Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity - AFSE

What an incredible week on the Gold Coast at the AIATSIS Summit! 🌊✨
 
This year’s theme, “Our Truth, Our Power, Our Future” aligned strongly with AFSE’s values, acknowledging the lived experience, strength, solidarity, and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
 
One of the highlights was seeing so many AFSE Senior Fellows sharing their leadership, knowledge, research, and lived experiences throughout the Summit. A special congratulations to AIATSIS Chair Karl Hampton (AFSE, C23) for his continued leadership with the organisation, alongside AIATSIS Council member and AFSE Pou, Mark Yettica-Paulson.
 
We were thrilled to see AFSE Senior Fellows Kaleesha Morris (C25) and Jonathon Captain-Webb (C22) stop by our booth, and to hear from Damein Bell (C22) and Adam Fletcher (C21) as they shared their expertise and insights through their respective panel sessions.
 
It was also wonderful to make new connections with incredible leaders - thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn more about AFSE, share your journey, ask questions, and connect with our team, and a huge thank you to the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Team at The University of Melbourne who gracefully hosted us at their table. We’re leaving feeling energised, inspired, and excited for what’s ahead.
 
See you at the next one! 💛

National Reconciliation Week 🤝🏼

Held each year from 27 May to 3 June, these dates mark two significant milestones — the 1967 Referendum and the 1992 Mabo decision.

National Reconciliation Week asks each of us to reflect deeply on Australia’s past, on what we can do individually & collectively today to heal our nation, & build a better future for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders & all Australians.

This week, and every week, AFSE commits to listening, learning, and taking meaningful steps toward a more just and shared future.

To learn more about National Reconciliation Week, visit https://go.unimelb.edu.au/jau8

Today we pause for National Sorry Day — a moment of reflection, listening, and respect.

On National Sorry Day we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were forcibly removed from their families and communities — now known as the Stolen Generations. It is a day to honour their strength and resilience, and to reflect on the role we all play in ongoing healing.

Applications are now open for our 2027 Fellowship Program!

The AFSE Fellowship brings together Indigenous and Pacific leaders from across sectors for a transformative journey through the Foundation Year and into a lifelong global network.

Are you, or someone you know, ready to take your social change initiative further?

📥️ Applications close at 11:59 pm AEST on Monday 27 July 2026
🔗 Visit our website (https://go.unimelb.edu.au/d4w2) for more information!

📢 AFSE is hiring!

We are looking for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Lecturer to join our team and support the passionate, diverse, and rapidly growing community of ASFE Fellows.

If you or someone you know is interested, applications are open until Tues 19 May 2026, 11:55 PM AEST. Apply today!

🔗 Follow the link in our bio to learn more and apply.

The 2026 AFSE Cohort were back in Naarm (Melbourne) for Module 2 ☀️

The theme of the week was inter-generational legacy and responsibility to future generations. Fellows also reflected on the lessons of 20th century global social change movements for Indigenous and Pacific leaders.

During the week, Fellows:
✊️ were joined online by some of the founding members of the , who led a powerful movement for change in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the Pacific in the 1970s and who continue to inspire youth
📷️ visited Professor Gary Foley's archives at and heard about his incredible legacy of leadership from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to today
👩‍🏫 heard from Professor Jacoba Matapo, Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific at about Pacific knowledges and approaches to systems change
👩‍🏫reflected on the lifework of celebrated educationalist, Distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith, and the power of Kaupapa Māori theory and practice in transforming lives.

Thank you to all of our wonderful guest speakers that joined us during the week, as well as two of our Pou, (elders & thought leaders) Mark Yettica-Paulson and Whaea Donna Gardiner! The next time we see our fellows will be in Queensland for Module 3 in June 📆

Last week, AFSE and the hosted our inaugural panel event, 'Treaty and Truth: A New Chapter of Indigenous Governance - A Global Dialogue', hosted in the AFSE Hub at .

🎤 We were joined by , and to discuss the Treaty making process in Victoria, the message of the Victorian Treaty in a global context and the self-determination of Indigenous organisations and state working collaboratively.

🎓️ AFSE extends our thanks to the University of Melbourne's Interim Vice Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis AC for delivering the Opening Remarks, and to our online global audience that attended the discussion.

🎥 View the full panel discussion - https://go.unimelb.edu.au/gip2

Photography: Josh Deane
Videography: Ava Grace Productions

The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity and the Atlantic Institute () are proud to host an online panel discussion on Australia’s first treaty between Indigenous peoples and a government.

🗓️ March 11
🕰️ 6pm AEDT | 8pm NZDT | 7am GMT
📍 Join virtually

The panel features Ngarra Murray (), Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (), Dr Albert K. Barume (), the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (), Christine Couzens MP (), Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples. The discussion will be moderated by Damien Miller, Executive Director, AFSE. The panel situates Victoria’s treaty journey within a global context, examining shared challenges, emerging models, and the practical pathways toward justice, accountability, and community-led nation-building.

Register for the event today by clicking the link in our bio.

AFSE has welcomed the 2026 cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity! ✨️
The Fellows are from across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Pacific nations.

During their first week the Fellows:
🌳 were welcomed to Wurundjeri Country by AFSE Alumni
🚍️️ spent time on Country with Yorta Yorta leaders, and explored the rich history of the Dhungala (Murray River) with
🧑‍🏫 discussed their position as leaders and capacity to enact influence
🌏explored western and Indigenous models of systems change thinking.

The Fellows will meet in person five more times throughout the year while working on their social change projects. We're excited for the year ahead with these remarkable leaders!