Let's talk about success: exploring factors behind positive change in Aboriginal communities

What are the factors that enable some Aboriginal organisations to drive positive change in their communities? This paper draws on interviews with leaders of successful Aboriginal organisations to understand the factors behind the successes that they are achieving in their communities. It explores how they define and assess success and what they see as the factors behind their achievements. It discusses the challenges and critical turning points they have faced and what enables them to sustain their success. It also explores what they say are distinctively Aboriginal features about the way they work. The paper finds considerable continuities with previous studies of Aboriginal organisations, but also outlines some of the successful strategies they use in working with their communities.