Frequently Asked Questions

AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) is a global social change organisation founded in 2005. It originally aimed to bridge the gap between marginalised youth and educational opportunities through mentoring programs that connect these youth with university students and professionals.

AIME was founded in 2005 by Jack Manning Bancroft when he was just 19 years old. The organisation began in Australia with a focus on mentoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to achieve educational parity and excellence​​.

Since its inception, AIME has significantly impacted over 25,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australia by helping them achieve educational success. The program has also involved over 10,000 university students as mentors, creating a large volunteer movement that has expanded to 52 countries​​. In 2016, its impact was valued at approximately $1.17 billion by KPMG​​.

AIME has received numerous accolades, including recognition as one of the Top 50 Organisations in Education by UNESCO, inclusion in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas in Education, and several awards for its impact on education and social equity. Jack Manning Bancroft, AIME founder, has also received personal accolades such as the Human Rights Medal and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia​​​​.

The long-term vision for AIME is to continue expanding its global impact by fostering equity through imagination, custodianship and mentoring. AIME aims to build a relational network that connects marginalised communities with opportunities and support systems, ultimately returning intellectual property to nature and promoting sustainable and regenerative systems​​​​.

Key milestones in AIME's history include:
2005: Founding of AIME.
2016: Expansion of AIME's programs globally.
2024: Launches IMAGI-NATION.

IMAGI-NATION is a digital and relational network launched by AIME that aims to address global challenges by leveraging the power of imagination, mentoring, and custodianship. It brings together diverse communities, organisations, and individuals to foster systemic change through a network of unlikely connections​​​​.

The core principles of IMAGI-NATION include imagination, mentoring, and custodianship. These principles are derived from Indigenous systems thinking and emphasise relational economies over transactional ones, aiming to create sustainable and regenerative systems​​​​.

IMAGI-NATION is funded through a combination of philanthropic contributions, government support, and partnerships. The goal is to raise $100 million to sustain operations until 2033. This funding supports various initiatives and ensures the scalability and sustainability of the network's impact​​​​.

IMAGI-NATION uses a multidimensional impact measurement system that combines quantitative data, stories, ripple effects, and network potential over time. This approach aims to capture the holistic impact of its initiatives, focusing on relational strength and systemic change rather than just numerical metrics​​​​.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems play a central role in IMAGI-NATION by providing foundational wisdom and practices that guide the network's principles and actions. These systems emphasise relationality, sustainability, and custodianship, which are critical to creating a regenerative and healthy societal framework​​​​.

IMAGI-NATION supports a wide range of projects aimed at systemic change in various sectors, including education, employment, finance, fashion, and sustainability. These projects include the establishment of Indigenous Knowledge Systems Labs, Imagination Labs in schools, Joy Corps organisations, and initiatives to solve complex global challenges such as climate change and social inequity​​​​​​.

Hoodie Economics is a transformative economic philosophy introduced by Jack Manning Bancroft, the founder of AIME. It proposes shifting from traditional, transactional economic models to relational economies that value imagination, custodianship, and joy. This approach seeks to include marginalized voices and Indigenous systems thinking to create a more equitable and sustainable economic framework​​.

Hoodie Economics challenges the conventional focus on limitless market growth, stock profits, and individualism. Instead, it emphasises relational values such as community, sustainability, and equity. It seeks to reshape economics to prioritize human and ecological well-being over financial gains, using the tools of imagination and exchange to foster systemic change​​.

Imagination is central to Hoodie Economics as it allows for the envisioning of new possibilities and solutions that go beyond traditional economic paradigms. By fostering creativity and innovative thinking, Hoodie Economics aims to design systems that are more inclusive, regenerative, and aligned with natural and human relational patterns​​.

Hoodie Economics incorporates Indigenous systems thinking by valuing long-term sustainability, relational networks, and custodial responsibility towards nature. This perspective challenges the dominant economic paradigms that often overlook these aspects, promoting a more balanced and respectful approach to economic development that includes the wisdom and practices of Indigenous cultures​​.

Practical applications of Hoodie Economics include developing relational economies within organisations, communities, and educational institutions. This can involve creating mentorship programs, fostering unlikely connections, implementing sustainable practices, and designing economic models that prioritise collective well-being over individual profit. It also includes accrediting organisations and schools as Joy Corps and Imagination Labs to embed these values deeply within their operations​​.

Individuals and organisations can adopt Hoodie Economics by embracing its core principles of imagination, custodianship, and relational value. This can be done by:
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- Encouraging creative and inclusive thinking in decision-making processes.
- Building networks that prioritise mutual support and collaboration.
- Implementing sustainable practices that respect natural ecosystems.
- Engaging in mentorship and knowledge-sharing activities.
- Shifting focus from profit maximisation to community and environmental well-being.
- By integrating these practices, they can contribute to a more equitable and sustainable economic system​​.