“Shame is real in community, we have so many other barriers that disproportionately disadvantage kids in remote communities. It breaks my heart to see them being held back by feelings of shame on top of that. I know what those feelings are like.” (Baker Boy)

In remote Indigenous communities in Australia, ‘shame job’ is a real issue amongst youth. It refers to the perceived barriers that stop someone from going after their dreams.

Google feels a responsibility to elevate the stories of underrepresented communities. Google’s mission is about universal access to information. Universal means for everyone, so inclusion is a part of everything Google does, from developing our products, to the stories it tells.

Our brief was to bring this ethos to life, by showing how Google helps communities all around Australia. Our objective was to increase the number of Australians who believe Google makes a positive contribution to society.

Danzal Baker, who goes by Baker Boy, is a hip hop artist and Young Australian of the Year. He’s a Yolngu man from Yurruwi, in Arnhem Land, in the remote Northern Territories. His passion is mentoring Indigenous youth to rise up and reach their potential. In this film Danzal finds ways to help another young Indigenous talent rise, with the help of Google.

He's in a rehearsal space in Collingwood and he hears a young girl rapping along to his song, in confident Yolngu. He runs after her, but she's battling shame, and is too shy to connect. Danzal uses Google to search for lots of ways to help Mikaela gain confidence in her talent, her voice, and her culture.

Mikaela rises up and succeeds on her terms, by successfully performing on stage in her own language, with a little help from a mentor, and Google.

We drove a 10.6% increase in the number of people who believe that Google makes a positive contribution to Australian society. We also drove up to a 20.1% increase in brand advocacy.