Little Footsteps, Big Future

A message from the First Nations NGO Alliance in the lead up to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day - 4 August 2025.

This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, we honour the strength, spirit, and stories of our children, the heartbeat of our communities and the future of our nations.

Our children are strong in culture when they see their culture reflected in everyday life, in the faces around them, in the stories they’re told and in the spaces they walk through. They grow in culture when they are nurtured by kin and Country, when they are held close by family, Elders and community who guide them with love and cultural wisdom. They hear their culture through language, song and story carried across generations and woven into their identity. They are connected deeply to who they are and where they come from. And above all, they are strong when they are safe in places and with people who celebrate them for all that they are.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families have the right to have their voices heard in every self-determining way, across community, and throughout the child and family sector. This includes access to supports that affirm culture, are responsive and provide the best possible care grounded in culture, dignity and respect.

This day is not only a celebration, it is a call to action. As an Alliance, we commit to walking alongside children, families and communities to ensure our children grow up proud, connected, and free to shape their futures.

Let’s continue to amplify their voices, advocate for their rights, and support the environments where they can be safe, strong, and sovereign.

To learn more or to access Children’s Day resources, visit the SNAICC | Children's Day 2025 website.