About Yandamah
Yandamah Indigenous Corporation is a small but impactful organisation with expertise in working in challenging environments in very remote First Nations communities.
We are based in Katherine with a focus on the Big Rivers region, including Lajamanu community and other remote communities in the region including Beswick and Barunga.
Our core team founded Yandamah Indigenous Corporation in 2020 to address the urgent ongoing need for a sustainable, long term, energetic and responsive community organisation with strong governance and financial accountability. We had previously carried out programs and activities in remote communities for many decades.
Our vision is to leverage Yandamah’s resources, energy and expertise to create major positive impact in community by responding directly to community needs, supporting community-led activities and facilitating and resourcing community-based projects. We invest in strong community relationships and social connectedness as the pathway to achieve real and effective outcomes in the remote communities where we work.
We carry out arts and culture projects, education and training, and community events, through our established relationships with First Nations Elders and a strong focus on partnerships and collaboration with other Indigenous corporations and local councils.
The success of our activities in our relatively short period of operational time has been thanks to extensive volunteer work including of our directors, as we prioritise funding direct project costs and minimising administrative expenses in our first 5 years of operation.
Our approach
Our work is defined by First Nations leadership, empowerment and agency. We are deeply committed to community-based work and achieving community-led goals, needs and priorities. This is supported by our relational and down-to-earth approach to engagement in community.
Our work is guided by the decision-making and strategy-setting of our Jaru Jinta Board of First Nations community leaders. To better understand community priorities and needs, we have close relationships with key elders, families, children and First Nations staff working in community organisations. We also work with local schools and teachers, and recognise the importance of engaging children in intergenerational cultural knowledge transmission.
We are proud of our responsive, adaptive and flexible approach to our iterative process of feedback, consultation and reflection, to ensure we are on the right track with the elders and the community.
