Yatu Widders Hunt

First Nations thinking can drive creativity.

Profile

Yatu Widders Hunt has proud First Nations and European heritage and has a background in PR and communications. Having worked for many years in the government sector, she is passionate about driving policy and social change, through effective communications and engagement. Yatu is now the General Manager at First Nations social change agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway and leads communications and creative projects including on health promotion, engagement initiatives and storytelling.

As a former journalist, Yatu developed a strong interest in the Indigenous fashion sector and is the founder of the online Australian Indigenous Fashion community. She is also a key leader in the creative industries, where she brings First Nations thinking to modern creativity.

Expertise

Talking Points

First Nations Creativity

This topics explores how First Nations thinking can drive modern creativity. It looks at everything from how to co create campaigns using community led principles, to embedding lived experience in communications activity. It shows how modern advertising and PR can amplify their practice by bringing a First Nations perspective to not only content, but to process.

Driving Social Change Meaningfully

This topic explores how businesses, public and NGO sectors can meaningfully drive social impact including through Reconciliation Action Plans and DE&I. It looks at how DE&I can be embedded in how an organisation behaves and how it needs to be treated like the business priority is it. Using examples like BLM and the 2023 Referendum as examples, this session explores what it really means to be an ally organisation and to have real impact.

First Nations Engagement

This topic looks at what real engagement and relationship building means, in a First Nations context. It looks at principles of connection, long term partnership and how to understand and align on shared goals and outcomes. This is particularly relevant in a post referendum world where the nature of engagement needs to be be even more respectful and considerate of First Nations aspirations.

A career in Social Change

This topic explores Yatu's personal journey from growing up in an academic and activist household and identifying that she wanted a career in social change. She shares how to build a values driven career and shares learning and insights from working in Federal Government, Parliament House, the Australian media and now, the private sector. She shares how her own lived experiences as a First Nations women in these sectors and what she has learned about driving social justice in Australia.