Leah Avene

Leah Manaema Avene (she/them) is a mother, musician, therapist, broadcaster, facilitator, researcher and educator. Leah’s bloodlines have been shaped by the Pacific Ocean and the islands of Tuvalu through her father’s line and the landscapes of Ireland through her mother’s. Leah was raised on unceded Kulin Nations lands along the coastline of Waddawurrung / Wathaurong Country (South coast of Victoria). Leah’s work focuses on nurturing the strengths of culture, ancestry, land, body, community and deeply shared values to transform harmful power dynamics in bodies, relationships and systems.

Leah holds a Masters in Relational Gestalt Psychotherapy and has been mentored into anti-oppressive practice and First Nations-led organisational reform by award-winning Inupiat filmmaker, educator and facilitator Rachel Naninaaq Edwardson and award-winning Tamil-Australian lawyer, educator and Cultural Safety strategist David Vadiveloo. Leah refined this practice throughout their time leading culturally safe education reform in the Victorian Youth Justice Precincts, as a teacher, staff trainer and in senior school leadership. Leah currently holds a research position as Indigenous Pedagogy Lead at the Wilin Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development, where their academic research focuses on Indigenous knowledge, language and art as holistic, integrative healing processes.

Leah broadcasts on 3RRR, writes and performs music and poetry, and practices community cultural arts as a weaver and maker.