Program History
The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) is an innovative, Indigenous-centred fellowship program based at the University of Melbourne and supported by Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. AFSE has established and continues to grow a network of Indigenous leaders and allies, who are committed to driving Indigenous-led social change across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Pacific Island nations.
Background and Leadership Experience
Toleafoa Dr Yvonne Ualesi joins AFSE from Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where she was a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education. Yvonne is an Aotearoa New Zealand-born scholar from the Pacific Island nations of Samoa, Tokelau and Fiji. She Initially trained as a primary school teacher and completed her PhD at the University of Auckland.
Yvonne’s research interests are broad and include primary and higher education professional practice and Indigenous philosophy. In various academic and community leadership roles, she has contributed to understanding the experiences of indigenous academics, ākonga and youth, advocating for equitable opportunities and drawing on ancestral knowledge.
Yvonne will take a leadership role in the delivery of the AFSE program, weaving together Indigenous and Pacific peoples, communities, and knowledge-systems.