Vision and objectives

Our vision and objectives

Our vision is for Indigenous people to be able to engage on equal terms with the wider Australian society, and its organisations and systems.

The ARDS’ Board of Directors key objective is to deliver services to Indigenous community members which support their self-empowerment to navigate the complex cross-cultural realities they face on a daily basis.

We achieve this objective by ‘spanning the gap’ that often exists between mainstream services and the information they typically share, and the information Indigenous communities want and need.

We develop bespoke, culturally competent community information services that are delivered by a range of mediums directly to Indigenous communities.

We also provide strategic advice to mainstream services and assist them to develop tailored approaches that will enhance the cultural relevance of communication for an Indigenous audience.

To further enhance the quality of life for Indigenous people, and provide a rich foundation for our communication services, we also deliver cultural and language maintenance projects, and traditional and contemporary entertainment.

What makes ARDS different?

Rather than being a sector-specific organisation, we are specialists in responding to a breadth of community questions and concerns.

We are not a health service, although we have work extensively in the area of health literacy.

We are not a legal service, although we have been helping Aboriginal people to gain a deeper understanding of the Australian legal system for many years.

We are not an educational institution but we have delivered many hours of community based education across a wide range of topics.

The recent years have been times of tumultuous change for Indigenous people living in remote communities in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal voices have been progressively silenced through the noise of policy debate and a myriad of new government initiatives. One of our Directors recently and somewhat sadly stated, “Now is not a good time to be a Yolŋu (Aboriginal) person”.

Our work champions the importance of language and culture in developing self-empowerment for Indigenous people. We provide a range of platforms for Indigenous voices to be heard, and we support Indigenous communities to become informed about, and engage on their own terms with mainstream services and systems.

We believe it is only when Indigenous people can lead change themselves, with the appropriate and genuine support of non-Indigenous people, organisations and society, that positive community development can occur.