People of Colour Community Leaders Media Literacy Workshop
FECCA Media Literacy Program · Phase 3 For People of Colour community leaders, advocates and changemakers
About the initiative
Women of Colour Australia (WoCA), in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), invites you to apply for a FECCA-funded scholarship place in a full-day community media literacy workshop as part of FECCA's three-phased national Media Literacy Program. Scholarship places are fully funded by FECCA at no cost to participants.
FECCA is the national peak body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. WoCA is a national not-for-profit organisation advancing the leadership, representation and civic participation of Women of Colour and People of Colour communities across Australia. Together, we have spent the past year listening to our communities, building our capability and now — delivering on what you told us you needed.
The program spans three phases:
In Phase 1, between December 2025 and February 2026, WoCA conducted seven community consultations with 94 participants from 47 countries. Communities told us they were highly engaged with news and media, yet systematically underserved. They named their top concerns — scams, misinformation, harmful stereotyping, AI-generated content and a lack of representation — and named practical solutions.
Phase 1 Community Consultation - Western Sydney session
In Phase 2, our facilitation team completed FECCA's Train the Trainer program, delivered by Media Diversity Australia, which engaged us in a deep dive into Australia's media landscape and helped build a community of practice to deliver culturally safe, trauma-informed media literacy training.
Phase 2 Train the Trainer facilitated by Media Diversity Australia
Phase 3 is our community's answer. This workshop is one of the solutions you asked for — practical, community-led and designed to build critical media skills, civic knowledge and collective power.
Scholarship places are awarded to community members who are ready to engage fully: complete the pre-work, show up, and follow through on your 30-day action commitment. There is no cost to attend. This is our community investing in itself.
Apply for your scholarship place
Session 1 - Melbourne
Monday 27 April 2026 | 9am to 4pm
Wesley Place Business Hub, 130 Lonsdale St, Melbourne CBD 3000
Capped at 16 scholarship places
(Applications close 11:59pm, AEST, Monday 13 April 2026)
Session 2 - Sydney
Thursday 7 May 2026 | 9am to 4pm
PHIVE, Meeting Room 3.01, 5 Parramatta Square, Parramatta NSW 2150
Capped at 16 scholarship places
(Applications close 11:59pm, AEST, Monday 20 April 2026)
Why this workshop matters
Our Phase 1 community consultations found that People of Colour communities are among the most active and engaged news consumers in Australia. These findings are consistent with broader national evidence on media representation and CALD community experiences.
68%
of PoC participants felt overwhelmed by media coverage of their community
54%
has avoided news media in the prior month to protect their mental health
"People of Colour are not disengaged or uninformed. They are systematically excluded despite high capability and engagement. The problem is not the consumers. The problem is the system." WoCA/FECCA Media Literacy of People of Colour Report, 2026
Independent research by Media Diversity Australia found that non-European Australians are the most severely under-represented group on screen, with the population at least 19 times greater than what appears on commercial television. Non-European audiences also have the least trust in news and are most likely to stop using a news source they believe is biased.¹
Our communities spoke clearly about what they face — and what they need. This workshop invites open dialogue and critical reflection on these shared experiences.
What you will gain
This workshop is for community leaders, advocates, volunteers and engaged citizens from People of Colour and CALD communities. No formal qualifications required. You just need to care about your community and be ready to do something about it.
- Practical skills in fact-checking, source evaluation, bias recognition and scam identification
- Knowledge of your rights as a media consumer and how to use complaint pathways including the eSafety Commissioner, Australian Press Council and ACMA
- A deeper understanding of how media shapes identity, belonging, visibility and connection in multicultural communities
- A Community Action Plan you designed yourself, with a concrete 30-day first step
- A network of People of Colour community leaders who share your experience and commitment to change
How the day unfolds
Morning — unpacking media systems, understanding how power and representation work and finding your tools
Lunch — provided, with halal, vegetarian and diverse options
Afternoon — rights, civic pathways and a community action design sprint where you build a real response to a media challenge facing your community
Close — individual action cards, evaluation and certificates
Your scholarship place
Scholarship places are fully funded by FECCA with Women of Colour Australia as delivery partner. There is no cost to attend.
This is not a consultation. Our community is not being asked to give anything. We are being invested in. Scholarship places are awarded to community members who are ready to engage fully.
What accepting a scholarship place means:
Before the workshop — you will receive a pre-work pack digitally two weeks before your session. This includes a plain-language summary of WoCA's Phase 1 consultation findings (approx. 30 minutes to read) and a one-week media diet map to complete in the 7 days before the workshop (approx. 10-15 minutes per day). Total pre-work commitment: around 1 hour across 7 days. This is not optional. It is what makes the workshop meaningful. You arrive prepared. The workshop begins where your evidence leaves off.
On the day — you commit to the full day, 9am to 4pm. You show up ready to engage, contribute and collaborate. Inclusive catering is provided throughout the day. Accessibility support including transport assistance is available on request.
After the workshop — 30 days later, our Project Coordinator will send a short follow-up check-in asking what you acted on, what got in the way and what support you need. This is part of your commitment and essential for measuring real community impact.
When we invest in each other, that is when real change happens.
Ready to show up for our community?
16 scholarship places per session · Melbourne and Sydney · No cost to attend
Applications close 11:59pm, AEST, Monday 13 April 2026 - Melbourne session
Applications close 11:59pm, AEST, Monday 20 April 2026 - Sydney session
Funded by FECCA · Delivered by Women of Colour Australia · Facilitation training by Media Diversity Australia
¹ Media Diversity Australia, Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories? 2.0, 2022. mediadiversityaustralia.org
We exist to champion leadership, influence policy, and shift systems by centring lived experience.
ORIGIN OF THE PHRASE "WOMEN OF COLOR"
"Women of Color is not a biological designation. It is a solidarity definition. A commitment to work in collaboration with other oppressed women of color who have been minoritized. It is a term that has a lot of power." Loretta Ross
Learn more here
WOMEN DEFINITION
Women - Transgender and cisgender, all those who experience or have experienced oppression as women, including non-binary and gender non-conforming people and all those who identify as women. Self-definition is at the discretion of the individual.
Definition credit: wire.org.au
ALLY DEFINITION
A - always centre the impacted
L - listen and learn from those who live in oppression
L - leverage your privilege
Y - yield the floor
*Mnemonic credit: Kayla Reed Executive Director ACTION St. Louis
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We acknowledge the Wallumattagal clan of the Darug nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Women of Colour Australia is situated. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with whom we stand in solidarity. We acknowledge that as settlers on this stolen Aboriginal land, we are beneficiaries of the dispossession, genocide, and ongoing colonial violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We believe that it is our collective responsibility and moral imperative to help dismantle the structural inequities and systemic barriers oppressing the original inhabitants of this land. This land is and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded.