First Nations Foundation’s Financial Wellness Week 2023
First Nations Foundation continues community event series to empower people and families with financial wellbeing
Australia’s leading Indigenous financial literacy organisation, First Nations Foundation, is continuing it’s family-friendly financial outreach community event series to educate and empower Indigenous Australians to take control of their financial future.
The initiative, Financial Wellness Week, is a series of outreach and educational events which will travel across Australia to engage with communities, with the next events taking place in Cairns and Yarrabah from 2 – 4 August. Attendees can access a range of free financial services and workshops, as part of a financial wellness hub covering tax, Centrelink support, superannuation and banking issues and more, while also enjoying a free barbecue lunch and an opportunity to connect and yarn about positive money habits.
According to First Nations Foundation, Indigenous Australians have had very little opportunity to manage their own money. Being paid in rations and experiencing stolen wages and extremely low income has resulted in significantly low levels of financial education. While there are more Indigenous people gainfully employed than ever before, and with that accruing decent salaries, most First Nations individuals still don’t have access to a trusted source of information, or are too ashamed to ask for help around money topics. This diminishes the opportunity to create intergenerational wealth and is at the core of why First Nations Foundation exists.
First Nations Foundation, which has previously reconnected Indigenous Australians with more than $24 million in superannuation to date through its award-winning Big Super Day Out events, is focused on bridging the financial literacy gap between Indigenous Australians and the wider population.
Financial Wellness Week takes a holistic approach to providing financial services to the community, acting as a point of contact for First Nations people to access a hub of financial literacy workshops and break-out sessions with selected industry providers and government departments.
A culturally appropriate delivery of financial information is at the pinnacle of First Nations Foundation’s values, says CEO Phil Usher.
“Culture is at the heart of everything we do, from our online financial literacy programs like My Money Dream, to events like Financial Wellness Week. Understanding the Indigenous perception and experience of money and family responsibilities can only be gained through lived experiences. All our training and content is written and delivered by Mob, for Mob,” said Phil.
“Opportunities like this and previously, Big Super Day Out, have proven to have significant positive impacts on First Nations communities and it’s something we look forward to delivering each year.”
Project Lead Melanie Noble says this event is also a great opportunity to start conversations about money and finance with younger family members.
“These days are not just about sorting out your finances, they’re also a family fun day. We encourage everyone to bring their families and come for a yarn; enjoy the free sausage sizzle and get positive outcomes for your money,” said Mel.
“We hope that people can share this event with their networks and community to empower other Indigenous Australians to take control of their financial future.”
Participants should bring along photo ID and any documents they have related to their finances such as outstanding debts, overdue bills, tax documents and bank statements in order to get the most out of Financial Wellness Week.
Mel hopes that events like this will help destigmatise conversations about money and improve the relationships that First Nations people have with financial institutions and Government agencies.
“Engaging with your bank or super fund can make such a huge difference to your financial situation – we’re hoping for this to happen on the day and that it helps reduce pressure on people’s everyday finances, which will make family life easier.”
First Nations Foundation is centred around four strategic focus areas, including education, community, partnership and leadership. The Foundation also offers digital financial literacy training through its My Money Dream program, its youth focused Tomorrow Money website and the Indigenous Women’s Financial Wellness (IWFW) program.
First Nations Foundation would like to announce the launch of our Financial Wellness Week. The community outreach initiative aims to provide Indigenous Australians with a holistic financial wellbeing service and will take place from April – October 2023, visiting communities in NSW, QLD, WA & NT.
This fantastic community initiative will kick off in Western Sydney in April 2023, before visiting Kununurra, Thursday Island, Townsville & Palm Island, and Dubbo.
You may be familiar with our Big Super Day Out events, which concluded in 2019, where we helped reconnect $24 million in superannuation with 1600+ people across 21 Indigenous communities nationally. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we had to stop this outreach, however it gave us a valuable opportunity to revaluate the effectiveness of this model and how we can have greater impact going forward.
The Financial Wellness Week event is a one-stop shop, helping First Australians with all financial wellbeing needs across urban, regional and remote communities. The purpose of the initiative is to connect local service providers, including financial counsellors, government agencies, banking, superannuation and insurance providers, with Indigenous community members.
To find out more about the events, visit facebook.com/FirstNationsFoundation
For further information and enquiries please contact Project Lead Melanie Noble on melanie.noble@fnf.org.au
Our first Financial Wellness Week for 2023 will take place on Wed 19th – Fri 21st April at the below locations in Sydney.
Financial Service Providers Drop-In & Financial Education workshops
Plus Family Fun Day
Wednesday 19th April 2023, 9am – 3pm
Venue: Sydney Regional Aboriginal Corporation (SRAC)
51-57 Henry St, Penrith NSW 2750
Financial Service Providers Drop-In & Financial Education workshops
Plus Family Fun Day
Thursday 20th April 2023, 9am – 3pm
Venue: Kimberwalli
1 Mimika Ave, Whalan NSW 2770
Financial Service Providers Drop-In & Financial Education workshops
Plus Family Fun Day
Friday 21st April 2023, 9am – 3pm
Venue: National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE)
166-180 George St, Redfern NSW 2016
Financial Wellness Week - Thursday Island
Tues 1st, Wed 2nd, Thur 3rd August 2023
Tuesday 1st August 2023
Service Provider Information Hub & Drop-In Centre
9am – 3pm
Venue: The Torres Shire Sports Complex, Loban Rd, Thursday Island.
Community BBQ Dinner
5pm – 7pm
Venue: Thursday Island Boat Club
Wednesday 2nd August 2023
Service Provider Information Hub & Drop-In Centre
9am – 3pm
Venue: The Torres Shire Sports Complex, Loban Rd, Thursday Island
Thursday 3rd August 2023
Service Provider Information Hub & Drop-In Centre
9am – 12pm
Venue: The Torres Shire Sports Complex, Loban Rd, Thursday Island
Men’s My Money Dream Financial Literacy Workshop
1pm – 3pm
Venue: Island Stars Office, Douglas St, Thursday Island
Women’s Financial Self-Care Session
9am-12pm
Venue: Mura Kosker Sorority – Buai Mudth Hall, Douglas St, Thursday Island
Financial Wellness Week – Mornington Island and Doomadgee
Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th September
Tuesday 5th September 2023
Service provider information hub and drop-in centre
9am – 3pm
Venue: Mornington Island Tavern, 115 Main Street
Women’s financial self-care session
10am – 11am
Venue: Mornington Island Tavern, 115 Main Street
Financial fitness workshop
12pm – 1.30pm
Venue: Mornington Island Tavern, 115 Main Street
Wednesday 6th September
Service provider information hub and drop-in centre
9am – 1pm
Thursday 7th September
Service provider information hub and drop-in centre
9am – 3pm
Venue: Doomadgee PCYC, 514 Goodeedawa Road
Women’s financial self-care session
10am – 11am
Venue: Doomadgee PCYC, 514 Goodeedawa Road
Financial fitness workshop
12pm – 1.30pm
Venue: Doomadgee PCYC, 514 Goodeedawa Road