Who we are 

Aarnja is the regional body for Kimberley Aboriginal people. Our vision is to empower Kimberley Aboriginal people, communities and organisations to have a strong Aboriginal identity and share in all of the social and economic opportunities of modern society. Our mission is to work with all parties to create innovative and sustainable opportunities that empower Kimberley Aboriginal people. 

We're leading the change from passive welfare to Aboriginal empowerment by ensuring a positive and strong Kimberley Aboriginal identity is fostered and sustained for individuals, families and communities. One of the ways we do this, is by collaborating with governments, NGOs and Aboriginal organisations to expand policies and programs that really work for Aboriginal people. We also support strong, independent Aboriginal organisations to work together through coherent and agreed Kimberley-wide governance and accountabilities.

We are not a direct service provider and do not compete for service provider funding for ourselves. Instead, we provide an interface, secretariat and facilitation role between governments and Aboriginal communities, service providers and leaders. Our key priority area is children and young people, and this has come from our members, partner organisations, community and leaders. Two initial focuses are: addressing the over-representation of children in care and developing the leadership potential of young Kimberley Aboriginal people. You can read more about our work here. Our constitution is also available here.