"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement in International Development" with Jesse T Martin and Jack Collard

Oxford Society for International Development

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander International Engagement Organisation (ATSIIEO) is a pioneering international development group founded and led by Jesse T Martin of the Wagadagam and Yuin peoples and Jack Collard, a proud Nyoongar man with cultural and ancestral ties to Whadjuk and Balladong country. Joined with them is Adam Hegedus, a Master of Public Policy student at the Blavatnik School of Government Oxford, and Managing Director of Educating The Future – an NGO providing education in Timor-Leste.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is the longest continuous culture on the planet with over 65,000 years of history. Jesse and Jack speak to how ATSIIEO are uniquely leveraging local systems of knowledge, diplomacy, social relations, trade, language and community to make a difference in how international engagement is done. Together they are not only working towards but redefining how we need to understand transformational justice, decolonisation, localisation, community empowerment and creating sustainable change. ATSIIEO’s vision for the future is one where together without a middle man, they can foster and develop Indigenous connections and partnerships internationally with a sharing of culture, values and opportunities.