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.
This toolkit was designed to support the broader social enterprise sector to meaningfully embed First Nations stories, while creating space for First Nations people and stories to lead.
When we speak about First Nations storytelling throughout this toolkit, we are not just talking about books and films – although these are incredibly important.
We are talking about our perspectives, our voices and our knowledge systems, which are often embedded within our art forms, but just as often shared through yarns around the kitchen (or meeting room) table, and how we relate to one another.
First Nations stories hold deep knowledge and practical solutions for this continent. As a social enterprise operating on Indigenous land, centering First Nations storytelling is not a performative checkbox or an optional creative choice. It is a responsibility.
To deepen our understanding of how storytelling shifts structures, narratives and power, Common Ground established the Systems Change Collective in early 2026.
This national collective brought together First Nations practitioners working at the frontlines of major institutional systems, including media, education, language revitalisation, healthcare, law, arts and climate justice.
Through cross-sector yarning, the collective mapped patterns of exclusion and leverage points across systems that are historically siloed.
Every system starts with a story, and for over two centuries, dominant colonial narratives have sought to define what our systems are and dictate how they operate.
Together, the collective shaped three distinct yet interconnected pillars to support the broader social enterprise sector to meaningfully embed First Nations stories, while creating space for First Nations people and stories to lead.
The toolkit highlights key themes, action areas and recommended actions across these three pillars:
Common Ground acknowledges the First Nations knowledge holders, creatives and thinkers who brought their expertise, insights and spirit into this collective.
Systems change requires collective effort, and we are deeply grateful to every person who added their voice to this space in different ways. Special thanks to: Alicia Veasey, Tony Albert, Harmony Domaille, Kaleesha Morris, Madeline Hayman-Reber, Phoebe McIlwraith, Leah Bennett, Rachel Steffensen, Taylah Gray, Jessica Johnson, Marlikka Perdrisat and Dr Romaine Moreton.
The Systems Change Collective was a learning community commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia as part of the Australian Government’s Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI).
This resource was co-created to distil collective insights and practical strategies for Understorey, contributing to a more just, connected and self-determined social enterprise sector.
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.
