Bringing Yolŋu and Näpaki together to create balance and instigate change in our history through education.

Our vision is guided by the wisdom of our Elders, who are directed through the cultural vision and knowledge of the Djalkiri (Yolŋu foundation).

We will be firm and strong for the land, and this will sustain the organisation moving forward. We instigate change, acknowledge, recognise, understand the weight and value of First Nations knowledge systems in equal partnership moving forward.

To share with Yolŋu, through Country and learn the Yolŋu way, such experiences shape a new way forward for a reconciled Australia.

We are a not-for-profit registered Aboriginal corporation and charity.

• Change history through an education directed by Elders, to embed First Nations knowledge within the mainstream curriculum.
• Generate sustainable employment pathways, training opportunities and leadership roles for First Nations Australians to steer and direct the evolution of Culture College.
• Maintain transparent, integral and reciprocal relations when bringing Yolŋu, First Nations and non-Indigenous cultures and communities together across Australia.
• Understand the depths of relational understanding, responsibility and obligation to Self, Community and Country.
• Collaborate with First Nations businesses, Aboriginal Corporations and others to maintain a viable industry and sustainable income on ancestral homelands.
• Understand and reflect upon Australia’s historical and contemporary truth-telling through First Nations voices to foster balance within Australian society.
• Forge relationships between Yolŋu and First Nations communities from around Australia based on mutual respect and trust that are enduring beyond the experience.
• Empower First Nations participants and employees through learning that celebrates diverse identities, cultures and languages.
• Growing future leaders with open minds and hearts who will ripple change in their local communities.

We are founded upon the ancient Yolŋu wisdom of Djambatj Manpanmirri; the meeting place, the confluence in the river where the salt and freshwater first meet and mix to make that brackish (salty/fresh) water. When the waters come together, they can be turbulent, and the water can be choppy. But, eventually, the water finds a place of balance and stillness.

Through this metaphor of balance, the Culture College vision is grounded. We aspire to uphold a transparent platform for Yolŋu and Balanda to mix waters and find harmony and reconciliation. We believe that as a nation, we can move towards reconciliation when our “Birrim Birr Dharanganmirri – your spirit and my spirit come together and reconcile with each other” (Djapirri Mununggirritj, 2021). We believe spiritual reconciliation is possible through two-way relationships and deep listening to each other and the Country to find Djambatj Manapanmirri. Our spirits connect and understand each other in this place to walk towards a more balanced future.