Aboriginal cultural awareness for Workplaces
Full-day training for staff at every level that builds understanding you can apply directly to your work and workplace.
Beyond box-ticking. Understanding you can apply.
Let’s talk to find out if this is right for your team.
Learn about Aboriginal experience
Create a safer, more respectful workplace
Grow your Aboriginal workforce
You've done cultural awareness before. But did it change anything?
You’ve sat through the workshops. Heard the timelines. Ticked the box.
And yet — Aboriginal staff still aren’t safe. Applicants still aren’t applying. Teams still don’t know what to say, so they say nothing.
Here’s the truth:
Most cultural awareness training was never built to shift behaviour. It was built to avoid complaints and tick boxes.
This is different.
This session is for teams ready to move past the box-ticking and start building a workplace where Aboriginal people are respected and supported.
Want better outcomes?
Then you have to change the experience.
Because a workplace that isn’t culturally safe won’t retain Aboriginal staff — no matter how good your intentions are.
What you’ll actually get (and why it works)
A mix of facts, stories, and models. This day will help your staff understand why this work is important, and what they can do everyday to help create a safer and more respectful workplace.
Here’s what’s included:
Full-day in-person session
A full-day face to face session is the standard. Online training doesn’t develop relationships or understanding. It ticks a box. Being in the same room as an Aboriginal person gives everyone a chance to ask their questions, get their answers, and engage fully with what this work is really about - people.
At your workplace
Delivered onsite in your training room in a familiar environment for your staff to help them engage with with what matters instead of worrying about unfamiliar surroundings. I’ve delivered in every state and territory in Australia. I travel so you don’t have to.
Experienced presenter
Lindsay Stanford, a Gamilaraay woman with 25+ years in Aboriginal employment strategy presents every session. Expect stories, statistics, hard truths, and a few laughs. No sugar-coating. No guilt. No shame.
Practical skills you can use immediately
We’ll cover language usage, communication, workplace behaviours, and what Aboriginal staff experience in workplaces — so your team knows what to say and do differently the next day and everyday.
A tool to help with application
The Aboriginal Experience Worksheet will help each participant get clear on what they can do to improve the workplace and their practice to make your workplace safer for Aboriginal people.
12 weeks of follow-up email support
You won’t be left on your own. I’ll be in your corner with weekly email support. And if you have more questions, you can join the monthly follow-up Q&As (via Zoom) to help embed what they’ve learned and keep the momentum going.
Onsite cultural awareness session with Lindsay Stanford.
This session is for you if:
You’re tired of tiptoeing around Aboriginal issues — and ready to lead with respect
You’re sick of tick-box approaches that change nothing but still cost time and money
You’re building (or fixing) your Aboriginal workforce strategy and want it to work this time
Full-day face to face session
12-week email support
Access to Zoom Q&As for more questions
This is for leaders who are done with tokenism
Hi, I’m Lindsay Stanford — a Gamilaraay woman, Aboriginal employment strategist, and founder of Blakworks.
For over 25 years, I’ve worked with not-for-profits, councils, government, and corporates to turn good intentions into real change. Not through feel-good activities for activities sake. But through straight-talking, culturally grounded training that actually shifts behaviour.
I built this program for teams like yours — values-driven, ready to lead, and willing to do the real work.
If you're serious about making your workplace culturally safe and supportive for Aboriginal people I’d love to hear from you.
Learn about Aboriginal experience
Go beyond the basics — learn the real cultural, structural, and historical context that shapes behaviour today.
Create a safer, more respectful workplace
Equip your team to speak with confidence, act with care, and build trust with Aboriginal staff and communities.
Make a real difference — and see results
Shift from good intentions to measurable outcomes that improve recruitment, retention, and reputation.
Let’s talk about how this could work for your team.
Book a quick call with me, and we’ll map it out — no pressure, no fluff.
This is what real change sounds like.
“I learnt so much in 4 hours - I learnt more in the time than any other cultural awareness training ever attended. I definitely recommend Lindsay and Blakworks to any employer that was looking to make their environment a culturally safe place for Aboriginal people.”
- Jenni Allan, CEO, Adssi Ltd
“Lindsay Stanford has an incredible ability to bring concepts, ideas and practical thinking to the forefront and get you thinking about what you are really doing if you don’t change.”
- Bobbi Murray, First Nations Cadetship Administrator, CLCNSW
“The session provided the collective understanding that we all needed to ‘get’ Aboriginal experience and with a way to hold each other accountable. We all understood that Kamira had to be a safe space for Aboriginal clients and for future Aboriginal staff.”
- Cate Hewett, CEO, Kamira
Trusted by organisations across NSW — and beyond
From local councils to national nonprofits, these teams didn’t just mean well — they did the work. And came back for more.
You’ve seen what’s possible.
If your team’s ready, I’m ready.
We’ll explore what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where this fits in.
Ready to start the transformation? Here's how
Making a change in your organisation is simpler than you think.
Book a quick call
We’ll work out whether this is right for your team.
Lock in your next session
A full-day, on-site session designed to shift understanding, challenge assumptions, and get your team moving.
Start making real change
Walk away with practical strategies, sharper understanding, and momentum that lasts.
What We’ll Cover in the Session
Rationale for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment initiatives
Aboriginal identity and the Blakworks Model of Aboriginal experience
Traditional beliefs, values and practices of Aboriginal people
The history of disadvantage faced by Aboriginal people
How this history continues to impact employment and workplaces
Acceptable language for referring to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and communities in workplace contexts
Practical strategies for participants to create a culturally safe workplace and contribute to positive Aboriginal employment outcomes
By the end of this session, your team will:
Understand the structural and cultural barriers Aboriginal staff face
Know how to speak, act, and lead more respectfully
Be equipped to create real change — not just tick a box
If this sounds like what you and your team need, let’s talk.
Ready to stop ticking boxes and start making change?
If you're serious about creating a workplace that’s safer, stronger and more culturally intelligent — this is the place to start.
Let’s talk about whether this is the right fit for your team.
No pressure. Just clarity.
Not-for-profit leader in NSW?
You may be eligible for a free ticket to one of the public Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for Workplaces sessions.
It’s a great way to experience the impact before booking for your whole team.