About Us
We are a not-for-profit organisation, with a Board of 3 Directors and 5 members who are all First Nations women.
We created this organisation as we saw the increasing demand for cultural tourism in 2024. The number of visitors to Australia who are seeking authentic Indigenous experiences grew by 40% in just the first half of the year, which shows us that people are wanting to enrich their lives through gaining a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture and history, which is great!
We also noticed the ongoing labour shortage and skills gaps in the travel industry, and the inequality in leadership positions and pay gaps - which isn't so great.
Being female leaders and educators in tourism and cultural awareness - we knew we could help.
And that is where our NFP organisation was born.
At the heart of it, FNWITA aims to develop our communities, and the tourism industry in Australia, for the better.
Meet the Team
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Emmalene Richards
Founder & Director
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Daina Walker
Co-Founder & Director
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Kiandra Hancock
Director
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Jasmine Graham
Board Member
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Desley Richards
Board Member
“Our mission is to make a positive impact on the lives of First Nations women by providing the skills and knowledge needed to not only enter the tourism industry, but empower women to go on and be leaders”.
How does FNWITA’s organisation work?
It begins with community consultation.
It can include collaboration.
It results in an uplift in the visitor economy as a whole.
We increase employment in the tourism industry, which is required to support the continuous and predicted growth, enriching lives for not just First Nations women but for all of the different services in the visitor economy.
Through providing more cultural tourism experiences and increasing skill sets, the positive ripple on affect to the tourism services, hospitality sectors and communities is inevitable.
We provide training, mentoring and coaching, workshops and online courses to our First Nations women.
We also provide Cultural Awareness training to non-indigenous tourism businesses and government bodies as it’s important that our First Nations women - when entering the industry, are met with an inclusive and respectful working environment that understands how to be culturally appropriate and sensitive.
As Qualified Trainers in both Tourism and Cultural Awareness, and over 40 years experience combined, we are confident that we have the right skills and knowledge to help others.
We rely on sponsorship and other forms of support to create the resources needed, and deliver the training to make it happen.
If you want to make a difference on individuals lives and communities, consider Sponsoring us to make a lasting impact.
Why Women?
Women are the foundation of the family just like the roots are to a tree, we are the source of life.
We find that our First Nations women in particular are the ones nurturing culture, continuing to share dreamtime stories, gathering family to connect, building relationships in communities, and practicing traditional medicine for our children and families.
When it comes to the Tourism Industry, we also know that women make up a larger part of the workforce than men world-wide, however there are less women in executive and leadership roles and those that are, are more often not getting equally paid.
Women know the importance of maintaining culture and safeguarding it for generations and can show the young ones how to do it, how to succeed and build better futures.
Making an impact on communities, starts with our women.
About our logo
Like all women, there’s much more to us than being than just a pretty flower. And that’s true for our logo too.
The flower represents life and growth in it’s full form, but if you look closely at the head, it also symbolises a women’s circle, in Aboriginal culture this represents women gathering for a meeting and connecting with one another.
The head sits perfectly on the end of the leaves representing life at the end of the stem, and the importance of connection.
The leaves represent the traditional bush medicine that women make and use for smoking ceremonies. There are 8 leaves, and 8 women in this flower - representing the states and territories in Australia as we develop and grow nationally.
The blue colour chosen represents the sea and the sky which is of significant importance to the Barngarla people in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
