- Margaret O'Brien - Community Partnerships and Impact Senior Manager, Telstra Foundation
Garma is often described as a place of learning and exchange. It brings together First Nations leaders, Elders, young people, community organisations, business leaders, governments and philanthropists to engage with some of the most important questions facing our nation. This year’s theme, Bukmak (Everyone), invited us to consider our role in shaping a future that is more equitable, inclusive and connected.
Moving beyond conversation to action
One of the most significant announcements was the proposed Dilak Land Council, designed to bring decision-making closer to Traditional Owners and strengthen local leadership across north-east Arnhem Land. The message was clear: communities should have both a voice and the authority to shape their own futures.
Alongside this was the announcement of the Garma Institute by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, an ambitious initiative focused on creating future economic opportunities through education, leadership development, innovation and cultural knowledge. As Arnhem Land prepares for economic transition beyond large-scale mining, the Garma Institute represents an investment in future generations and a commitment to ensuring local people are equipped to create and lead new opportunities on their own terms.
We also heard about the work of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Principals Association, which is leading the development of a new First Nations education policy alongside other education peak bodies and government. As the first significant policy reform of its kind in almost 40 years, it represents another example of First Nations leaders shaping solutions for First Nations communities.
Together, these initiatives reflected a broader theme running through the festival: moving beyond consultation and towards agency. They demonstrated a determination not simply to respond to change, but to lead it.
As philanthropists, partners and supporters, there is an important lesson in this. Our role is not to design futures for communities. It is to back their aspirations, invest in their leadership and create the conditions that enable success.
Connection is more than networking
I attended Garma alongside several of Telstra Foundation’s community partners – Orygen Digital, ReachOut, UNICEF Australia and PROJECT ROCKIT.
Throughout the festival, I was reminded that some of the most important work in systems change happens through relationships. Not just between organisations, but between people.
The conversations around campfires, the introductions between sectors, the sharing of ideas and lived experience, and the willingness to learn from different perspectives all create the conditions for change.
We often think about connection in terms of who we know. Garma challenged me to think more deeply about who has access to our networks, our opportunities and our platforms.
One of my biggest takeaways was a simple question asked of us:
How often do we open our networks to First Nations people, leaders and emerging leaders in the same way they open theirs to us?
At Garma, Yolŋu leaders shared knowledge, stories, relationships and opportunities with incredible generosity. It prompted me to reflect on the responsibility all of us carry to do the same.
Creating meaningful opportunities for connection means more than inviting people into existing systems. It means creating pathways for leadership, amplifying voices, sharing influence and ensuring First Nations perspectives are present wherever decisions are being made.
For organisations like Telstra Foundation, this is an important challenge. Beyond funding programs and supporting partners, we can also open doors to decision-makers, introduce emerging leaders to new opportunities, connect organisations across sectors, or create spaces where different perspectives can be heard. These acts of connection matter.
And if this year’s Garma theme, Bukmak (Everyone), taught me anything, it is that creating a more equitable future requires all of us to think not only about who is in our network, but who might be missing from it.
Culture as a foundation for the future
One of the most inspiring aspects of Garma was the pride in culture that permeated every part of the festival.
Music, storytelling, art, language, dance, innovation, education and community connection were not separate streams of conversation. They were interconnected expressions of identity, strength and possibility.
For those of us working to improve outcomes for young people, this matters. Young people thrive when they experience connection, belonging, identity and purpose. The conversations at Garma reinforced how deeply these things are connected.
A shared responsibility
As I left Gulkula, I found myself returning to the theme of Bukmak (Everyone).
I left inspired by the vision being articulated by Yolŋu leaders, by the pride in culture that was evident everywhere, and by the tangible steps being taken to create economic opportunity, strengthen local agency and support future generations.
Most of all, I left reminded that connection carries responsibility.
It’s not enough to value diverse perspectives. We must create opportunities for those perspectives to influence decisions, shape conversations and lead change. That means opening our networks as generously as others have opened theirs to us.
That is what I saw at Garma 2026. And that is the lesson I bring back with me.
Bukmak. Everyone. Together, we all have a role to play.
