Be Brave, Make Change: Reconciliation Week Events Happening Across Australia
- Words by Peppermint
top image CHILDREN’S GROUND
Friday will mark the start of National Reconciliation Week here in Australia – a time for all Australians to contribute to building better relationships with First Nations peoples.
The theme this year is ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’ and challenges us all to do the work to make changes that will benefit us as a nation – not just leave the heavy lifting to First Nations peoples.
True reconciliation requires so much more than a mere week of reflection. And in reality, there really has never been a state we could “reconcile” to. To move forward we need real, systemic change from both the top down and at the grassroots level.
A Google search will serve up a plethora of reliable resources delving further into race, diversity and equality (and is a great starting point) but we’ve compiled a list of events happening over the next week where you can support Australia’s First Nations peoples. With hundreds of activities planned from the Opera House to local libraries, take the opportunity to engage with our history and learn something new.
Wear It Yellow
Wear it Yellow for Children’s Ground this National Reconciliation Week and help the Aboriginal-led not-for-profit fundraise for change and brighten the future for First Nations kids and their families.
Reconciliation Week Pop-Up Market
For one night only, the Reconciliation Week Pop-Up Market is taking over Level 22 of the Spencer Street WeWork site and filling it with an epic line-up of First Nations businesses and creatives. Feast your senses on a cavalcade of art, food and drink, design and culture all under one roof with legends like Kinya Lerrk, Haus of Dizzy, Salty One and many more!
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK PLANTING
The City of Tea Tree Gully in South Australia is helping sow the seeds of reconciliation by literally offering you the opportunity to to sow some native seeds. Join Kaurna Elder Tamaru on an outing to learn more about Aboriginal culture and help plant traditional bush tucker plants in the Stevens Reserve.
EUCALYPTUSDOM
Give me a home among the gum trees… Explore our long-standing history and ever-changing relationship to that stalwart specimen of Australiana, the eucalyptus tree, with this fascinating exhibition from the Powerhouse Museum, featuring over 400 objects from the Powerhouse Collection alongside 17 newly commissioned works by creatives from across the fields of design, architecture, film, applied arts and performance.
READ MORE – Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up: Why 26 January Can Never Represent a Day of Unity
THE CENTRAL VICTORIAN INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL
Experience the exciting output of a new generation of storytellers. The Central Victorian Indigenous Film Festival returns in 2022 as part of National Reconciliation Week, showcasing an exciting range of Indigenous films, documentaries and videos starring and telling the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. Many events and screenings are available online to audiences across Australia so check out the program now!
ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY – WALK AND ACTION
26 May, or National Reconciliation Week Eve, falls upon the five-year anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Show up and show your support by joining this walk around UQ’s St Lucia Campus and learn more about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the recent Yarrabah Affirmation and how you can be brave and make change for an Indigenous voice in parliament!
READ MORE – Indigenous Resources For Becoming An Ally
STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND – MABO 30 YEARS ON
The legendary Eddie Mabo is getting an exhibition of his own at the State Library of Queensland. Legacy: Reflections on Mabo celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the landmark decision – which recognised in Australian law for the first time the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to their lands – by acknowledging and commemorating his remarkable life, politics, activism and legacy.
VIRTUAL INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL 2022
The Virtual Indigenous Film Festival returns for its triumphant fourth year. Curated around the Reconciliation Week theme, ‘Be Brave, Make Change’, the festival features five incredible First Nations films exploring inspiring changemakers, short films from exciting emerging talents and live Q&A panels with the filmmakers, industry leaders, community elders and cultural academics. Don’t miss this exciting exploration of First Nations stories, voices and conversations.
CELEBRATE FIRST NATIONS STORIES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (founded by Suzy Wilson of Riverbend Books, Bulimba Brisbane!) celebrates Reconciliation Week with this virtual event, capturing the voice and hearts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, Elders, authors, community organisations and individuals from across the country through stories – in books, in song and dance, in conversations, through hunting and cooking and most importantly, in language.
READ MORE – “Deadly Every Day of the Year”: Four Lessons to Reflect on This NAIDOC Week
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
Hang out with us on Instagram
🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
