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About Women of Colour Australia

How it all began

Our Founder's Story

Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) was founded by Brenda Vertudes Gaddi (she/her), a first-generation migrant/settler from Manila, Philippines. Brenda has been building women-focused communities and championing women’s voices for over fifteen years.

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Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) is a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity established in August 2020. We are founded, led, and run by Women of Colour for Women of Colour. We exist to champion Australia’s Women of Colour through programs of education, community support initiatives, and advocacy work.

Our Vision

We envision a society where Women of Colour are valued, respected, and have equal access to opportunities, thriving and making meaningful contributions to their organisations and communities.

Our Purpose

To advocate for, support, and strengthen the lives and experiences of Women of Colour in all places and spaces in Australia, with a particular emphasis on promoting representation and inclusion in the workplace.

VALUES Written In Old Grungy Metal Typeset On Wooden Background

Our Values

Our values guide our actions and decisions, ensuring that we remain true to our purpose and committed to the communities we serve.

Community

We will continue to develop deep and broad engagement with Women of Colour, putting their voices, experiences, and needs at the centre  of everything we do, ensuring that our efforts are inclusive, representative, and impactful. We strive to create safe, supportive, and inclusive spaces that nurture the well-being of all individuals, allowing them to thrive and contribute meaningfully to work and society. 

Collaboration

Strong relationships and alliances with stakeholders are the cornerstone of our work. By forging these partnerships, we can amplify our impact. We actively seek opportunities to collaborate with values-aligned people and organisations to build an ecosystem for change.

Compassion

Our work is rooted in empathy and understanding. We approach every interaction with kindness and a deep commitment to serving others. By acknowledging the unique challenges faced by Women of Colour, we create a compassionate environment that nurtures their growth and well-being.

Courage

We are unwavering in our pursuit of fairness and justice for Women of Colour. Through our actions, we challenge systemic barriers and advocate for a more inclusive and equitable society. By empowering Women of Colour to reach their full potential, we contribute to a world where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

Commitment

We are dedicated to conducting our work with honesty, transparency, and accountability. As we strive to make a lasting impact in the lives of Women of Colour, we hold ourselves responsible for our actions and their outcomes. Our commitment to our purpose and values is unwavering, ensuring that we remain a trusted and reliable source of support for the communities we serve and our partners.

Our Principles & Behaviours

We strive to create a safe and inclusive space

We share community and individual experiences to build a sense of belonging.

We advocate for professional and personal development

We will drive the agenda through lobbying for diversity, equity & inclusion policies, practices, programs, and beliefs that fully account for intersecting and overlapping identities.

We are productive and have measurable impact

We measure how our organisational initiatives increase people’s knowledge, skill, behavior, and ultimately opportunity. We use outcome-based metrics that allow us to drive return on investment.

We understand the best outcomes are achieved through partnership and collaboration

Championing the opportunities and experiences of Women of Colour is a co-owned agenda – its success is only as good as the support of the allies and existing bodies who will help to champion and actively commit to bridging gaps and collectively work to dismantling inequitable systems and structures.

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