Today is National Sorry Day. Twenty-four years ago today, the Bringing Them Home report laid bare the intergenerational harm inflicted upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by decades of government policies sanctioning the widespread removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities.

Today on National Sorry Day, we reflect on Twenty10’s values of justice and empowerment, not only for young LGBTIQA+ people, but for the first peoples of this continent. We reflect on our strengths in supporting LGBTIQA+ people across all intersections, but we also commit to always improving our practice, and in aligning our work with calls for justice and wellbeing led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Importantly, we also reflect on the role of community, health and social work professionals in implementing the unjust removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children – historically, but also today.

We commit to improving our practice and support of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people engaged with our service, but we also call on all community and health organisations and all levels of Australian government to listen to and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to ensure the safety of children and young people.

(Photo by Johan Mouchet via Unsplash)