From Uluru to Geneva: The next generation of First Nations leaders
Five representatives from the Uluru Youth Dialogue will represent Aboriginal Australians at a global conference in Geneva this month, fulfilling this year’s NAIDOC theme of the next generation’s strength, vision and legacy.
When Adnyamathanha and Kokatha man Dwayne Coulthard participated in the Uluru Statement’s Adelaide regional dialogue in 2017, his vision was to see First Nations youth in leadership spaces.
Eight years on, the 33-year-old will represent Australia with four other members from the Uluru Youth Dialogue at the United Nations’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP).
“For me, it was really important, even though I’m aging out of that youth bracket now, I wanted wholeheartedly to see youth spearheading this movement, and that’s what we see now,” Coulthard told InDaily.
EMRIP was established by the Human Rights Council to provide expertise and advice to member countries on the rights of Indigenous Peoples internationally.
Coulthard and the Uluru Youth Dialogue members will be the only Australian youth delegation and will make the trip to Geneva, Switzerland, from July 14–18, at the end of this year’s NAIDOC Week.
The theme of NAIDOC Week for 2025 is ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy’, something that’s always been core for Coulthard.
“It was important that we had young people’s voices at the front rather than at the end,” he said.
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“As somebody who’s been involved in the process since 2017 as a signatory to the Uluru statement, I think it was very important that we have strong youth voices at the forefront of this campaign to highlight that this is not about the past.
“This is about our future, this is about what we do in our collective shared future, in changing the current situation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which, in turn, will actually benefit the whole nation.”
A ‘ground-breaking’ opportunity
In Geneva, the Uluru Youth Dialogue will present about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, reaffirming its mandate of core elements of voice, treaty and truth on the world stage.
Uluru Youth Dialogue co-chairs, Cobble Cobble woman Allira Davis and Wiradjuri and Indigenous Fijian woman Bridget Cama, will lead the delegation that includes Coulthard and youth ambassadors Brydie Zorz (Wiradjuri), Sonjah Stewart (Juru Birrigubba).
Davis said the trip was a “ground-breaking” achievement for Aboriginal Australians and the next generation of leaders.
“The Uluru Youth Dialogue is the only established youth body working towards the meaningful constitutional recognition of First Peoples in this country,” she said.
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“To be part of this work now on a global scale and recognised for the work we have done to date is a great achievement for us.
“This represents the tireless work of our Youth Ambassadors from across the nation.
“We hope to bring back learnings that will help inform our work moving forward, learnings that can be passed through our network and reach the wider Australian public.”
Cama said the Uluru Statement’s mandate was as important as ever, and they won’t be deterred by the outcome of the referendum, which rejected a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament.
“We are the ones who inherited the outcome of the Referendum, and we are not going to let that result halt our progress,” Cama said.
“The status quo isn’t working and it is directly impacting the lives of our people in this country.”
A state stepping in the right direction
In March 2023, before the national referendum, South Australia became the first state to establish a First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Coulthard said while SA will be historically known as a leader in First Nations representation, “there will always be work to be done”.
“I think we’re in a good position with the First Nations Voice to Parliament being legislated and we’ve seen that group now take on their mandate through the First Nations Voice here in South Australia, which I think is a step in the right direction,” he said.
“I want to see as many of our South Australian Aboriginal community support the work that’s being done by our voice elected members, because it is a very important mechanism to have our people at the table, providing their voice.
“South Australia is doing well, but there will always be room for improvement, and especially in relation to supporting the most important parts of our communities, which is our children and our elders.
“That’s a big priority for us.”
National NAIDOC Week 2025 is held from July 6 – 13.
