Celebrating McKenna: Supporting Entrepreneurship & Building Confidence
At Koiop Connect, we believe meaningful support is about creating opportunities for people to discover their strengths, pursue their passions and build a future that feels fulfilling to them. For some of our participants, this means exploring entrepreneurship and turning a passion, skill or creative idea into something they can share with the wider community. From developing products and learning the ins and outs of business operations, to engaging with customers, managing financial transactions and confidently sharing their story, participant-led ventures provide valuable opportunities to build independence, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills in a real-world setting.
But the value goes beyond the practical skills. There is a genuine sense of pride and achievement that comes from seeing an idea come to life, taking ownership of something meaningful and having the wider community recognise and celebrate it.
For Koiop Connect participant McKenna, a talented Wiradjuri artist from Dubbo living on Awabakal land, NAIDOC 2026 provided an opportunity to share her jewellery collection, creativity and culture with the community. It was a chance to showcase her work, connect with others and take another step towards growing her creative business.
McKenna, a talented Wiradjuri artist from Dubbo at NAIDOC 2026 celebrations.
Here, McKenna shares her story in her own words
“My name is McKenna and I am a Wiradjuri artist from Dubbo living on Awabakal land.
My artwork and jewellery are inspired by Country, Culture, and Storytelling, creating meaningful connections through vibrant, handcrafted wearable art.
My artwork name, Maguwonha’s Jewellery Design, came from back home in Dubbo and this was given to me by and Elder and I feel proud to work under this name.
I worked hard in the lead up to NAIDOC 2026 to design my jewellery collection to share with the community and I look forward to NAIDOC 2027, so I can share even more of my collection with everyone.
Thank you to everyone who came to support me on the day.”