Political Candidate Training Workshop for Women of Colour

Politics in Colour presents a Candidate Training Workshop for Indigenous and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse (I&CALD) Women

The recent spike in the political mobilisation of Women Of Colour in the US is profoundly influencing the way we think about leadership in Australia. Indeed in the March 2021 Western Australian election, 15 Aboriginal candidates stepped up to get elected, nine of whom were women. The election results saw three Aboriginal women elected as well as the state’s first woman MP of African descent.

In the spirit of empowering more Women of Colour to get elected, we’re launching the first in a series of workshops that provide contextualised training that speaks directly to the experience of Women of Colour in overcoming many of the structural barriers faced in their political leadership journey.

Our workshop consists of seven interactive sessions delivered over one day. Throughout the day, we’ll be covering the Australian political system, governance and risk management, practicing self-care, building community support, running for office and much, much more.

The workshop is FREE, online and limited to only 30 participants.

Day: Saturday

Date: 8 May, 2021

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM AEST

Cost: Free

Upon completion, attendees will have greater capacity and 
confidence to understand how to navigate Local, State and Federal elections, with a renewed passion and drive to run for office.

Further opportunities available through the Pathways to Politics Program for Women at the University of Melbourne, UNSW and QUT.

Workshop Facilitators

Katja (Kat) Henaway

Kat is a descendant of the Mer and Mua peoples of the Torres Strait Islands. She has gained significant experience working in multinational organisations in Sydney, London & Edinburgh. Kat has worked for some of the world’s largest private sector companies and government organisations in Australia and the UK.  She also specialises in Indigenous business advisory, programming and engagement. 

From 2009-2014, Kat worked at City of Sydney Council commencing in the Office of Independent Councillors and later moving to Council business.  During her time at council she launched several Indigenous initiatives including NAIDOC in the City.

In 2017, Kat co-designed the ground-breaking Emerging Indigenous Executive Leaders Program for UNSW. In 2019, Kat co-facilitated the inaugural Indigenous Women’s Leadership Symposium for Women & Leadership Australia. She launched Politics in Colour in 2020 to  authentically diversify political representation. Kat holds leadership roles with Women for Election Australia and Women & Leadership Australia.

Marcelle Hoff   

Between 2004-2012, Marcelle served as a Independent Councillor at the City of Sydney. This included two terms as Deputy Lord Mayor. Marcelle was the Inaugural Co-Chair of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel.
Marcelle is Co-Founder of Politics in Colour and is a member of the Women’s Business Indigenous Advisory Panel.

Marcelle is also a Qualified Coach, Trainer, Counsellor and Mediator with 40+ years international corporate work experience and community development. Highly skilled in building the capacity and resilience of female leaders, particularly those from marginalised communities, Marcelle's coaching and mentoring techniques create profound and transformative change for her clients.

From seasoned international flight attendant to recruitment and training consultant for Qantas, Marcelle travelled the world extensively before going on to develop training programs across a wide range of topics throughout Australia, Fiji, Zimbabwe and India. 

This initiative is proudly supported by the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and Trawalla Foundation as part of its commitment to the Pathways to Politics Program for Women, a growing national network of independent state-based programs run by Australian universities including University of Melbourne, QUT and UNSW. The non-partisan program model was founded and launched by the University of Melbourne in 2015 in partnership with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, and Trawalla Foundation to redress the underrepresentation of women in Australian parliaments and councils. The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is committed to minimising barriers to enter politics and diversity is core to its principles and values.