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Issue no. 43 / May 2020
Marlee Silver
LET THE YOUNG VOICES BE HEARD Marlee Silva is a 24-year-old Gamilaroi/Dunghutti writer, podcast host and Co-Founder of Tiddas 4 Tiddas, the social media-based movement dedicated to elevating stories of inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls from across the country.
So you’re in your 20s or younger, you’re a blackfulla with a hunger to give back. More than anything, you’re determined to work for and with your people and nothing can get in your way. But it gets a bit lonely in this fight and you know there’s strength in numbers, so you start looking to connect with and be supported by others just like you. Next thing you know, the universe – or your boss – answers your cries for connection and hands you an invitation to a conference; an Indigenous youth conference. Deadly, right? What’s better than being in a room full of people just like you? Just as passionate about making a change, just as energetic and creative and rearing to go, and better yet, they really understand where you’re coming from. They know what you’ve been through in this day and age because they’ve grown up in the same era as you and experienced the same things. When you get there, it’s all you could’ve hoped for. You swap yarns with your fellow ‘emerging leaders’ and are in awe of the similarities in your stories – it’s like you’ve known each other for years, not hours. Then you’re diving deep into discussions about solutions to some of our most complex issues, you workshop strategies, make huge plans inspired by the glossy array of guest speakers and thought-provoking panels, and as the event flies by, nearing its end, you feel pretty confident that you’re going to leave it and quite possibly, change the world.
