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WELCOME TO THE OFMH PROJECT
The One Fire Many Hearts (OFMH) project - also known as the Safer Spaces initiative - emerged from decades of lived experience and advocacy by First Nations LGBTIQA+SB communities across the Northern Territory. This groundbreaking project represents the culmination of years of community voices calling for culturally safe, inclusive services that truly see and support them.
Our journey began with the recognition that First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people face unique challenges at the intersection of their identities. Too often, they experience racism in mainstream LGBTIQA+ spaces and homophobia or transphobia in Indigenous services.
This "double bind" has left many without truly safe spaces for healing and support.
The OFMH project was born from the vision of creating something different - a framework that honours both cultural identity and gender/sexuality diversity as sources of strength.
Led by Dameyon Bonson and Shadow Black Pty Ltd, with funding from the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), we've embarked on an ambitious journey to transform how services engage with and support First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people.
Since our inception, we've been guided by the principle that meaningful change must come from within communities. Every step of our journey has been shaped by the wisdom, experiences, and aspirations of First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people themselves.
Our Community-Led Approach: Three Journeys to Cultural Safet
The One Fire, Many Hearts (OFMH) project recognises that meaningful change in cultural safety for First Nations LGBTIQA+SB communities cannot happen through traditional consultation methods. Instead, we've developed a respectful, three-visit framework that centres community voice, builds genuine relationships, and ensures that any training we develop truly serves the needs of those it aims to protect.
Understanding Our Three-Visit Framework
Our road trip methodology unfolds across three distinct but interconnected journeys, each designed to deepen our understanding and strengthen our relationships with First Nations LGBTIQA+SB communities across all five Northern Territory regions. This approach recognises that trust takes time, that communities must control the pace of engagement, and that meaningful cultural safety training can only emerge from authentic partnership.
Journey One: Building Relationships and Trust (July 2025)
The first journey focuses entirely on introductions and relationship building. Rather than arriving with predetermined agendas, we approach each community with humility, seeking permission to enter Country and establishing the foundation for respectful engagement.
During these initial visits, we spend maximum three hours per community, allowing space for genuine introductions and transparent sharing of our project intentions. We begin by researching traditional owner groups and protocols, approaching with the understanding that we are learners first. Communities maintain complete control over whether they choose to proceed with further engagement.
This journey prioritises observing cultural protocols, seeking appropriate permissions, and demonstrating our commitment to community-led processes. We share our project goals honestly while making it clear that communities will determine the direction of any future conversations. Most importantly, we establish that community ownership of all developed resources is non-negotiable.
Journey Two: Deepening Understanding (Community-Determined Timing)
The second journey only occurs if communities choose to continue engagement after the first visit. This phase involves community-directed engagement based on each community's unique assessment of our project and their own priorities.
During this deeper engagement, we focus on learning from existing community knowledge rather than imposing external frameworks. We support community-identified strengths and work with flexible methods that communities find comfortable, whether through yarning circles, small group conversations, or one-on-one discussions.
This journey explores the real impacts of inadequate cultural safety frameworks on First Nations LGBTIQA+SB community members. We listen to stories about how existing cultural safety training programs have failed communities, gather examples of service delivery failures, and capture community language describing current harms. We also explore what truly culturally safe care would look like when it honours both Indigenous sovereignty and sexual and gender diversity.
Throughout this process, we maintain our commitment to reciprocity by offering honorariums for knowledge sharing within project scope, supporting youth activities where appropriate, and building relationships that extend beyond project timelines.
Journey Three: Collaborative Development (Community-Determined Timing)
The third journey represents the deepest level of collaboration, where communities who choose to continue engagement help shape and refine the training resources we're developing. This phase only occurs with communities that see value in the project and want to contribute to its development.
During this collaborative phase, we test and refine training materials with community input, ensuring that everything we develop reflects community values and lived experiences. We work together to build assessment criteria that communities trust, develop validation processes that centre community knowledge, and create frameworks that genuinely serve First Nations LGBTIQA+SB safety needs.
This journey focuses on ensuring that our introductory training unit truly integrates the three foundational domains that communities have identified as critical: navigating complicated homophobia in Indigenous communities, supporting First Nations LGBTIQA+SB identity integration, and implementing decolonial cultural safety practices.
Why This Three-Part Approach Matters
Through our three-journey framework, we learn how existing frameworks force impossible choices between cultural connection and authentic identity. We gather evidence of how current training approaches fail to address the reality that many community members genuinely believe homophobia is culturally authentic, having been so thoroughly colonised by foreign religious influences.
WHY THIS THREE-PART APPROACH MATTERS
Why This Three-Part Approach Matters
Through our three-journey framework, we learn how existing frameworks force impossible choices between cultural connection and authentic identity. We gather evidence of how current training approaches fail to address the reality that many community members genuinely believe homophobia is culturally authentic, having been so thoroughly colonised by foreign religious influences.
how to get in touch
We’re a very small team and travelling out bush for most of the time. While we’ll do our best to respond to messages, that may not always be possible—the FAQ will be there to help.
