PepsiCo Australia is extending its partnership with Indigenous non-profit, Jawun, for a further three years. The PepsiCo Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, has been providing funding to support Indigenous communities through Jawun since 2021.
Emerging from the Aboriginal communities of Cape York in 2001, Jawun has grown to a national non-profit program which partners with Indigenous community organisations and leaders to achieve locally driven aspirations.
PepsiCo is a Jawun Catalyse partner, the support tier providing the greatest level of impact and highest level of participation across Jawun’s networks.
PepsiCo Foundation president and PepsiCo Global head of Social Impact, C.D. Glin, said that the company investing in tangible social impact initiatives with the understanding that it takes real collaboration to make real changes.
“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Jawun, and recognise that we can support Indigenous communities with our most valuable asset – our people,” said Glin.
“Our partnership with Jawun provides skill and knowledge transfer opportunities, giving our employees the opportunity to help Indigenous organisations build their capacity while also immersing themselves in the community.
“This allows employees to give back and bring valuable insights and experiences from local leaders back to PepsiCo so we can meaningfully support our local communities,” he said.
The Jawun partnership model is based on shared learning, enduring relationships and a robust value exchange. Since partnering in 2021, PepsiCo has placed 12 employees into Indigenous organisations in North-East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and Inner Sydney in New South Wales.
They participate as part of a six-week secondment immersion program, equating to over 2500 hours of social impact work. Jawun matches the skillsets of PepsiCo employees to the needs of Indigenous-led projects, enabling employees to share their expertise and support Indigenous community organisations to achieve their goals.
Jawun CEO, Shane Webster, said that the partnership with PepsiCo enables valuable opportunities for learning, cross-sectoral collaboration and leadership development.
“For over 20 years, we have worked to create connections between the corporate and philanthropic sectors and leading Indigenous organisations to build their capacity, in order to advance their goals, both social and economic,” said Webster.
“Partnerships provide secondees with a deeper connection to Indigenous Australia and the motivation to pass on the lessons and experiences gained within their own networks.”
