Homeland School Company

We’re proud to be working alongside the Homeland School Company as they establish three independent First Nations schools in West Arnhem Land, grounded in culture, community, and Country.

Guumali is supporting this important initiative through deep community engagement and planning—facilitating conversations with Traditional Owners, families, and local leaders to co-create a place-based education and learning framework that reflects First Nations knowledge systems and aspirations.

Our work also includes strengthening governance—supporting the establishment of strong, transparent, and culturally aligned governance structures to ensure the school is community-led and community-owned from the start.

This is a bold, visionary project that centres children, culture, and the right to self-determined education on homelands.

Guumali worked alongside Social Ventures Australia (SVA) to support the Anindilyakwa Land Council and Traditional Owners in developing a long-term, post-mining vision for Groote Eylandt—centred on cultural authority, economic independence, and intergenerational wellbeing.

Together, we facilitated deep community consultation and vision mapping to understand what a self-determined future beyond mining could look like. We analysed existing community assets, identified future opportunities across key sectors, and supported cost and feasibility analysis to inform planning and investment.

This work contributed to the Future Groote Strategy, ensuring the transition from mining is guided by the values, knowledge, and aspirations of Anindilyakwa people—grounded in their right to determine their own future on Country.

Guumali partnered with the Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA) to strengthen youth governance and evaluation capability across East Arnhem Land, as part of the rollout of the East Arnhem Land Youth Model—an alternative government funding approach that puts control back in the hands of community.

Our work has focused on building strong foundations for community-led decision-making and culturally grounded accountability. This has included:

Supporting the implementation of the East Arnhem Youth Model in multiple communities, including the establishment of local youth governance structures, training workshops, and the development of place-based youth plans.

Designing and delivering a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework tailored to the East Arnhem Youth Model—embedding local values, outcomes, and cultural indicators of success.

Facilitating M&E training and workshops for Yolŋu staff across the region to build local capacity in data collection, reflection, and learning that aligns with both cultural and program expectations.

Together, this work has supported ALPA’s vision for youth development that is locally led, culturally strong, and built on the strengths of Yolŋu governance and knowledge systems.

Guumali is working closely with Kamarrang Jack Nawilil, a senior cultural leader and artist of the Balngarra clan, to strengthen self-determined development on his homeland, Bolkdjam, in West Arnhem Land.

This work builds on Jack’s existing leadership, vision, and connection to Country. Together, we are supporting:

Enterprise Development – Backing Jack’s creative and cultural enterprises through infrastructure support, storytelling, and exploring new economic opportunities that remain grounded in cultural authority and care for Country.

Governance & Planning – Developing a clear roadmap for Bolkdjam that reflects Jack’s aspirations for land stewardship, cultural continuity and self-determination.

Advocacy & Investment Readiness – Working alongside Jack to advocate for the resourcing of programs and infrastructure that will enable more jobs, services, and opportunities to grow on the homeland, while connecting his work to broader regional and policy conversations.

The Shed is a space created by and for First Nations people—a physical and symbolic place to breathe, reflect, recharge, and build. Located in Garamilla, The Shed is more than a venue. It’s a home for deep work, brave conversations, creative thinking, and culturally grounded connection.

Founded and self-funded by Guumali, The Shed responds to the need for spaces where First Nations changemakers, leaders, artists, and communities can come together on their own terms. It’s a place to decolonise our ways of working, centre cultural authority, and ignite possibility.

Whether used for quiet reflection, community strategy, start ups, art-making, or movement-building, The Shed holds space for the work that matters—and for the people who carry it.