Facebook Australia welcomed as Official Sponsor of National NAIDOC Week 2021
The National NAIDOC Committee is pleased to announce Facebook Australia as an Official Sponsor of National NAIDOC Week 2021.
The sponsorship builds on a very successful partnership in NAIDOC Week 2020.
National NAIDOC Co-Chairs Shannan Dodson and John Paul Janke warmly welcomed the partnership, acknowledging the significant reach and popularity of Facebook and Instagram. These platforms enable more Australians to hear First Nations voices every day and support Indigenous communities and organisations to showcase their diverse celebrations during NAIDOC Week.
"Millions of Australians come to Facebook and Instagram every day, and it's such a significant opportunity for us to share our stories, our voices and our aspirations to an enormous part of the Australian population,
"As the most-used social media platform in the nation, we're delighted to partner with Facebook Australia in their commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities celebrate their culture, access education and embrace their economic potential."
In recognition of NAIDOC Week's "Heal Country" 2021 theme, Facebook Australia has partnered with Campfire x to today launch 'Connect to Country'–a movement to drive awareness amongst all Australians of the culturally significant Country upon which they live and work every day.
The 'Connect to Country' movement invites Australians to better connect with the world's oldest continuous culture and encourages brands and businesses to embed First Nations culture as an integral part of their physical and digital footprints.
'Connect to Country' spotlights positive storytelling and representation and offers easy ways for everyone to make Indigenous Culture an essential part of our everyday life.
A new campaign video asks all Australians "Where You From?" and encourages them to discover more about their local First Nations communities, with resources available on the 'Connect to Country' Facebook page. These resources include videos to learn how to acknowledge Country and tips for connecting with their local community and language groups.
Facebook Australia and Campfire x will also launch a pilot series of unique First Nations stories that will be served to Facebook and Instagram users who live in corresponding areas, connecting them with the land they're on.
In addition, Instagram has commissioned new Stories templates to encourage all Australians to share the Traditional Land they live on and the First Nations accounts and creators they love to follow. These templates were designed by NAIDOC 2021 poster artist Maggie-Jean Douglas, and will be shared by a range of popular Australian accounts.
The most-followed Instagram account in the world, @instagram, will also spotlight NAIDOC Week by featuring content from Sari-Ella Thaiday (@sarithaiday) to over 400 million followers.
Facebook and Instagram's sponsorship also extends to supporting the 2021 National NAIDOC Awards which, because of COVID-19 restrictions, will be held later in the year.