NAIDOC 2025: Working with GLaWAC to Keep the Fire Burning

In March 2025, Girls on Fire Australia partnered with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) to deliver a two-day “Keep the Fire Burning” program in Rawson, on Gunaikurnai Country. The event, held at Bell’s Stadium on 25–26 March, brought together secondary school students from across Gippsland for a hands-on learning experience grounded in the NAIDOC theme, “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.”

Check out this great case study video

 

Check out this amazing summary and the photos from our friends at GLaWAC. 

The primary purpose of the Rawson event was to relieve social distress and disadvantage among young Indigenous girls in Gippsland by:

• Providing access to empowerment and leadership training in a culturally safe environment.
• Building skills and confidence through physical and mental challenges.
• Reducing barriers to participation in emergency services and community leadership roles.
• Creating pathways to education and employment opportunities in firefighting, rescue, and emergency response fields.

This directly supported Girls on Fire’s charitable purpose — to relieve distress, helplessness, and underrepresentation through empowerment, inclusion, and skills development.

Results speak for themselves 

The Rawson Girls on Fire program delivered tangible benefits for participants and the local community:

• 40 Indigenous girls from across Gippsland attended, representing schools from Latrobe Valley, Bairnsdale, and East Gippsland.
• 100% of participants completed both days of the program.
• Over 85% reported increased confidence and motivation to explore emergency service careers (based on post-event feedback).
• Several participants expressed interest in volunteering with their local CFA or SES units following the event.
  

Thanks to ABC Gippsland for their coverage on the day. 

The program also fostered strong peer support networks and visible pride in culture and capability. “You could see the transformation happening — they came in quiet and left loud, proud, and ready to lead,” one mentor said.

One participant described the experience as “the best thing I’ve ever done — I didn’t know I could do half the stuff we did.” Facilitators reported strong engagement, with girls “rising to every single challenge, backing each other, and showing incredible team spirit.”

Multi-agency approach to supporting disadvantaged communities 

The free two-day event was fully catered and supported by a network of community and emergency service partners, including the CFA, SES, FFMVic, Ambulance Victoria, NAB, and GLaWAC.

To find out more about our programs, head to the EVENTS section of the website. 

 

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