Together, Yes (ToYES) is a kitchen conversations movement in support of a YES vote in the 2023 referendum on a First Nations Voice to parliament. It’s a powerful way you can participate in the upcoming referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in our constitution.
In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future. – Uluru Statement from the Heart, May 2017
By voting YES in the upcoming referendum, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will finally have a say on the policies and laws that affect their communities.
But voting ‘yes’ isn’t enough. We need to unite to ensure it’s a resounding YES from every corner of the country.
Is Together, Yes working with First Nations people?
Yes. The Victorian Women’s Trust (creator of Together, Yes) have been working in partnership with Koorie Women Mean Business for more than 30 years, which has guided much of our work since.
Since October 2022 we have been in close collaboration with indigenous-led campaigners to ensure Together, Yes helps achieve a positive referendum outcome.
Together, Yes uses ‘kitchen table conversations’, a model designed by the Victorian Women’s Trust more than twenty years ago. Tried and tested, it arose from a powerfully simple idea: engaging people in respectful and honest dialogue creates real and lasting change.
This civic engagement model is built on a set of important values. People are encouraged to:
- Help create a safe place for thinking, talking and taking action
- Acknowledge the experience and wisdom each person brings to the table
- Enter discussions in good faith with an open, constructive spirit
- Engage in respectful discussion, even in the face of dissent
- Be prepared to listen, gain new insight, and test one’s own opinions
Together, Yes invites people from all walks of life to gather in small group discussions and engage in an honest reckoning of the harm and injustice of our colonial past; Australia’s history of constitutional indifference; and how a Voice to parliament can make a difference.
- Watch video (3 mins)
- Visit website
- Stay in the Loop
- Become a Conversation Host. Bring others with you.
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Victorian Women’s Trust
Address: 137A Queens Parade, Wurundjeri Country, Clifton Hill VIC 3068
Tel: (03) 9642 0422
Email: women@vwt.org.au