Conference Theme
The theme for this year’s Conference is Our Vision in Action, representing the next phase in the growing evolution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in eye health.
This year’s theme wishes to elevate and explore activities, projects, and initiatives to end avoidable vision loss and blindness that are led or guided by First Nations peoples and organisations. The activities delivered as part of this theme will support the eye care sector in our collective journey to implement principles of self-determination and representation in eye care.
Background:
The 2024 theme is a natural progression of the 2022 and 2023 themes, ‘Our Vision in Our Hands’ and ‘Finding Our Voice’. Whereas past themes explored the emerging First Nations leadership in eye care, this year’s theme progresses from the vision and planning stage to the action stage. The progression of themes mirrors the progression in First Nations leadership and ownership of the Conference itself.
Held annually since 2017, the Conference shifted in 2021 to all-First Nations leadership. The 2024 Conference is, for the first time, formally hosted by the First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA), Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led eye health organisation. FNEHA itself was born out of gatherings and workshops of First Nations delegates in the 2022 and 2023 Conferences, signifying the progress of First Nations self-determination and leadership in eye care.
For First Nations delegates, the 2024 Conference will aim to empower, inform, inspire, and share experiences in leading and supporting initiatives designed to improve eye health outcomes in their communities. For Non-Indigenous delegates, the Conference will aim to deliver knowledge, guidance and some practical skills to help shape their future contributions to ending avoidable vision loss and blindness for First Nations Australians through necessary shift in ways of working across all levels of the sector from local access to national the policy landscape.