CONGRATUATIONS TO LEANNE, FOUNDER AND CEO OF VISUAL DREAMING

Leanne, Visual Dreaming’s Founder and CEO, with Shanae, who works closely with Leanne as a Youth Advisor and Coordinator.

We are so excited to share that Visual Dreaming’s Founder and CEO Leanne, has just been announced as a winner of the SheEO woman 2021 Australian Venture!

Community First Development have been partnering with Visual Dreaming, an Aboriginal tech company and social enterprise in Wagga Wagga, NSW, since 2020. Visual Dreaming has a specific focus on connecting and supporting young people and Elders, and filling a gap in current mental health infrastructure through connected care.

Leanne is a Tati Tati, Wadi Wadi and Mutti Mutti woman with a huge heart and a clear passion to support her local community. Leanne works tirelessly alongside Shanae, a young Wiradjuri woman whose role is Youth Advisor and Coordinator.

On learning she was a semi-finalist, Leanne said, “Dreams really do come true when you believe and you have the most amazing family, advisory team, community and Elders who champion you and lift you when you call.”

In 2020, Visual Dreaming invited our team to assist them to develop a business plan. Community First Development volunteer Rochelle assisted them by developing a detailed and thorough business plan to guide their work. Later that year Visual Dreaming launched their ground breaking app based on Aboriginal knowledge of holistic wellbeing for the body, mind and spirit.

Visual Dreaming describes their app as a wellbeing tool to bring communities together by connecting current and future generations to their Indigenous community, culture, and country. It draws on the cultural practices of Aboriginal people including visual storytelling to support users to set goals and connect to community and professional support networks. Visual Dreaming are also supporting local youth through NDIS programs. We are so proud of all their hard work and achievements.

Leanne spoke to the National Indigenous Times when the app was launched, saying that it has been tested in both juvenile justice systems and the out-of-home care system.

“We’ve been on the journey with the kids to make sure it works, particularly working with kids in care. Some are being placed in ridiculous amounts of placements, if they have their dream team, they can follow them, so they aren’t alone in care.”

“My dream is that everyone in Australia honours and values our culture and our mob. That our incarceration rates go down, that we invest in solutions other than incarceration.” Read more here:

In 2021 we are delighted to be working with Visual Dreaming again after they approached us to support them with a Marketing Plan and Communications Strategy. Leanne and her team are working with Senior Community Development Officer Ruth and two highly skilled volunteers, Christine, a mental health nurse practitioner and Robert, a branding and communications specialist, to develop and refine Visual Dreaming’s communications and marketing.

Leanne says, “I am so grateful to have found Community First Development over 12 months ago. What they do and the differences they have made for us is life changing, it was a matter of make or break for us. Volunteer Rochelle gave us support with the business plan and how we can be a viable social enterprise.

We started with volunteers Robert and Christine two months ago to develop our marketing plan, and within a couple of weeks my confidence in how we speak about Visual Dreaming has made such a difference and because of that we are a SheEO venture winner. Ruth Gilbert is extraordinary, her endless support has meant the world to us. Ruth goes over and beyond to support our team and our vision. We could not do it without her.

Thanks you Ruth and Community First Development, you truly are our Dream Team that we will treasure and hold close to our heart forever.”