We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
From 50 years of NAIDOC to this continent's first treaty – 2025 has been a big year for First Nations community so far.
At Common Ground, it’s been a year of celebrating these significant milestones and more through amplifying and backing First Nations voices.
This year we also launched Weaving Truths – a truth-telling series and our first-ever secondary education resource, hosted our second webinar and shared our Community Kit to Be The Change and so much more.
As 2025 comes to a close we stand strong and proud – strengthened by Country, culture and community. We can't wait to share more stories and projects in 2026.
We collaborated with three First Nations storytellers – Phoebe McIlwraith, Dakota Feirer and Neil Morris – to bring together a truth-telling series and learning resource for secondary schools created in collaboration with Kyarna Cruse.
This project is called Weaving Truths because truth-telling is something we must all take part in. Each of us has a responsibility to learn the true histories of this place – and to understand how these histories continue to echo and be inherited today.
When we learn, hold and share truth, we help weave a stronger identity for ourselves and for the places we call home.
We launched our second edition of Grounded Story with six grants for First Nations early-career creatives to create a project around the theme HOME.
Home is deeply significant for First Nations people. In a time when our communities, and Indigenous people around the world, are still being displaced from their lands, we continue to find strength in home – whether we have been there before, or grown up in another community.
Grounded Story backs First Nations storytellers with the resources, mentorship and agency to bring bold new projects to life. This helps strengthening the storytelling ecosystem by building power, relationships and pathways.
Learn more about Grounded Story
Throughout October we celebrated the power of learning about First Nations cultures from First Nations people through a series of learning resources.
Created in collaboration with First Nations knowledge holders and communities – these learning resources provide opportunities to learn from First Nations voices and stories across the continent.
Each resource provides unique ways to engage with different First Nations topics and can be adapted to your space and needs whether it's in schools, at home or in the workplace.
Explore Common Ground Learning Resources
We launched our Community Kit designed to help you join the journey in changing systems through storytelling with Common Ground to:
• Spark conversations grounded in truth and care
• Share powerful resources across your networks
• Explore ways to fundraise and advocate for systems change
• Feel confident with helpful tips and ideas for impact
• Gather your community to experience and reflect on First Nations stories.
Throughout this kit we refer to Common Ground, but everything shared here can be used to support any First Nations organisation or campaign you care about.
We’re all part of an ecosystem working to shift systems together – so please take what’s useful and apply it to the First Nations-led solutions close to your heart.
Learn more about the Community Kit
In June we hosted our second ever webinar with a panel First Nations storytellers and Common Ground collaborators including Kirli Saunders, Phoebe McIlwraith, Scott Wilson, Brooke Collard and Gary Hamaguchi.
Each storyteller has contributed to Common Ground projects including Dreamy, Weaving Truths and First Nations Bedtime Stories.
As we continue to amplify and back First Nations voices to change systems through storytelling, we shared contributor pieces including:
Why Treaty and Truth-Telling Matter to Our Shared Future Starting with Victoria by Travis Lovett
My Dearest Babiinbal: My Pop by Lowanna Grant
During the year we also heard from our team members through articles including:
The Word Is ‘Authentic’ by Travis Cloudy-Hensgen
Yorta Yorta Day of Mourning and self-determined sovereignty by Vanessa Morris
We are a First Nations not-for-profit that exists to centre First Nations people, Country and truth-telling. We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
