Bridging Now to Next: Our Australian reconciliation reflections for this week and beyond

As a team, we came together to reflect for Reconciliation Week 2025. No big presentation or buzzwords. Just the invitation to sit with the question: What does it mean to be an ally in our work?

The theme this year, Bridging Now to Next, asked us to reflect on how we bring the lessons of the past into today’s actions - and how we build a future that centres truth, justice, and self-determination.

One note read:

“We can’t judge whether we’re good allies.”

Another:

“Relationships are the work.”

And another:

“Get out of the way.”

These reflections weren’t new. They were the result of years of learning - sometimes the hard way. Years of working in systems that don’t always make space for equity. Years of asking ourselves how to move from intention to transformation.

But this year felt different. There was a shared sense that we’ve grown. That we’re not just talking about allyship - we’re embedding it. We’re working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) in new ways. Being guided by First Nations-led consultancies, and responding to what First Nations people ask of us. Adapting our frameworks to be more culturally safe, more responsive, more honest.

We’ve begun supporting projects where we're not the lead, and don’t need to be. We've held space for slow conversations, feedback and truth-telling in our practice.

And still, we know there's more to do.

This is just the start for us. As an organisation, we are making a commitment to explore what it means to embed self-determination, equity and change more deeply across every layer of our work. From how we build partnerships, to how we talk, design, and evaluate - we’re committed to listening, to learning, and to reshaping our systems so that allyship is not just a value we hold, but a reality we live.

This is what Bridging Now to Next looks like for us. It’s not a straight line - it’s a relationship. A practice. A shared story still being written. 

How you can take action post-Reconciliation Week 2025

Reconciliation Week isn’t just a moment - it’s a movement. If you’re looking for ways to take meaningful action this year, here are a few places to start:

• Attend a local event: Check out Reconciliation Australia’s event calendar for events and exhibitions in your area - many are community-led, free, and open to everyone.

• Keep reflecting on the 2025 theme: Bridging Now to Next invites us to think deeply about how the past informs our shared future. Use it as a prompt for personal reflection, team discussions, or community conversations.

• Support First Nations voices: Listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers, artists, and leaders. Buy from Blak-owned businesses. Share the voices that need to be heard.

• Deepen your learning: Whether you’re just starting your journey or continuing a long-held commitment, there’s always more to learn. Here are some powerful places to start, or go deeper: The Uluru Statement, Common Ground, Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta, Genocide in the Wildflower State, Always Was, Always Will Be Our Stories Podcast, and the Victorian Treaty Process.

• Reflect on your role: Whether you’re part of an organisation, a family, or a community - ask: How can I contribute to reconciliation in a way that is relational, respectful, and long-term?

The bridge from now to next is built by all of us. Every conversation, every shift, every act of allyship counts.

Let’s keep walking it - together.