Wiimali Program

The word Wiimali originates from the native Gamilaraay language of Australia. It means ‘To light a fire’.

The Wiimali program is designed to light the fire for ARA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and provide them with the support they need in both their work and home lives.

The Wiimali program is a key initiative of the ARA Group’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which was first launched in 2018.

The innovative program is an employee recruitment, mentoring and community engagement program for all internal staff who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Holistic and mindful of cultural, business, and social needs, the Wiimali program supports ARA’s business processes to ensure inclusion of Indigenous employment and has the full support of both ARA Indigenous Services and the ARA Group.

Wiimali is managed by a leadership team of ARA Indigenous employees who work nationally to support and encourage our Indigenous staff to succeed as recognised and valued members of the business. With each Indigenous employee becoming a member of the Wiimali program, our aim is to provide long-lasting, meaningful and life-changing employment opportunities.

How the program works

The key challenge for the Wiimali program and the wider ARA Group, is retaining Indigenous staff.

For Indigenous people to transition from community living to employment in a high-performance environment driven by the clients’ needs is a difficult transition. History shows that many Indigenous staff will drop out of employment within the first 13 weeks.

ARA Indigenous Services Leadership team understands this and the Wiimali program is designed to assist. Our team has vast experience and knowledge of these challenges through their own lived experience and both from a personal and professional standpoint.

The key components of the Wiimali program that target these transition challenges are:

1.Pre-screening and job matching

The level of work required to recruit Indigenous staff is significant compared to other new employees. On average, the Wiimali program will pre-screen seven individuals to find one suitable candidate with the requirements for the role. Our pre-screening process include:

• Connecting with local networks and community groups to access potential Indigenous candidates for vacant roles
• Vetting and pre-screening applicants to ensure that the candidates and the role are the ‘right fit’ Interview prepping and coordinating
• Supporting successful applicants to be job ready for first day of employment.

2. Indigenous mentoring and professional development

Once a new Indigenous staff member has commenced employment, they are introduced to their own Indigenous mentor who takes them through the following over time:

• Introduces Ngurra / Kin-Necting – Wiimali’s unique and discrete 360-degree mentoring program.
• Checks in weekly by phone
• Conducts formal monthly reviews
• Holds a fortnightly Wiimali program team zoom session
• Provides support through other phone calls, texts, emails, etc as per individual needs basis
• Holds four annual support sessions which include various life skills training
• Provides other support as needed, e.g., hardship fund support for travel, PPE, food and connection to other Indigenous support services.

3. Professional mentoring

In addition to Indigenous mentoring, each Wiimali member also connected with a professional mentor to assist them progress in their professional role and career path within ARA. ARA Indigenous Services aims to utilise professionals within the Group to partner with a Wiimali member based on the role and compatible personalities.

Our Stories

Below are some of the employee’s that are currently enrolled in the Wiimali program.

Matthew’s Story