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Women’s business

An image of a group of indigenous women

Building new futures for women in Western Sydney, Kempsey New South Wales, and Carnarvon Western Australia.

Real Futures is working closely with UN Women to deliver a program exclusively for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the Greater Western Sydney region, Kempsey New South Wales, and in Carnarvon Western Australia, with the financial support of the BHP Foundation.

Many First Nations women have found themselves marginalised – excluded economically and socially – through circumstance and stereotype.

The Women’s Business Second Chance (WBSC) Hub is a ground-breaking program for women at risk of being left behind. It aims to give them the chance to achieve quality learning, entrepreneurship and employment outcomes through access to educational, employment and support services, tailored to their needs as learners and future earners.

There is an urgent need to drive solutions, especially for women who have missed out on education and ensure that they are able to access decent work opportunities.

Sarah Hendriks, Director, Programme, Policy and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women in New York.

It starts with getting to know you

We start with a yarn – spending time with you so we can understand your circumstances, as well as your dreams and aspirations, and tailor our support to what you need.

These are the kinds of things we could help you with:

foundation life skills, pre-vocational training, industry and skill-building workshops
bridging or return-to-education courses, and enrolment to new fields of study or licencing
job readiness assessment and training
trainee preparation and industry pre-vocational programs in partnership with employers
preparation for formal interviews and onboarding requirements for employment
nutrition, fitness and general health and wellbeing support
help with travel for training and work
online resources for individual solutions
promoting business development and entrepreneurship.

Not only do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play pivotal leadership roles in their families and communities, but they are also central to the development, growth and diversity of the Australian economy.

The Hon. Ken Wyatt AM, Minister for Indigenous Australians

Hear from some of our current members

Carla Whitton

Carla joined Women’s Business Second Chance hub to get assistance with completing her diploma in childcare. As the primary carer for six children, Carla finds it hard to have time for herself! Having worked in schools for the past seven years, she appreciates the need for more Aboriginal people in teaching positions. She is currently working as a Student Support Liaison Officer at a preschool and wants to complete her diploma to become a childcare teacher.

Yulara Frail

Yulara worked very hard at high school. After graduating, she completed a traineeship at Commonwealth Bank, where she continued to work until she gave birth to her first child.

Today, as a mother of three, Karla joins the Women’s Business Second Chance Hub to improve her skills, as well as to “get out of the house to be around other women”. Yulara’s dream is to work in community and empower other Aboriginal people to strive for greatness.

Dolie Ufi

Dolie grew up in the Mount Druitt area and saw firsthand the disadvantage our elders face advocating for their own healthcare. Having worked many years in community health, Dolie believes more support in general is needed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to navigate the healthcare system.

An incredibly inspiring woman, Dolie is the Founder/Chairperson of Yaama Mou’i Services, a disability service that provides NDIS services. She has already made inroads, implementing more culturally safe practices at a local health clinic here in Western Sydney.

Real Futures and UN Women – a life-changing partnership

Australia is one of six countries to be participating in this program, which is part of UN Women’s international Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning Program. The program is proudly funded by the BHP Foundation.

Real Futures has partnered with UN Women to deliver the program in Western Sydney.

A Supply Nation certified company, Real Futures focuses on training and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to become workplace assets and community role models.

A message from our Founder and Chair

UN Women has honoured us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a global force opening doors for First Nations women in Greater Western Sydney to facilitate a second chance. It is for Indigenous Australian women, who may be feeling stuck or unsupported in their learning and career journey, to have access to a second chance to learn, to work, to heal and to be a beacon for other women looking in.

It is Women’s Business from a cultural perspective, with resources designed especially for each woman to progress, a hub of activity, a matriarchal, culturally responsible environment. Our WBSC team continue to fight and endure the battle to push beyond the shadow of the acceptable norm that continues to permeate in society today for Indigenous women. We are a service that provides real solutions to barriers to real jobs for a real future.

We are designing, creating and tweaking sophisticated systems for recording data that will inform the social and economic development of women in the Greater Western Sydney geographic area. These are indicators of change that will measure the personal and societal impact of our women finishing school, starting university, completing a vocational course, feeling stronger, more able, engaging in positive and creative social interaction, designing and starting a business, winning a new job and seeing a career path.

Wendy Yarnold
Founder and Chair

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