YOUTH GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP

Ku Arts is committed to investing in the leadership and mentoring capability within our organisation. Our Board has for many years identified the need to develop young leaders, building capacity and diversity in our governance and succession planning. The first Youth Governance Workshop was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in March 2022, This is the start of a long-term vision and long identified objective of the Board and staff of Ku Arts.

Each of our Board Directors identified young artists who they considered to be ready for participation in this governance and leadership training workshop. Nine young people joined our directors in a collaborative learning environment, facilitated by Dana Shen. The workshop focused on inter-community knowledge exchange and understanding the essentials of First Nations structures, all elements critical to sustaining and growing the sector’s governance, organisational and creative capacity.

The workshop incorporated arts and cultural elements including a shared painting on canvas depicting the inter-relationships of Ku Arts with Aboriginal Art Centres and communities of Aboriginal artists across the State. Throughout the process there was active participation, with young emerging leaders working with their peers as well as walking along-side Ku Arts’ experienced Board Directors.

Together with our staff, the Board Directors were excited to have finally reached this point of bringing young, emerging leaders into the Ku Arts’ governance process. Utilising resources produced by organisations like the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, this workshop established a model that is focused on the inter-community exchange and cultural knowledge keeping processes that have kept Ku Arts strong over the last 25 years.