International Women’s Day: Vanessa Stokes
Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob Founder Vanessa and Yuendumu Community Softball Participant.
As we celebrate incredible women for International Women’s Day, we spoke with Vanessa Stokes, the founder of Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob, to discuss her impactful work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in Alice Springs and surrounding remote areas in Central Australia.
In partnership with Community First Development, Vanessa is ensuring the long-term growth and sustainability of Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob. Together, we are working on developing a solid business plan, securing funding, refining its direction, getting the right business mentoring, and professional development opportunities to succeed as an Indigenous business.
Q&A with Vanessa Stokes
Can you tell us about yourself?
I am a proud Indigenous Luritja, Warramungu, Narrunga & Kokatha woman from Central Australia and South Australia. Currently I am retired as a professional athlete, representing Australia in softball for 10 years, also playing in the Japanese and American professional leagues within my sporting career. During my sporting career, I worked with the Port Adelaide Football Club for over 9 years delivering the Aboriginal Willpower Program in remote NT and SA regions.
What inspired you to create Blakdoll Role Models?
I loved working with Indigenous children and youth in remote communities through the Willpower Program, to be that positive role model and provide an image for our Indigenous kids to look up to. This was something I was super passionate about. It gave me the inspiration and confidence to build on my dreams and passions, mentoring and empowering young Indigenous people in communities by creating my own social enterprise, trading as the Blakdoll Sports and Fitness Mob. The Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob are currently expanding as a social enterprise to reach more Indigenous communities with our deadly team of Blakdoll Role models. The Blakdoll Role Models are passionate about making a difference in the lives of our Indigenous children and youth, using sports as an innovative way to learn and develop the skillsets and mindsets to become future role models in community.
Having Role Models in my life helped me to believe in myself, act on my dreams and life goals to represent my country and be the best version of myself, they were crucial in my journey to the top and there is nothing better than doing the same for our Indigenous kids in Central Australia, who need it the most.
What was your journey like in building a business that supports Indigenous youth?
It’s been very challenging at times, in establishing the Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob and the team of Blakdoll Role Models. However, I think this whole business journey so far has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about business and being a business owner.
Gaining the skills and abilities in business has given me knowledge to provide empowering programs specific to improving the lives of Indigenous children and youth in our remote and rural communities. I think being a sports person all my life gave me the knowledge and resilience to take on challenges as opportunities to be better, that’s for sure. My bounce-back muscle is strong and blessed me with success in elite sport, so I am thinking why not apply myself the same way into the business world.
Have you overcome any challenges as a First Nations woman in business, if so, how did you overcome them?
Accessing support has been a challenge for me. I’ve been able to access support from my allocated business mentor with Community First Development. I’ve been able to talk about the challenges I have faced as an Indigenous Woman with an Indigenous business in a positive way, shifting views on solutions instead of the problem. This gives me a guide to manage issues that may arise.
In Central Australia, the barriers are more complex than what you see on TV. Being an Indigenous business owner is particularly challenging because other issues come into play. Mob from rural communities struggle even more, lacking access to essential services like health, medical care, family support, and justice.
What barriers exist for Indigenous youth today, and how does your program help address them?
Boredom is a big issue, along with the lack of role models or leaders motivating our mob to take responsibility for their actions, be independent, stay accountable and find their life purposes that this world has blessed us with.
Most kids don’t have role models in community that are constant. Blakdoll has built a team of role models coming from different professional backgrounds from athletes to cultural role models that do on Country learning. Our Blakdoll Role Model team provides Indigenous kids with more opportunities and different pathways through the program, sharing their remarkable stories and how they have achieved success, proving what’s possible if we choose to pursue what we love most. Blakdoll lives by you can’t be what you can’t see.
My business helps address these common challenges, especially in remote communities. Blakdoll uses school as a platform within the community, offering sports & healthy lifestyle modules and classroom learning that focuses on five key areas that make up a whole person - culture, leadership, education, health, and wellness. School provides an inclusive environment where we can reach all kids. We also provide after-school and holiday programs which generates high amounts of Indigenous kids and youth in community, which has been great for the Blakdoll Role Models and our work.
Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob with kids from multiple Central Australian communities attending academy training in Alice Springs.
How is Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob helping young people develop essential life skills and achieve their dreams?
Sports serves as an innovative way to learn and educate Indigenous children and youth, helping them develop the necessary skills and abilities to become their own role models. AFL and softball are the main sports the kids love, and through these, we open up other opportunities for them.
Our programs are designed to help kids build the skills needed to be role models. Role models are crucial in shaping young minds, as kids are often influenced by the actions of those around them. Through our programs, we give kids the belief, resilience, and confidence to pursue their dreams and passions, whilst encouraging them to stay in school.
Being present is key. The Blakdoll Role Models provide the kids with an image they can look up to. For some, this is the first time they’ve had the opportunity to see how role models can positively influence their lives.
It’s a two-way learning experience: we teach the kids, and they teach us about their cultures. We encourage them to think for themselves and give them opportunities to lead. For example, I’ll ask them to show me how they hunt, and they will organise it - setting a time and place for us to meet them.
In the classroom, we ask the kids, “What are the attitudes of a leader?” They often think of their family members. This gets them thinking and imagining of an ideal leader they know.
When we talk about goals and dreams, we encourage the kids to stay in school and consider their future after education.
We also engage with the kids’ families, sharing what we’re doing with our program and inviting them to get involved in the activities.
What actions need to be taken to create more opportunities for Indigenous youth in rural and remote areas?
Central Australia needs more programs that provide young people with pathways in areas like sport, leadership, education, health and wellness. There’s a clear need for more community-driven initiatives that can open doors and give kids the tools they need to succeed in life.
Why are role models important for Indigenous children and young people?
Put simply, a role model is someone who serves as an example and someone whom others look up to, often as someone worthy of imitation. People have role models at all stages, but role models are usually most impressionable on children and younger people. Aboriginal people often think of role models as sports stars. Unfortunately, our Aboriginal communities have few role models, yet the role of a role model is vital.
Role models give us our most important life lessons, with their actions having a profound influence over us. The fact that role models are most impressionable on children and young people is at the core of why they’re so important. There are thousands of community kids who are impressionable, who need someone who serves as an example and someone whom others look up to. Positive role models influence kids’ actions, often by imitation, and motivate kids to try for the standards role models have set. It’s for this reason that role models are essential. A good role model can sometimes influence a child or young person even more so than parents and teachers can.
How do you hope your journey inspires the next generation to become role models in their own communities?
Kids need programs like this to inspire them. Working as a whole community has a greater impact. I usually don’t tell my story about being a professional athlete until they ask, and they do. When I tell them, the kids say “Omg, show us what you can do”. And it will make them more comfortable to speak and hypes them up. The kids are always asking questions – what did you do, what have you done?
I tell them that it’s good to have a plan for your future and have people around you to support you. And that if you do embark on your own journey, it’s not always going to be easy.
Never-the-less to say, no matter what, the kids are always smiling in community and are always happy and laughing. They’re grateful for what they have, this has made me grateful and abundant in my own life as a mother to my young son, happiness is what our Blakdoll Role Model trips gift me with always, I love this feeling. I couldn’t imagine my life without it now.
Vanessa Stokes playing for Australia in 2016 at the Asia Cup, now a business owner of the newly established Blakdoll Sports & Fitness Mob.
What advice would you give to young Indigenous women who want to start their own business or community initiative?
If you’re passionate about making a difference in the lives of Indigenous peoples and believe you can, go for it. We must act on our dreams because this is the true art of fulfillment. Sometimes we’re too afraid, don’t be as this opportunity can change your life for the better. “So take risks and believe in yourself. Make an impact. Act on your dreams. Find professionals to support and help with your idea and live it.”
What’s next for Blakdoll Role Models - any exciting projects or goals for the future?
One of our goals is to partner with other Indigenous businesses and larger organisations to increase our impact and provide even more opportunities for Indigenous youth. We want to take our programs to more places and expand to the top end and remote WA and SA. Expanding to different areas to provide more role models and programs, to provide better pathways through education is another avenue for success and hopefully by the next 3-5 Years, Blakdoll is well-established Australia wide.
Anything else you would like to add?
Having Community First Development work with Blakdoll, we've progressed a lot in our short time together. I haven't got that from anywhere else. Nikkeeta (Senior Community Development Officer) works tirelessly with me to discuss solutions and finds the right professionals to assist me in the growth of my business. She gives me different ideas that I can implement into my business strategies and helps me to reframe my thinking of the negative challenges I have faced in a positive way. Focusing on solutions instead of the problem. If I didn't have her, it would be very hard to get the assistance I have so far and I’m grateful to be working with Community First Development, as they are doing an outstanding job.
They have definitely provided me with opportunities and possibilities to improve my business and be a game changer into making a difference in the lives of Indigenous young peoples.