Lighting the Spark.

The Lighting the Spark initiative is a culturally proud, community-led program that enables local leaders to share entrepreneurial education with Indigenous youth in their communities, with the guidance of local mentors and businesses.

The program aims to develop a robust network of young Indigenous entrepreneurs across Australia and encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to deepen their connections to their Country and culture. Its goal is to support a strong, self-determined Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystem across Australia.

This initiative builds on and extends entrepreneurship as a concept and practice that has existed in Indigenous communities for thousands of years.

How did Lighting the Spark begin?

As part of #NAIDOC Week 2020, Young Change Agents launched the 'Lighting the Spark' report - the culmination of an 18-month codesign process co-led by proud Larrakia leader Nicole Brown and Young Change Agents.

During the codesign, youth shared that they needed a linked ecosystem and strong, culturally proud role models to help lead the way to them understanding business more deeply, developing their ideas, and launching and sustaining their businesses successfully.

In 2021 the Lighting the Spark program launched and was delivered and strengthened in six schools across Darwin and Palmerston, together with Larrakia, Diyama and Warumungu leaders and is now available for all schools to utilise.