A National Reconciliation Week Webinar
Presented by ARACY/Queensland Kids Partnership and Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation
Supported by the Department of Social Services
Every child deserves a healthy start — not just some children, but all of them.
This webinar brought together researchers, community leaders, practitioners and advocates to explore a question that is both urgent and hopeful: what does brain science tell us every child needs to thrive, and how has First Nations cultural knowledge delivered exactly that for 60,000 years?
Presented as a National Reconciliation Week event under the theme All In, this session centred the voices, evidence and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities — and made the case that when community leads, children thrive.
Clips from the webinar are shared below. Each captures a key moment from the conversation.
Right now, too many First Nations children are not getting what they need in their earliest years. The experiences that shape brain development — safety, relationships, connection to culture and community — are not equally available to every child. The cost is measured in children’s lives.
Australia’s inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Sue-Anne Hunter, said in March 2026:
“Our children are more likely to be removed from their families, more likely to end up in the youth justice system, and more likely to die by suicide. This should shame our nation. It should have inspired change. History shows it hasn’t.”
These are not inevitable outcomes. They are the result of communities being denied what every child needs — investment, authority, and the freedom to lead.
That can change. And in communities across Queensland, it already is.
Yiliyapinya means ‘brain’ in Wankumara (Galali) Language. Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation improves brain health in a culturally responsive and contextualised way through tailored neuroplasticity programs, including:
Growing Deadly Brains is operating in Queensland, resulting in healthier children, stronger families, and young people staying connected to school, community and culture — rather than entering child protection or justice systems.
Culture is the Science
The 2026 Reconciliation Week theme is All In. Not watching from the sidelines. Not leaving it to others. Reconciliation is a collective responsibility — and it requires all of us to act.
The Close the Gap Campaign calls for Community Voices as the pathway to justice, equality and healing. Here is where to start:
Explore Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation →
Email growingdeadlybrains@yiliyapinya.org.au for enquiries about the Growing Deadly Brains program
ARACY and the Queensland Kids Partnership (QKP) gratefully acknowledge the support of the Department of Social Services for this webinar as part of ARACY’s Webinar Series.
Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation would like to thank Minderoo Foundation and Paul Ramsay Foundation for their ongoing support of this work.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the many lands on which this webinar was watched and held, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We honour First Nations peoples’ enduring connection to Country, culture, community and kinship — and recognise that this connection is at the heart of what it means for children to thrive.
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With six connected areas, The Nest ensures young Australians have everything they need for the best start in life, helping them reach their highest potential.
Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.
Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.
