ChangeFest25

ChangeFest25 was held 19 – 21 November 2025 on Whadjuk Country in Walyalup (Fremantle, WA), extending the ChangeFest Songlines west for the first time. In partnership with Imagined Futures, this national gathering brought together changemakers from across the country to listen, share, heal, and act. The Gathering was hold in Fremantle Oval, Parry St and nearby venues within Central Fremantle.

Walyalup has long been a place of deep connection — a leader in truth-telling and justice. Fremantle was the first place to reject Australia Day in recognition of First Nations truth. This spirit of bold, community-led change is what ChangeFest25 builds on.

Held during Kambarang, the season of wildflowers and renewal, the CF25 program explored the cycles of time and the seasons of change — weaving together the past, present and future into a shared experience of learning, reflection and action.

As the Walyalup Elders have said:

“We have to be forward, because we’ve been left out for so long. This is what ChangeFest means to us. An opportunity to step up and share our stories – our stories of past hurts, our stories of strength and resilience. To find a new way. To build a future with our young people based on truth and healing.”

ChangeFest25 Program: Creating a new way

Held during Kanbarang, the Noongar season of change and renewal, 2025’s theme, Creating a New Way, invites us to explore community agency in addressing the injustices of the past and imagining new futures through the strength of collaboration in the present.

2025's Gathering was about community agency in addressing the injustices of the past and imagining new futures through the strength of collaboration in the present. The ChangeFest25 Program centred stories from communities leading change, examples of collaborative action across diverse sectors and perspectives that is changing how systems work, and opportunities to develop networks for strengthening our collective influencing and learning.

The ChangeFest25 Program explored the cycles of time, the seasons of change that occur as we explore the intersections of past, present and future together into a shared experience.  Co-created with community, elements of the program include:

• Grounding in where we’ve come from: Understanding the history and context of our communities and institutions is an important first step in collaborating together in community led systems change. We will begin by grounding ourselves in the culture and stories of Walyalup Country. Together, we’ll explore how truth-telling, storytelling, deep listening, and systems mapping can connect diverse voices, heal communities, and reimagine.
• Collaborating in the present: Communities and collaborators across Australia are already demonstrating collective action to shift systems and address root causes. The program will highlight stories of community-led peacebuilding and healing and share practical examples of how community-centred systems change is happening across Australia — including measurement and learning, sharing power and decision making, building mutual accountability and community-owned resources and capital.
• Stepping bravely into new futures: From grounding and collaborating in place we will then reimagine what futures we are co-creating for the next generations and young people of today. Here we will explore what power-shifting work is needed next – locally to nationally – to create systems that work for all people and country. This may include practices such as First Nations leadership of futures thinking, intergenerational learning and accountability, and opportunities for influencing policies, resourcing and narratives around place-based change.

You can also see the full 2025 program here