It has been a truly transformative year for Dusseldorp Forum. While we understand quality education is essential for young people to thrive, schools alone cannot carry this load. Through its work Dusseldorp Forum has recognised that the responsibility for a young person’s wellbeing extends beyond the classroom and into communities.
This year the Forum embarked upon a new five-year strategy that supports a holistic approach to young people’s development, to deliver improved education, health and social outcomes for vulnerable children, their families and communities.
From 2016-2020 the Forum is committed to focus its resources on collective initiatives that better deliver supports that communities decide they want and need. Breaking with old models these initiatives are driving more effective use of public resources while addressing the underlying causes of disadvantage.
These are the lighthouses, the ones leading the nation in smarter ways to transform systems so that all young people can thrive.
Please read the 2017 Dusseldorp Forum Year in Review here.
This journey has taken us deep into the heart of remarkable, resilient communities that are generating positive impacts in people’s lives and driving changes in inequitable systems that work against collaboration and self determination.
Two years into our new strategy, we are partnering with a number of communities that are achieving real gains. We call them “lighthouse communities” because they are shining a light on how to make better use of new and existing resources, and driving the change they want to see.
A few of our favourite partners and friends share their reflections, success, and lessons from a year that has been equal parts challenging and hopeful.
We’ve developed a series of digital storytelling campfires – workshops aimed at building a network of Australian place-based community-led evaluators, communicators and storytellers that share, learn, and connect around system change storytelling and are supported to address the opportunities and challenges of communicating collective, long-term stories of change.
From a one-teacher classroom to three independent registered schools – the Nawarddeken Academy is now operating its unique bi-cultural education in three communities in remote west Arnhem Land.
Dusseldorp Forum acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia and the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we work and live. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past, present and future.
