First Nations Board Governance Training Program
This program is an initiative of the Victorian Public Sector Commission, delivered by the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA).
First Nations Board Governance Training Program
Preparing aspiring First Nations directors to serve on Victorian public sector boards.
About the program
The First Nations Board Governance Training Program aims to develop a cohort of First Nations aspiring board members who are equipped, confident and ready to serve on Victorian public sector boards.
If you’re a First Nations Australian who would like to develop your governance skills and work towards joining a public sector board, you’re invited to apply for this unique and fully funded opportunity, which includes:
- Certified Community Director micro-credential: a self-paced program on community governance
- Full day, in-person workshop: in Melbourne, on governance, leadership and ethics
- Two 1-hour webinars: covering board effectiveness and cyber security
- Mentoring circles: designed to connect participants with other aspiring First Nations directors
- Optional: interactive training session on Strategic Planning
The VPSC in partnership with ICDA will be accepting applications for the First Nations Board Governance Training Program from 31 March to 15 April 2025.
All interested people are invited to attend an online information session, taking place on 8 April 2025 from 1PM to 2PM AEST.
This program is fully funded by the Victorian Government and delivered by the Victorian Public Sector Commission in partnership with ICDA.
Eligibility
- Identify as First Nations
- Victorian resident
- Aspiring or current board member
- Aged 18+
Key dates
Round opens: Monday, 31 March, 9am
Information session: Tuesday, 8 April, 1pm
Round closes: Tuesday, 15 April, 11.59pm
Notification of result of application: 24 April (at the latest)
Information session
Join us for an interactive online session with program facilitator, Jon Staley, who will provide an overview of the program and answer your questions.
- What is the First Nations Board Governance Training Program
- Who is eligible
- How to apply
- Program key dates
Learn more about Jon and the other members of the training team here.
How to Apply
Applications for the First Nations Board Governance Training Program will be accepted via the SmartyGrants platform.
Applicants who are experiencing difficulties with their application, or would otherwise like to seek help or support, can reach out to the Institute of Community Directors Australia at [email protected] or the Victorian Public Sector Commission at https://vpsc.vic.gov.au/contact-us/.
View our privacy policy here.
Program timeline
Participants receive a link to the portal which hosts a range of governance resources, officially launching the program.
Certified Community Director is a seven-unit micro-credential for community board members and for those who aspire to sit on a community board.
The program is self-paced, meaning students can study at their own pace and on their own time. The course takes approximately 10 hours to complete.
Participants of the First Nations Board Governance Training Program receive free access to the full program.
- Unit 1: Governance foundations
- Unit 2: Understand and cultivate culture through recruitment
- Unit 3: Strategic planning and change management
- Unit 4: Managing your funds
- Unit 5: Effective communication for board members
- Unit 6: Conflict resolution and negotiation techniques for boards
- Unit 7: Finding funds
The full program must be completed by 11.59PM AEST, Friday 16 May.
Support & guidance available during the self-paced learning.
Learn more about the program here.
This workshop explores the key roles and responsibilities of board members and is designed to support aspiring First Nations directors to understand legislative and regulatory requirements and unpack the principles that sit behind good governance. It will also look at the unique challenges, opportunities and pressures of community representation and discuss tools and strategies to manage this effectively. The workshop will predominantly be conversation, story and scenario-based and will draw on participants' life experience and cultural knowledge to work through and understand key concepts and ideas. Knowledge gained in this workshop (alongside the broader curriculum) will help participants have the confidence to apply for Victorian public sector board roles.
Being an effective board is not just about having good intentions - it’s about fostering the right culture, ensuring a healthy mix of skills, and using the right tools to help create impact. In this webinar, we’ll explore the key elements of board effectiveness, from decision-making dynamics to strategic alignment and board culture. We’ll also introduce practical tools and resources available through ICDA that support board development and continuous improvement.
Some of the topics covered will include:
- Renew, review, revitalise
- Culture, skills and strategic alignment
- Succession planning
- Tools and resources to support board effectiveness
Participants are invited to join ICDA for a free webinar exploring the latest trends in cyber safety and the evolving role of boards in protecting organisational assets. This session is designed to provide directors with critical insights into the current threat landscape and actionable steps to strengthen their organisation’s cyber resilience.
In this interactive webinar, we'll explore the benefits of simple strategic planning and look specifically at:
- components of an effective strategic plan
- the interplay between board strategic planning and day-to-day operations
- strategic planning in the context of organisational effectiveness
- establishing SMART objectives with measurable metrics
- environment scanning for better strategic planning
Participants of the First Nations Board Governance Program receive free access to this course.
Program participants will be invited to participate in mentoring circles, designed to connect aspiring First Nations board members with each other for support post- program completion. The mentoring circles will be split into two sessions:
Session 1: Presented by Jahna Cedar, this session will focus on applying concepts from governance, leadership, and organisational culture and from the online Certified Community Director’s course.
Session 2: A conversation between Jon Staley and guest speaker Karen Milward, where Karen shares her leadership journey on public sector boards and participants reflect on their learning via discussion of case studies that raise ethical, decision- making dilemmas.
Meet the team
Consultant | Trainer | Facilitator
Jahna is a Nyiyaparli woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and owner of Jahna Cedar Consulting. Jahna has worked for over 25 years advocating for equal rights and reconciliation of Indigenous people and has represented Indigenous Australia at the United Nations in New York on three occasions. Jahna is a member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia’s Community Directors Council, where she brings a wealth of talent and experience to inform our decision making and co-deliver our programs with a cultural lens.
Jahna will be the co-facilitator and mentor for this program.
Trainer, ICDA
Jon has a background as a teacher, trainer, social entrepreneur, filmmaker and writer. He began his career teaching at Melbourne's Northland Secondary College, where in 2000 he was awarded the Peter Clarke Teaching for Reconciliation Award based on his work with the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community at the school. He spent several years being mentored by and working alongside Gunditjmara artist and filmmaker Richard Frankland and together they developed a cross-cultural education program, Planting Seeds, which shone a light on the invisible load that Aboriginal communities in Australia have carried in the wake of colonisation. In 2008 Jon founded the not-for-profit youth media social enterprise Youthworx, which uses creative and commercial media to work with young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and he led the organisation until 2020 when he joined Our Community.
Jon will be the co-facilitator and mentor for this program.
Consultant | Trainer | Facilitator
Karen is a proud Victorian Yorta Yorta woman, born and raised in Melbourne. She has owned and operated Karen Milward First Nations Consulting since 2004. Karen has held senior policy and program management positions in Government and have been working and consulting in Aboriginal Affairs for over 20 years. She has extensive experience working with First Nations communities at grassroots and organisational levels and up to peak body representative level. She regularly undertakes complex projects commissioned by government departments and their agencies. This involves assisting those who have lead responsibility for policy and program development and service delivery impacting on First Nations communities. Karen is the Chairperson of four and a Director of two First Nations community organisations. She is also a representative on many Government and non-government First Nations-specific committees and reference groups.
Karen will be a guest speaker in mentoring session 2 during the program.