Noongar language games and the ever-popular didgeridoo sessions. Whilst surfing remained a feature of all events, there was an increasing appetite for more universal attractions, such as live music. This created an even more enjoyable atmosphere for the young people attending.

Funding remains an issue for the Marja Series: in 2015 the program was supported by Commonwealth Bank as a major sponsor, and benefitted from all of ICEA’s public donations and fundraising support. Moving forward, we need regular funding to sustain and grow the program, which we believe will become increasingly popular.

Evaluation At the Marja Djilba event, about 130 young people took part. A cross-section of 22 participants completed a survey after the event focused around ICEA’s themes of positive experiences, genuine relationships and promoting understanding (Appendix 2), of which about 15% were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent and approximately a further 5% were from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds; 75% were under 17). The survey revealed that:

� 75% of participants had engaged with Indigenous Australians before and a similar number said they had discovered something new about Indigenous Australians

� The majority of participants enjoyed the event and said they intended to find out about and connect with Indigenous Australians more


� All participants believed the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was important, but only half believed it was good although most (85%) believed it was improving

� However, only about a quarter of participants said there was trust between the two groups and 55% agreed there was discrimination towards Indigenous Australians

� All participants felt it was important to know about Indigenous culture and history, and felt they had had become more knowledgeable from the ICEA event

� Almost all of the participants felt proud of Indigenous culture and that it was important to Australia’s identity

A few comments from the participants are included below:

EXPERIENCES

Damperwasawesome.Musicwasgreatandtherewassuchagreatvibe

Ireallylikedthepain;nganditfeltlikeaclosecommunityof

peopleIstronglyrecommendthis

event

Ilikedhowchilltheeventwas.Thesingerwithdinnerwasamazing–

suchgoodvibes

Thevibewasgreatbecauseitwaschilledoutandyou

couldchoosewhatinterestedyou

Thelivemusicwasaseriouslygoodwayto

endtheeveningandthefoodwastop!

Ienjoyedinterac;ngwithpeoplethatIwouldn’tusuallytalkto,aswellas

learningaboutAboriginalcultureandhavingsomefunaEerschool

Greatevent,maybehavethem

moreoEen


ICEA Classic

Objective

RETAIN THE ICEA CLASSIC AS AN ANNUAL FLAGSHIP EVENT


Responsibility: Leigh Jarrett, ICEA Classic Coordinator

The ICEA Classic is our organisation’s annual flagship event: it is now well known, has a significant profile in metro Perth and has continued to grow in popularity over the six years it has been running. It has proved to be a great way of raising our profile and is now considered to be an integral part of the ICEA brand.

The ICEA Classic creates a positive experience for people who would not usually interact or have an opportunity to connect with and learn about Aboriginal people, country or culture. The environment inspires the community to learn more about the oldest living culture in the world and the place they live. The surfing and skating competitions, and community vibe that is created through the event being youth-run and youth-led, creates the ideal conditions for openness and learning conducive to reconciliation and establishing mutual respect.

Our Sponsors

2015 Targets 1. Secure sponsorship & state media for the event 2. Secure long term skating competition and Indigenous community partners 3. Include at least 15 cultural activities 4. Attract 6,000 people to the event, of which 10% identify as indigenous and >15% come from

beyond Perth 'western suburbs'


Report Now in its sixth year, the ICEA Classic continued as the organisations most in-demand event with over 6000 attendees on the day. Initially scheduled for a Saturday, terrible weather required a push back to Sunday, which ended up being a great decision with plenty of sun and swell on offer!

Our coordinator Leigh, together with the Solid Fella’s (the ICEA Classic support committee) pulled together a dynamic Classic, with equal part surfing, skate boarding and music on offer, plus plenty of Indigenous cultural activities, ranging from interactive art pieces to cultural walks. Our focus was professionalism at this year’s event and we are proud to report that we stepped up our formal documents (project plan, risk management plan, permits and insurance) such that we have laid a great foundation for the 2016 Classic!

One big win at the Classic was the huge demand for ICEA merchandise, where we happily sold out of most items before the day was over.

We were able to reach all of our targets set for the event and our evaluation data was particularly impressive (see below). We know there is still room to improve our communications and marketing, particularly engaging with media and beefing up our cultural activities even more. These, and an increased focus on capitalizing on the demand for merchandise, will be key points at the 2016 ICEA Classic.

We are fortunate to have a range of sponsors who continue support this annual event and we look forward to them remaining involved.


Evaluation About 6,000 young people took part in the 2015 ICEA Classic. A cross-section of 140 participants completed a survey during the event focused around ICEA’s themes of positive experiences, genuine relationships and promoting understanding (Appendix 2) of which roughly 10% were of ATSI descent and a further 12% were from CALD backgrounds; 80% were under 17 and 65% were from Perth’s ‘western suburbs’.

The survey revealed that:

� 80% of participants had engaged with Indigenous Australians before � Almost all participants (95%) enjoyed the event and said they intended to connect with

Indigenous Australians more � 70% said they had discovered something new about Indigenous Australians � All participants believed the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous

Australians was important, but only half believed it was good although most (85%) believed it was improving

� However, only 17% of participants said there was trust between the two groups and 55% agreed there was discrimination towards Indigenous Australians

� Almost all participants (93%) felt it was important to know about Indigenous culture and history, and most felt they had had become more knowledgeable from the ICEA event

� 85% of the participants felt proud of Indigenous culture and 95% felt that it was important to Australia’s identity

9,#7%#

100,#72%#

22,#16%#

7,#5%#

Age$Demographic$

12#or#below#

12117#years#

18125#years#

26+#

9,#6%#

4,#3%#

16,#12%#

107,#79%#

Racial&Demographic&

Aboriginal#

TSI#

CALD#

Caucasian#


A selection of participants’ quotes describing their overall experiences:

EXPERIENCES

Afantas(candwellorganisedevent.Plentyto

eatandlotsofentertainment.

IlovedtheeventanditwasgreattosocialisewithAboriginaland

otherpeople

Incorpora(ngIndigenousculturewithafrothingsurfingeventwasverywelldone

Thechilledandfriendlyvibeoftheeventwasamazingand

somuchfun

Greatfuncompe(ngbutmainlyjustbeingthereandlearningaboutIndigenous

historyandculture

Ilovedthebuzzingatmosphereandthefriendlyfacesofthehelpers

Ilikedtheac>vi>esandthefoodwasyum

Greatdaywithgreatpeopleandfrothy

vibes

Ireallyenjoyedthewholedaywithgreatbands,surfingandska>ngwith

agreatmixofAboriginalculture

EnjoyedtheAboriginalwords

Lovedthelivebandandthepaintyourownbagsandt-shirt

Ienjoyedhowpeoplefromeachsocialdivisioncametogetherandcelebratedthegrowingconnec>ons

betweenIndigenousandnon-IndigenousAustralians

Ithoroughlyenjoyedseeingtheyoungergenera(onsgeteducatedinAboriginal

culture

Greattoseeyoungpeoplemixinginanaturalenvironmentwithrespect

foreachother Suchagreatandwellexecutedevent


Yarn Program

Objective

CREATE A PROGRAM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT BUILDS UNDERSTANDING OF INDIGENOUS HISTORY AND PEOPLE


Responsibility: Tom Joyner, Chief Executive Officer, Kimberly Benjamin, Yarn Program Coordinator

A vital step moving forward towards reconciliation is to make sure that all Australians know about Indigenous people and their history. The ICEA Yarn Program commenced in 2015 and is a youth-run education program designed primarily for Australian high schools that aims to help participants develop an understanding of Indigenous identity, Indigenous history and reconciliation. The program comprises a series of workshops created in collaboration with teachers, Indigenous leaders and young people. The program is facilitated by young Indigenous and non-Indigenous university students, and provides participants with a safe environment to learn about and openly discuss Australia’s history, with a primary focus on Aboriginal history and reconciliation.

Through the program we provide an opportunity for young people to learn about and develop their understanding of Indigenous peoples as well as help eliminate ignorance plus many of the inherited attitudes and prejudices that have been unconsciously passed down over generations. Our vision is for mutual respect and greater acceptance of Indigenous peoples within Australian schools and society.

Our Sponsors

2015 Targets 1. Develop Yarn program content endorsed by Indigenous elders 2. Develop a project plan for self sufficiency 3. Appoint and train Yarn coordinators and facilitators 4. Trial the program in 1 Perth high school and with ICEA volunteers


Report In the Yarn’s pilot year, 10 facilitators took 500 students through the program. Workshops were delivered to high school students at Atwell, Penrhos and Scotch Colleges, including students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent and some from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Through these pilots, ICEA has experimented with varying course lengths, session times, audience ages, locations and other demographics. The workshops were designed in consultation with ICEA volunteers, Indigenous trainers, Indigenous consultants and teachers; they covered themes such as resilience, activism, pre- and post-colonisation, land rights and reconciliation.

An additional 300 corporate employees also benefitted from Yarn sessions. These corporate sessions were charged at a higher cost in order to subsidize the cost to schools.

Through the support of Anna Balston (Notre Dame - Behavioural Science intern) and Jo Kirker (Leadership & Business Coach), we were able to develop a specific Yarn evaluation process, which has assisted in further developing and refining the program’s effectiveness.

ICEA has achieved all the targets for 2015 and a strong foundation has been laid for 2016 with a detailed project plan being developed, based on milestones in the 2015 ICEA Business Plan. A Yarn Business Case was prepared later in the year, addressing the requirement to develop a project plan for self-sufficiency.

We were fortunate to secure a one-year Indigenous Advancement Strategy grant from the Australian Government to develop and pilot the Yarn. Shell also came on board to help secure the initial pilots. Going forward, we are looking for more long-term sponsors to enable us to continue to develop and grow this program in Perth schools, which we believe will inspire many more young people to engage in reconciliation.


Evaluation Over this course of the year, the school workshops were evaluated and refined in order to continuously evolve the program. ICEA established the following as areas that worked well:

� Scotch Yarn feedback showed students improved their experiences and understanding of Indigenous Australia

� A market was confirmed within Perth schools for Yarn sessions � ICEA’s facilitation methods are engaging and refreshing for students and teachers alike � Corporate market for the Yarn Program emerged as a result of the ‘Do You Trust Me?’

viral video � Lots of enthusiasm from ICEA volunteers to become Yarn Facilitators � Recruitment of additional skilled volunteers for Yarn team, which supports sponsorship

proposals and resource development The areas that were identified as needing more work were:

� Conflicting commitments of Yarn facilitators � Too much pressure on Yarn coordinator and facilitators � Conflict of interest with other reconciliation organisations � Evaluation processes were absent in the early part of the year � Difficult for students to differentiate what we teach from Aboriginal culture

In the second half of the year, after each event, ICEA conducted a survey focused around our themes of positive experiences, genuine relationships and promoting understanding (Appendix 2) and determine the racial demographic of the students.

Overall, two thirds of the students who responded to the survey were Caucasian, just over a quarter were from CALD backgrounds and the remainder were of ATSI descent.

The evaluation data showed that many young people embrace Indigenous culture and history, and want to take pride in it as an important part of their identity as an

Australian. More specifically, ICEA found that:

� Only 40% of students had engaged with Indigenous Australians before

3,4% 2,3%

20,27%

48,66%

YarnRacialDemographic

Aboriginal

TSI

CALD

Caucasian


� 75% said they enjoyed the event and 85% said they had discovered something new about Indigenous Australians

� Almost all participants (90%) believed the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was important, but only half believed it was good although more (70%) believed it was improving

� However, only 17% of participants said there was trust between the two groups and 55% agreed there was discrimination towards Indigenous Australians

� The majority of participants (80%) felt it was important to know about Indigenous culture and history, and 70% felt they had had become more knowledgeable from the ICEA event

� Only 65% of the participants felt proud of Indigenous culture, but almost 90% felt that it was important to Australia’s identity

ICEA also conducted a more in-depth survey at Scotch College to compare the responses of 24 Year 10 students who had participated in the Yarn to the remainder (109) that had not. It was pleasing to note that the Yarn participants’ responses were different to those of non-Yarn participants, suggesting that the program had made a positive impact on them. The following observations arose from analysing the data:

� Relationships: Students that had participated in Yarn workshops are more likely to recognise and acknowledge discrimination in their community and are more likely to speak out against racist jokes.

� Understanding: Students that had participated in Yarn workshops are more likely to feel personally proud of Indigenous culture, had more knowledge of Indigenous peoples’ histories in Australia. They were more away of the difference between Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Island peoples and recognized that there were many distinct Aboriginal nations within Australia. They felt more comfortable performing an Acknowledgement of Country and more strongly believed that Indigenous people should be recognised in the Australian constitution.

The students also made the following comments:


Comments from participants at one of the corporate Yarn workshops (at Bankwest) are shown below.

EXPERIENCES

UNDERSTANDING

Really liked that we had control over

what we learned and that we were able to

have a say in the decision process.

Learned some language.

Learned how to play the digj.

We had control at the start so I liked

how it was.

Learning the history makes you more

passionate about the issue

Videos were good and spoke a 1,000 words.

Role play about losing control was really impactful.

I liked how open the discussions

were and everyone was involved.

I liked debating and talking about the bad things that happened

in the Indigenous communities.

I learnt about the different tribes

I learnt about early politics and the

influence this has had

I learnt about Aboriginal culture

I learnt about native land

rights I learnt about the

Eddie Mabo case

I understand the culture of the Indigenous students better

My opinion changed on how I view

Aboriginal people.

I didn’t realise there were so many

languages and so much diversity.

I didn’t realise Indigenous people are not recognised

in the constitution

Once I gained the knowledge I gained

motivation to do something.

I learnt about the depths of

reconciliation

The facilitators were very chilled and open about the topics and answered lots of big

questions.

EXPERIENCES

I felt the energy and topics talked about were really

positive… Staff and volunteers at ICEA are so inspiring.

The speakers were all very inspiring and engaging.

The guys were awesome and the

topic was very interesting.

The event was friendly, thoughtful and insightful.

I felt privileged to be part of the

event.

It was so inspiring to hear those young people talk

about reconciliation.

It was a very effective and engaging series

of speakers.

Bankwest Reconciliation Event ICEA was invited to talk to an audience of

roughly 100 Bankwest employees at a Reconciliation Event at their headquarters in

central Perth on 6th May 2015.

ICEA’s CEO Lockie Cooke, the Yarn Program Coordinators Kimberley Benjamin and Tom

Joyner, plus one of the Marja Series Coordinators Jasirah Bin Hitam spoke about reconciliation

inspired by young people.

Approx. 35 people responded to a survey about their experiences of the event. 80% of

respondents scored the event either 9 or 10.

These are some of the quotes from respondents.

It was very inspiring to hear from such engaged young

people.

It was great to hear from ICEA and the

enthusiasm of these young people.

The speakers showed fantastic

energy and passion.

It was very well organised, fantastic speakers, who were

inspirational young leader that gave a great insight into ICEA.

It was extremely informative.

They were an inspiring group

of people.

The atmosphere and people were terrific.

It was amazing to see such a heartfelt powerful message.

It was extremely interesting and a bit emotional at times.

They presented a positive message of real hope for lasting

change.

I t was fun, high energy and engaging.

The presenters were enthusiastic and

refreshing.

The speakers were really infectious.


Sustainable Organisation

Objective

CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATION THAT CAN DELIVER ICEA’S PROGRAMS

Accountability: Tom Joyner, Chief Executive Officer; Ashton Kealy, Chief Operations Officer

Responsibilities:

Ø PC Bookkeeping, Accounting Ø Harry Barrett & Natalie Mankowski, Marketing & Communications Ø OK Media Group, Photography & Videography

We want to empower young people to be self-determining and feel a sense of ownership for ICEA programs. However, we recognise the need to ensure that our governance, reporting and people processes are transparent and rigorous enough to sustain growth.

We focus on identifying the right people to help grow ICEA, both staff and volunteers, which includes improving Indigenous representation. We aim to retain staff and volunteer coordinators to ensure continuity of our programs.

As a not-for-profit organisation, ICEA takes seriously its responsibility to steward its financial resources carefully. We also need to expand ICEA’s financial capability to deliver our programs, which is why our sponsors and partners are so important to us.

ICEA relies heavily on communication and marketing to spread our message of reconciliation and invite others to join us in their own ‘Kuditjiny’ or learning journey. Our reputation in the community is very important to us, so we want to ensure that our communication with them, particularly our core indigenous community, is genuine and of the highest quality.

We want to continue to be recognised by Reconciliation Australia and for ICEA to be featured as one of their endorsed reconciliation programs.

Our Partners


2015 Targets 1. Executive Team transition to Board and increase Indigenous representation 2. Recruit & onboard new COO and CEO 3. Onboard new volunteer Program Coordinators and Support Coordinators 4. Initiate annual business planning and reporting cycle 5. Develop data collection/evaluation model for all ICEA programs 6. Update all communication materials 7. Media campaign to raise ICEA profile 8. Secure additional sponsors and partners for all programs 9. Develop communications plan to cover all staff, volunteers, ambassadors and other

stakeholders 10. Recruit additional volunteers for 2016

Report In 2015 we saw significant changes to our governance processes, with a transition from an Executive Team to a Board of Directors. In addition, we had transitions of both our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer, and the on-boarding of new Program Coordinators. With an increased focus on growing in maturity and depth, we were able to work towards a more structured organisation at all levels.

We were able to develop and deliver a 2015-2017 Strategic Plan, 2016 Business Plan, Yarn Business Case, as well as a number of policies and comprehensive risk registers for all programs as well as the organisation more broadly.

By developing an evaluation template that was consistent with ICEA’s three-pronged approach of positive experience, relationships and understanding (Appendix 2), ICEA can continuously and consistently evaluate the social impact of all its programs. All the surveys showed that although young people want positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, they acknowledge more needs to be done to build trust and eliminate discrimination.

We overhauled our website to capture ICEA’s (hi)story and reflect how we currently engage with young people around reconciliation. We also developed a brochure that better describes who we are and what we do for people involved with or interested in our organisation. Additionally, we were able to leverage the significant media coverage generated by a social media experiment conducted by The Liberators International entitled ‘I trust you, do you trust me?’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulroZ4zikX8). With over 10 million views so far, we were able to attract significant public attention. ICEA’s Marja Series Co-Coordinator, Jasirah Bin


Hitam, who featured in the experiment, and Lockie Cooke, ICEA Founder, were interviewed on the nationally broadcasted 7.30 Report.

We were largely able to deliver on the targets set for 2015, although we would have liked to do better in securing new sponsorships and partnerships, which remain vital to the sustainability of ICEA. This will necessarily remain a focus for us in 2016. We recently developed a communications plan that we hope will assist us in this regard.

We successfully recruited a new set of volunteers for 2016, changing our recruitment process to involve a more inclusive application process through which we could better understand peoples’ motivations for volunteering, their relevant experience, skills and knowledge, and their preferences as to where they wanted to contribute. As a result, we have a fantastic crew of 4 Coordinators and 20-30 regular volunteers, supported by 200 casual volunteers to assist and shape ICEA this year. We have also revitalised our Moorditj Mob who act as our youth leadership team, with an increased emphasis on internal training and development, so that we can build up our young leaders to make informed, strong decisions in the future. We also want to identify future ICEA managers from our young leaders so that ICEA remains a grass roots organisation.

A big thank you to all our committed volunteers, sponsors and partners, without whom ICEA would cease to exist. We look forward to your ongoing support.


Appendix 1. Evaluation Survey Questions

By developing an evaluation template that was consistent with ICEA’s three-pronged approach of positive experience, relationships and understanding, ICEA can continuously and consistently evaluate the social impact of all its programs. All the surveys showed that although young people want positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, they acknowledge more needs to be done to build trust and eliminate discrimination. The survey involves the following questions, several of which are aligned with Relationship Australia’s Reconciliation Barometer:

Positive Experiences

1. Before now I had opportunities to engage with Indigenous Australians 2. I enjoyed today’s event 3. I have discovered something new about Indigenous Australians 4. I intend to find out more about Indigenous Australians 5. I intend to connect more with Indigenous Australians

Relationships

6. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is important 7. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is good 8. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is improving 9. Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians trust each other 10. There is discrimination towards Indigenous Australians in my community

Understanding

11. It is important to know about Indigenous cultures 12. I feel more knowledgeable about Indigenous culture 13. I feel more knowledgeable about Indigenous history 14. I feel personally proud of Indigenous cultures 15. Indigenous cultures are important to Australia’s identity as a nation

icea annual report 2015

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