Home » News » 11 First Nations streamers will lead NAIDOC Week celebrations on Twitch
News

11 First Nations streamers will lead NAIDOC Week celebrations on Twitch

Heal Country.

Eleven First Nations streamers will lead Twitch’s NAIDOC Week celebrations, the company has recently confirmed.

NAIDOC Week began yesterday and runs until 11 July, an Australian celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. This year’s theme is “Heal Country”.

In a press release promoting its NAIDOC Week events, Twitch announced it has partnered with Indigitek, a not-for-profit dedicating to increasing First Nations participation in STEM. As part of the partnership, Twitch has sponsored $10,000 AUD in scholarships to support two content creators, the Mulholland Mob and Tyson Magistro; each streamer will receive $5,000 AUD to grow their channels.

“Indigenous people are the oldest storytellers on the planet, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Twitch to create opportunities to elevate our voices online,” said Indigitek’s Ben Armstrong. “We were overwhelmed with the submissions received for our first ever Live Creator Starter Kit Scholarship, and our panel of judges had their work cut out for them when selecting the two deserving creators. The Indigitek team and community will support the talented Mulholland Mob and Tyson to grow their platforms, so watch this space!”

Moreover, streamer Rubii Red was commissioned by Twitch to create artwork in celebration of NAIDOC Week.

“The circles represent the communities made and found on Twitch as you connect with like-minded people through shared interests, from gaming and politics to art,” Rubii said of the commission, seen above. “The dot work represents all streamers as a whole and how we’re able to form relationships and collaborate with each other. The line work that connects the circles represents the connections, pathways and journeys we’ve made through Twitch.”

Finally, Twitch has shone the spotlight on 11 First Nations streamers, as follows, in support of NAIDOC Week:

  • Joel ‘BayinJD‘, a variety streamer from Gadigal and Dunghutti land who works in the tech industry by day and strives to revitalise the language of his ancestors by night, and will be using this extra visibility to fundraise for Indigenous charities live on stream
  • Liam ‘Twikwon‘, a proud 24-year-old Wiradjuri man and advocate for mental health and disability awareness
  • Josh ‘Cuzb0t‘, a Torres Strait Islander, variety streamer and former professional Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare player who is re-entering the gaming scene and building a community on Twitch
  • Nich ‘Grizz’ Richie, a non-binary Indigenous Australian who loves connecting with their community while streaming role-playing games in an inclusive environment for LGBTQI+ viewers
  • Tessa ‘Lupawolf152‘, an Indigenous Australian in her early 30s who’s found streaming to be a creative outlet
  • Josephine ‘sissyjuice‘, a Kaurareg woman who streams first-person shooter and free world games
  • Storm ‘Br0therDarkness‘, a proud father and member of the Yorta Yorta Nation who’s attracting viewers with his variety streams and trademark moustache
  • Damien ‘DarkChoccyMilk‘, a 23-year-old Sea of Thieves and Apex Legends streamer from Adelaide
  • Jordy ‘gonebub‘, a 25-year-old Apex Legends streamer and First Nations woman representing Gumbaynggirr, Wakka Wakka and Mununjali country.
  • Galen ‘mccoley97‘, a proud Aboriginal man of the Wiradjuri nation and variety streamer
  • Kevin ‘Kevd0t’, an Indigenous Australian from North Queensland and Call of Duty: Warzone streamer

If you’d like to celebrate NAIDOC Week away from your PC or smartphone, you can find a listing of events taking place in the real world right here.

Tags

This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.

About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.