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Yuuingan Dhilla Yari: Indigenous Languages Forum
This year, Yuuingan Dhilla Yari returns as a Forum with the theme Create to Connect: First Languages in Action, highlighting the many ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are being strengthened, shared and celebrated through community, creativity, education and cultural practice. Bringing together language practitioners, creatives, educators, researchers, organisations and community members, the one-day forum will explore how First Languages are being activated through community initiatives, education, digital storytelling, contemporary media and public programs.
Guided by MC Scott Wilson, the day will centre conversation, connection and knowledge sharing, featuring a keynote presentation followed by a facilitated panel conversation. The afternoon program will then open into a community yarning space designed for networking and exchange with practitioners, organisations and fellow attendees, including community exchange tables, Creative Residency spotlights and curator tours of Through Mununjali Eyes in kuril dhagun.
Keynote Speakers
We’re pleased to welcome a keynote from Common Ground, co-presented by CEO Gemma Pol and Vanessa Morris. Common Ground is a First Nations-led not-for-profit organisation that uses storytelling, education and advocacy to amplify First Nations voices, strengthen pathways for storytellers, and build greater understanding and accountability across systems such as schools, media and public life. Grounded in truth-telling, reciprocity and justice, Common Ground works with communities to share knowledge in ways that support connection, challenge dominant narratives and imagine stronger futures.
Following the morning program, the afternoon will open into a more informal community yarning space for networking, exchange and connection. The afternoon will include opportunities to:
- Visit community exchange tables with practitioners and organisations working across language, education, collections, cultural heritage and creative practice
- Learn about resources, programs and pathways that support First Languages work
- Take part in curator tours of Through Mununjali Eyes in kuril dhagun
- Hear from Creative Residents through spotlights featuring First Nations artists and language-led creative projects
Whether you are already deeply involved in language work or just starting to explore what is possible for your community, this year’s forum will offer space to listen, learn, connect and be inspired. Learn more about the forum.
Program
| 8:30am | Registration plus complimentary coffee and tea available level 2 |
| 9:30am | Forum commencement Welcome to Country by Gaja Kerry Charlton Opening remarks by Vicki McDonald AM FALIA, State Librarian and CEO Introduction to the day by Scott Wilson, Master of Ceremonies |
| 9:50am | Keynote: Old Stories, New (and Proper) Ways Common Ground, CEO Gemma Pol and Communications Director Vanessa Morris First Nations languages and stories are not linear; they spiral, connecting, remaking and moving across time and space. In an ecosystem built on colonial narratives that have historically silenced or misappropriated Indigenous knowledge, creating new but proper ways to celebrate First Languages is essential to justice and truth-telling. Common Ground’s Gemma Pol and Vanessa Morris will explore how a small, 100% First Nations-led collective is changing systems by creating self-determined spaces for language learning, sharing and safeguarding – drawing on examples from multi-platform projects like Dreamy, First Nations Bedtime Stories and Weaving Truths. |
| 11:00am | Morning tea on the Queensland Terrace, level 2 |
| 11:30am | Panel Discussion: First Languages in Action Chair: Scott Wilson This panel brings together speakers working across STEM, education, storytelling, publishing, cultural capability and community-led language initiatives. The conversation will explore how First Languages are being activated in schools, creative projects, children’s resources, and public programs, and how these approaches support connection, learning and language revitalisation across community. |
| 12:30pm | Residency Spotlight Indigenous Languages Creative Resident Georgia Corowa will perform alongside Zeek Power, sharing Yana, an outcome from her residency project, Revitalising Iningai Language Through Song. The song represents a steppingstone in reconnecting bloodlines back to Country, with Georgia’s project exploring music as a pathway for language revitalisation and reconnection with her paternal Iningai heritage. Indigenous Languages Creative Resident Sachém Parkin-Owens’ soundscape project, Utcha ine bibboon mare – I Dreamt of You, is grounded in Jandai language, maternal lineage and Quandamooka storytelling. Created in response to State Library’s language collections and sounds from Country, his soundscape will play throughout the library during the program. |
| 1:00pm | Lunch on the Queensland Terrace, level 2 |
Community Conversation Space open Drop in, yarn and connect with practitioners, organisations and State Library staff working across First Nations languages, collections, research and community programs. Scan the QR code on the back of this program for more information about participating organisations and resources. | |
| 1:30pm | Curator tours of Through Mununjali Eyes: photojournalist Wayne Coolwell Led by First Nations Curator Serene Fernando, this tour explores a showcase celebrating the life and legacy of Mununjali photojournalist Wayne Coolwell through 5 decades of photography, story, culture and connection. |
| 2:15pm | |
| 3:00pm | End of symposium |