Koorie Youth Summit 2025: Wisdom to Power: Purpose, Passion, and Action

19-21 May 2025

Earlier this month, NIYEC travelled to Yorta Yorta Country to join the deadly Koorie Youth Council team for the 2025 Koorie Youth Summit.  Over three days, young mob came together under the theme Wisdom to Power: Purpose, Passion, and Action.

Our Research Assistant, Alyssa, and our Engagement Officer, Layla, on their way to the summit on Yorta Yorta Country.

This year’s theme felt like a call for young mob to honour the wisdom of those who came before us, while stepping into our own strength to create change.  The Summit opened at the Dharnya Centre with warm introductions and a Welcome to Country from Aunty Denise Morgan-Bulled.  

Soon after, Uncle Ralph from Yorta Yorta National Aboriginal Corporation led us on a guided walk acroos Country – a moment that grounded everyone in culture, connection, and respect for place, settling the tone for the days ahead.  The days that followed were full of inspiration and learning.  

We watched the powerful film Holding Space by Jirra Lulla and Apryl Day, and we spent time with community organisations including the Rumbalara Football Netball Club and the Rumbalara Elders Facility.  We listened to keynote speakers Megzy and Kobie Dee, who spoke with honesty and fire about resilience, creativity, and the responsibility to use our voices to shift systems. 

Panel conversations reminded us of the importance of storytelling, and that healing can take many forms, but are all inherently rooted in culture, community and care.  Workshops gave young mob the opportunity to get hands-on and explore the many ways young people are leading change.  

We learned about Treaty in Victoria with the First Peoples’ Assembly, practiced weaving with Kaiela Arts, discovered how drones can be used to capture Country with Wiru Drones, and unpacked issues ranging from racism reporting with the Human Rights Commission to housing with Aboriginal Housing Victoria. 

Beyond the sessions, what stood out most was the energy in the room.  The Summit provided a powerful space for mob to come together and connect, to connect, laugh, share stories and learn from one another.  

As we left Yorta Yorta Country, we carried with us new friendships, fresh ideas, and a shared determination to keep turning wisdom into action.