15 / 76
Key stages in the Jawun story
Early years, 2001–2005
When Jawun began in 2001 its efforts were focused
solely in Cape York. Although the region was in
crisis, Jawun had identified strong local Indigenous
leadership and communities hungry for change. With
Jawun invited into the community as the facilitator,
corporate and philanthropic partners began working
with local Indigenous organisations and leaders who
identified the need to build Cape York enterprises.
While there were early signs of the success of the
Jawun partnership model—including increases in
the number of Indigenous partner organisations
and the creation of new Indigenous businesses in
the Cape—Jawun remained committed to learning
and developing as an organisation. Significant
lessons in the early years included:
• the importance of
long-term commitment
and
action of key leaders from each partner group
• the benefit of secondees working locally or
‘on the ground’
with Indigenous partners
• the
key role of social issues
in building
a real economy
• the necessity of
supporting strong,
sustainable Indigenous institutions
grounded in Indigenous culture for
development success.
In 2004 a review was commissioned by the Jawun
Board to explore how the Jawun model might
operate beyond Cape York. The review, conducted
by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), found
that there was a growing demand for Jawun-style
partnerships in other locations across Australia
and recommended that Jawun expand to a
second site.
Expansion, 2006–2009
With the fundamentals of the partnership model in
place, Jawun’s next phase was to expand to regions
beyond Cape York. The rationale for expansion
was fourfold:
1. It supported Jawun’s original vision
as a
national entity
working with
Indigenous people.
2. It answered the
growing demand
for
Jawun-style partnerships in Indigenous
regions across the country.
3. It allowed for
best practice exchanges
between Indigenous regions.
4. It tested the Jawun model for
application
and adaptability
.
At the invitation of the Indigenous community,
Jawun began work in the Goulburn Murray region
of Victoria in 2006. The region was selected on
the basis that it fulfilled the following strict criteria:
• strong local leadership
• effective, well-governed organisations
• appetite for change and reform
• openness to new ideas
• willingness to connect and learn.
The expansion of Jawun to a second site was
critical in testing and proving the viability of the
model and its value outside of Cape York. As Jawun
Patron Noel Pearson explained: ‘[The model works]
when it is geographically focused on a place where
there is Indigenous leadership and there is an
agenda, because you need continuity and you need
people to drive a direction over a sustained period.’
Indigenous partners
determine development
priorities and work with Jawun
to identify areas for
secondee support
Philanthropic partners
provide financial support
to facilitate Jawun’s work
and expand its reach
Government partners
supply secondees to
assist Indigenous
organisations achieve
their development goals
Corporate partners
supply secondees to
assist Indigenous
organisations achieve
their development goals
Jawun
works with corporate,
government and
philanthropic partners to
offer skills and resources
to Indigenous organisations
and communities
FIGURE 1:
THE
JAWUN PARTNERSHIP
MODEL
JAWUN: SINCE 2001 5