Righting the wrongs

Children’s Ground CEO Jane Vadiveloo says she is driven by a relentless determination to eradicate injustice. She is this week’s Changemaker. 

Jane Vadiveloo, is the CEO and co-founder of First Nations-led children’s charity, Children’s Ground. After completing a masters degree in forensic psychology, Vadiveloo worked in the prison system in Victoria, primarily in Pentridge Prison, before becoming a founding director of Caraniche Services, a forensic and general psychology company in Melbourne.

She ended up moving to the Northern Territory, drawn by long-standing family relationships from childhood and then worked in government, First Nations organisations and private practice as a psychologist, consultant and manager of social services.

In 1999, Vadiveloo co-founded Akeyulerre Healing Centre with senior Arrernte people, one of the first organisations based on First Nations health, healing and wellbeing knowledge systems and practices in Australia.

Over twenty years she worked with William Tilmouth and many Elders and leaders designing and establishing justice based services and systems elevating the voice, culture, language, talent and solutions of local people.

This week’s Changemaker says she is driven by a “relentless determination to eradicate injustices that are based on prejudice and inequity and to prevent the harm for future generations”.

How did you get into the job you’re in now?

Listening to First Nations elders and leaders – many of whom have now passed away – and seeing first hand the enduring damage of attempted genocide in Australia, the strength and power of First Nations people and the clear solutions that Elders articulated. Through this understanding that my role and responsibility as a non First Nations person is to use my privilege to shift the systems that oppress people, to influence environments to enable First Nations empowerment and solutions to be enacted.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Everything from the strategic to the personal;  working with our board, our First Nations leaders, our organisational leaders and staff and working with partners outside of the organisation while building new relationships. Within any day that may include working on strategy, on First Nations leadership, organisational development, non First Nations leadership, operational integrity and responding to the day to day challenges that arise in people’s lives, while celebrating the incredible achievements that occur each day.

At the same time I am focusing on strategy and operational development and growth, monitoring national and local environments and politics, strengthening partnership and working on major initiatives to influence policy, practice and reform.

What are some of the challenges working in NFPs generally?

A lack of understanding by government and others of the expertise within the NFP sector, and the critical role that the NFPs need to be playing in policy and practice reform, while uplifting the voices of those at the grassroots to be at the forefront of these movements. There is also the eternal challenge of securing the level of funding required to reach the standards of innovation, sustainability and excellence needed to redress complex injustices. When you are in the business of long-term change, short-term funding cycles are hugely problematic and work against transformational reform.

What is your proudest achievement?

Against the forces of systemic racism, both Akeyulerre and Children’s Ground are vibrant organisations, celebrating the strength and power of First Nations knowledge systems. Establishing Tangentyere Artists and working with community to create Yarrenyty Arltere Artists to counter the exploitation of artists and create avenues of income, work and cultural law and life. Realising the vision of Elders for their learning systems to be re-established on their countries; for languages to be strengthened, endangered languages revitalised and knowledge systems shared strengthened and revitalised across generations.  Supporting families to re-establish themselves permanently on their traditional lands as their fundamental human right. Watching a new generation of First Nations children enjoying their first years of life surrounded by families, customary law and life. Supporting the establishment of the Women of Colour collective in Melbourne.

What do you think are some of the challenges being faced by the sector going forward?

There are multiple headwinds that we face now in a challenging global economic, political and social environment. It will be interesting to see how the new Federal government may influence and reshape the NFP environment including via the regulator (ACNC) so the sector is able to hold a space for NFPs to be bold and do their best work, raising their voices on the greatest social issues we face, without fear. It would mean those phenomenal experts within the NFP sector can bring their skills to bear on the most important cultural, social and environmental policies of our time.

What do you do when you’re not at work?

My life is enriched by family. Driving, cooking, cleaning, laughing, homework, growling. Watching kids football, basketball, theatre and more, as I navigate the rich extracurricular lives of my daughter and my three cultural grandchildren. And caring for my ageing parents.

What do you want to achieve by the time you retire?

A pathway to real and systemic reform towards cultural, social and economic justice in Australia.