To our valued students, alumni and partners,

It is a very difficult time for the Community and we hope that you are taking the time to look after yourselves and support each other.

This referendum followed months of the Voice campaign, years of planning and decades of struggle for justice and healing.

Our first priority is with the CareerTrackers staff, students, alumni, families and communities right across Australia, and we will continue to connect and send our messages of solidarity and support.

We believe that a No vote does not undermine the importance of First Nations representation and leadership: it only reinforces it, and this was a missed opportunity for the government to incorporate First Nations advice on national policy and laws.

We know a First Nations voice would have been beneficial for the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and employment and our collective impact.

Now, CareerTrackers and our community and partners must collaborate even more closely to accelerate our efforts – and we will.

We will work together so that our students starting Work Shadow experience in high school and our interns can continue to dream and choose careers that were until recently closed to their Elders, and that our alumni continue to thrive in their chosen fields.

We understand and acknowledge the strength required by our young people to carry such hope for their futures on their shoulders alone and we are here to champion, encourage and assist them.

A No vote does not mean Institutions can stop listening to Community. There is still so much for us all to learn about our shared history of over 60,000 years and through the process of truth telling.We thank our allies, partners and friends of CareerTrackers, some who have been with us since the beginning and others new, for their continued support.

Our vision to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in current and future generations has never been more important.

If you are feeling distressed, and need to speak to a support service, here are some organisations to call 24/7:

• 13YARN: for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in crisis 13 92 76
• Beyond Blue: mental health helpline 1300 224 636
• MensLine: men’s crisis counselling 1300 789 978
• Lifeline: crisis support and suicide prevention. 13 11 14