Posted: 22 July by Felicity

I'm new to blogging, in fact, this is my first...My fearless leader assures me if I speak from the heart I will find myself back here time and time again....so here goes....

With the impending Social Investment Guide launch events, it's been my fortuitous pleasure to film a number of projects we're including in the guide. Each project has a dedicated page within the Social Investment Guidebook; thing is, we could write pages and pages on these projects so we decided to film them to provide potential investors a 'look around' if you like...

Last week, alongside famed journalist Bronwyn Adcock, I ventured to Gove in NT to film The Healing Place, an initiative of the Yothu Yindi Foundation. Wow. Did I learn a lot...We talked, ate and gathered with some of the most amazing women and children I've met. At one point, I was bouncing along a red dirt road in the back of a 4WD with 10 beautifully amazing indigenous women and children - they were looking at me smiling and I smiled back, a lot. They laughed when I swatted at creepy crawlies and I listened intently when they discussed the importance of passing on traditional knowledge throughout the generations. The kids took turns at using my camera and I watched spell-bound as the elders performed healings with the bush gatherings we had collected earlier that day. Almost instantly people were cured from tooth aches, ear blockages and so much more.

It amazed me to witness firsthand the importance of nurturing tradition, of nourishing family relationships of community supporting community. Things you know but don't necessarily think too deeply about day-to-day.A light bulb moment but so obvious really!

For months, here in the office, we've been discussing the importance of sustainable indigenous projects and the absolute need there is for advice and input into these projects to come from the indigenous people on the ground. To create ownership. To create sustainability. Yep, I hear that. Then you see it. And it's different and real, tangible and so much more important than imagined when you hear it from a speaker or read it on a blog.

You need to meet with these communities, plan with the elders and be guided by that which already stands.

With that, I encourage you to your own light bulb moment. Imagine the spotlight on indigenous philanthropy then...