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Hands on Heart National Youth Voice Declaration 2023

Indigenous and non-Indigenous young leaders unite to issue the following statement in their ongoing and passionate support for a Constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice

 

FOLLOWING THE Uluru Youth Dialogue’s Hands on Heart National Youth Voice Conference 2023, the gathering’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous young leaders united to issue the following statement in their ongoing and passionate support for a Constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice: 

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We, more than 100 young people aged 18-30 representing every state and territory, have gathered in Sydney on Gadigal Land to learn about the proposed First Nations Voice.

At the Hands on Heart National Youth Voice Conference, we as delegates have spent three days focused on the key objectives of: education, activation and connection.

We have opened our hearts. We have listened deeply. Now, speaking from different cultural backgrounds, faiths and walks of life, we declare our firm and enthusiastic support for a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament as called for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Uluru Statement from the Hear

There is so much to gain from listening to First Nations peoples and communities. The opportunity to create a more united country, where we walk together with First Nations people towards a better future and allow them a say on the issues that affect them through the Voice is clear to us.

73% of young Australians support this nation-building reform. Our generation will be the most affected by the choice all Australians of voting age will face on referendum day, followed by our children and their children.

We hope all Australians will hear our message and walk alongside First Nations people and communities to shape a brighter future by voting YES.

We all benefit when we listen to each other, sharing our knowledge, experiences and culture.

Over the Conference, we heard from the architects of the Uluru Statement, Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis, as well as Co-chairs and Ambassadors of the Uluru Youth Dialogue. We learned about the rigorous Regional Dialogue process that was held over 2016/17 across Australia. The Regional Dialogues asked and listened to First Nations people about what constitutional recognition meant to them, which culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the call for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice.

The facts are clear:

  1. The Voice is supported by the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  2. The Voice came from a grassroots campaign, not government
  3. A YES vote offers a practical solution for our shared future in Australia
The coming weeks are crucial to us. We have spoken to media and committed to our plans for the lead up to the referendum. We heard from Uluru Youth Dialogue leaders – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18-30 and the only youth-led campaign working towards a successful referendum.

 

We will be returning home to share this key information with our communities. Our agency as young people in this movement is important to both educating people about the referendum, as well as its success. We will continue issuing the Uluru Statement invitation to our communities, including in many of the 83 plus languages it has been translated into.

The connections we have built over the past three days has ignited our spirit as young leaders. We know history is calling, and we urge our fellow Australians to accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement.

The Uluru Statement is a roadmap to peace that invites all Australians to implement substantive, structural constitutional reform asked for by First Nations people.

We want to bring all Australians on the journey to be the change-makers of our time, and transform our nation’s history for the better.

We are excited to celebrate the first step to a more just and unified Australia.

History is Calling, we urge you to answer. Support an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The time is now.

#StayTrue2Uluru #HoH23 #HandsOnHeartConference #AnswerTheCall #UluruStatement

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For more information on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and resources about the First
Nations Voice to Parliament see below:

| Young leaders of Australia needed for Hands on Heart Voice conference |

| Uluru Statement from the Heart |

| Voice Website |

| Voice Information Booklet |

| Voice Community Toolkit |