We believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should and can have all the necessary ingredients to self-determine our own futures, and protect our country. Original Power is a small community-focused organisation that aims to build the power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through collective action. Our mission is to build the power, skills, capacity and collective capability of our people to genuinely self determine what happens in our communities and on our country. So often, our people know the solutions. We just need the time, resources and support to make them a reality.
We do this through three key and interconnected ways:
• Power our people – If people believe their actions will make a difference, they are more likely to take action, so we provide training, mentoring and support to build people’s capacity and agency.
• Power campaigns – By working together, people can turn the resources they have into the power they need to transform the challenges they experience. We provide strategy, advice, build skills and connect communities to the resources they need to ensure community lead campaigns act more powerfully together and win.
• Power solutions – Self-determination means community-driven solutions. We provide research, analysis and resources that can turn ideas into reality, ensuring communities can make informed decisions that take into account long-term community needs as well as country and culture.