NAIDOC Week 2026: We began by listening

In 1896, a group of Victorians gathered at Government House in Melbourne with a simple belief: that every child deserves safety, care and a future. That belief became the Victorian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and, across more than a century of change, through new names, new partnerships and new ways of working, it grew into what we now know as Kids First Australia.

Our vision hasn't changed. We believe all children and young people deserve the opportunity to thrive in resilient, strong and safe families and communities.

We also know that thriving looks different for every child. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families we work alongside, it is inseparable from culture, identity, Country and community.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children remain significantly over-represented in the systems we work within, a reality shaped by generations of policies and practices that too often failed First Nations families. We don't see that history as separate from our work. It's part of why we're here, and part of why NAIDOC Week matters to us, not simply as a celebration on the calendar, but as an opportunity to reflect, to learn and to recommit to doing this work differently.

 

This year's theme, 50 Years of Deadly, marks half a century since NAIDOC became a fully Indigenous-led movement, honouring the Elders, organisers, artists and communities whose advocacy made that possible. It's a theme about endurance. About showing up, year after year.

 

That's language we understand.

 

This year, we began by listening.

 

In Victoria, our teams joined the NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremony at Federation Square before coming together to watch Off Country, a documentary following First Nations students as they navigate the space between boarding school and home. Rather than beginning the week with speeches, we began by hearing directly from young people and reflecting on the histories, experiences and perspectives that continue to shape our country.

 

After the screening, Director People & Culture Lisa Hunter reflected on what the film meant to her, saying, "my main takeaway was that we aren't taught the true history of our lands. I learned a lot about WWI and WWII in school, but nothing about our other, very significant history. Our duty is to educate ourselves, to open our hearts and minds, and to educate our children and young people. Hopefully, they will live to see reconciliation in their lifetime."

 

From there, we walked together.

 

Our Victorian Youth Services, Therapeutic Services and Southern Homeless Youth Assistance Program (SHYAP) teams joined Aboriginal Housing Victoria's 25th annual NAIDOC Family Day in Thornbury, connecting with community and celebrating culture alongside families and partner organisations.

 

In South Australia, our team joined thousands of people at the NAIDOC SA March and Family Festival, standing alongside community in a celebration of culture, resilience and pride.

 

In Western Australia, our team was once again part of the annual Mirrabooka NAIDOC Event, a partnership that stretches back many years. As members of the Mirrabooka NAIDOC Committee, Kids First has long worked alongside local organisations, Elders and council to help shape and deliver this community event. This year, our team again hosted the Community BBQ and Youth Engagement Space, welcoming more than 2,000 community members throughout the day.

 

CEO Nicole Artico and Director Children, Youth & Family Services Sharon Joy joined the Mirrabooka NAIDOC celebration, made even more special by seeing Shane Ninyette recognised as NAIDOC Community Member of the Year for his longstanding contribution to the local community.

 

Across each of these moments, we celebrated culture, connection and community.

 

But none of this is separate from the work we do throughout the year.

 

Our Deadly Diversions program, delivered in Perth's Mirrabooka Police District and through the Youth Aboriginal Community Court Adelaide (YACCA), walks alongside Aboriginal young people as they reconnect with culture, strengthen identity and build pathways beyond the justice system. It's one example of the relationships we build every day, relationships grounded in trust, culture and community, because lasting change begins by listening, not leading.

 

It's the same belief that founded this organisation in 1896, applied through what we now understand matters most for the children and young people in front of us.

 

Reflecting on the week, CEO Nicole Artico said, "what I'm proudest of this NAIDOC Week isn't a program or a plan, it's our people. Teams who showed up to watch, to listen and to reflect. Youth coaches who travel thousands of kilometres to sit with a young person exactly where they're at. That's who we are, and it's who we've always tried to be."

 

The work continues.

 

Reconciliation isn't measured by a single week each July. It's built through the histories we're willing to learn, the relationships we invest in, the communities we walk alongside and the choices we make every day in our work with children, young people and families.

 

Our commitment is reflected in our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2026–2028 and our Early Years Narragunnawali Reconciliation Action Plans, but it is lived through the relationships we build every day.

 

For us, NAIDOC Week is both a celebration and a reminder that reconciliation is ongoing, and that listening is where it begins.