As National Reconciliation Week 2021 comes to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to share the steps we have taken in consideration of Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, “More than a word. Reconciliation takes action”. The actions we have taken and investments we are making reflect our commitment to ensure Facebook and Instagram are places where the Australian community can connect safely, share stories, and find belonging, whilst also better understanding the local context of how and why racism, bigotry, and prejudice exist towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both in society and online. Through investing in capacity building, improving our understanding, and building relationships we are supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to have a positive experience online and contribute to an inclusive Australian community.
Investing in capacity building of First Nations creators
We launched a new “First Nations Creator Fund” in partnership with Screen Australia supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social media creators in mentoring, training, and content funding. The program aims to accelerate up to fifteen First Nations' up-and-coming local talent and amplify diverse voices across the social media landscape and will involve training sessions and workshops covering product, creativity, safety, and well-being, along with mentored guidance on digital production and social media strategy.
Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations Penny Smallacombe said, “First Nations people are the oldest storytellers in the world and social media has made creating and sharing content easier than ever, with creators able to immediately connect with followers through their social networks. We are excited to partner with Instagram Australia so we can identify and nurture new voices on this platform, support extraordinary First Nations content creators and have their unique stories reach a global audience. I can’t wait to see what fresh and authentic voices come through the First Nations Creator Program.”
Applications close on 17 June. Learn more and apply here.
Building relationships with our trusted partners
We invited members of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group to join us in our Facebook Sydney office to meet in person for the first time, have a yarn, and discuss opportunities to collaborate in the future. We focussed our discussions on several opportunities as part of the development of the first Reconciliation Action Plan, which we look forward to launching later in the year.