Ember Collaborative connects, empowers, and inspires women+. 

Through inclusive events and online platforms, Ember celebrates the diversity that can be found in expressions of womanhood. Ember provides a forum for genuine connection and empowerment, as well as knowledge and skill-sharing.

Our annual gathering welcomes anyone who identifies as a woman to enjoy a weekend with the girls, without the pressure of conforming to any particular expression of womanhood or femininity, nor any specific group or “scene”.

It is a passion project of the team members who squeeze the work into the rest of their lives, around jobs, studies, etc. It is a not-for-profit structure and registered ACNC charity.

Wierd Women was founded by an eclectic group of 22-year-olds from Sydney six years ago, in 2018. 

The collective was born to fill a void in the cultural landscape. The founding crew dreamed of a space that didn’t yet exist; a gathering where all women could comfortably embrace their uniqueness and forge connections, whilst feeling utterly safe and free. They wanted to illuminate the multifaceted aspects of womanhood and create a space to share the diverse talents and knowledge within the community. 

They created the gathering they themselves wanted to attend. Their aim was to curate a temporary village where all women feel completely at home and welcome, no matter their lifestyle or personal beliefs. 

With origins in the psytrance community, Wierd Women began as an offshoot of the Wierd “doof” crew. During the mid-2010’s, Wierd was behind some of the phattest and most boundary-pushing psytrance parties in Australia. Involvement in the psytrance scene during their late teens was instrumental in giving the crew the confidence to pull off whatever they wanted, no matter how crazy.

During one revelatory chat between some of the chicks, they realised that most organisational tasks were unintentionally gendered. Guys would arrange the music; girls would arrange the decor. Guys would build the stage; girls would stitch the shade sails. As a group of competent and confident young women, this didn’t sit right. It was during that chat that an ember was sparked; the girls committed to taking on more of the “boys tasks,” transgressing gender norms. What began as a simple idea to upskill and defy gender expectations quickly evolved into creating a women’s camping retreat, “the best girls weekend ever,” run by women, for women. 

Wierd Women’s first gathering hosted 75 women in March 2018. It was supposed to be a fun experiment with no future plans, yet it turned out to be life-changing for many of the crew and attendees. So the collective had to continue. Wierd Women has since developed into a thriving non-for-profit that welcomes 500 people to its annual gathering, hosts various other arts and culture events, and has a digital platform to complement the efforts to empower and celebrate womankind.

The Women

  • Hannah Scott

    Hannah co-founded Ember Collaborative and Wierd, and now has a decade of experience in the events industry where she's organized many of her own events and worked for other festivals across Australia. Following five years of intermittent travel, she divides her time between Australia and Switzerland where she works on Ember Co as her primary passion. In her spare time, she meditates, hikes the Swiss Alps and pursues numerous creative projects like beer brewing, gardening and stop-motion filmmaking.

  • Dayna Santana

    Dayna is a co-founder of Ember Collaborative. She is a passionate women’s rights advocate and humanitarian who was previously based in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. At the moment, along with Ember Co, she is focusing on her fledgling NGO, Maiya School, which educates teenage girls living in refugee camps. Dayna is a forever-student, currently doing post-graduate research with Sydney University and never wants to “leave school.” When not working on her various projects and studies, you can find Dayna reading, surfing or exploring.

  • Chloe Corben

    Chloe, a co-founder of Ember Collaborative and a founding member of the Wierd crew, finds inspiration in the enchantment of nature, magic, and all things wild. As a Naturopath registered with NHAA, she passionately advocates for holistic health and wellness. Currently residing in Northern NSW, nestled amidst the trees and ocean, Chloe blends her expertise in Naturopathy with her involvement in the Medicinal Cannabis industry. Outside of her professional pursuits, Chloe enjoy nourishing friends and family through food, immersing in music, drawing, and exploring.

  • Charity Walsh

    Charity has been a passionate and enthusiastic supporter of Ember Collaborative’s journey since attending the first event back in 2018. As the newest member of the team, Charity brings her fresh and diverse ideas to the collective. Originally from the UK, Charity travelled and moved to Australia at the age of 20, after falling in love with the landscape and culture, she has now set a life up for herself in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. With years of experience in art, design and communications, Charity has now found her passion in supporting the community in mental health and disability and is currently working towards a diploma in counselling.

  • Karina Zheng

    Karina is a passionate advocate for equality, actively supporting and contributing to Ember Collaborative from its early stages. With a strong drive to connect communities and foster the exchange of ideas and skills, she embraces Ember Co’s mission wholeheartedly. Previously, she made valuable contributions to Women's Agenda, an online platform dedicated to empowering women in politics and leadership. Through her work, she expanded her network and played a vital role in sharing news and perspectives important to women. In her current position at MOFA, a film production company, Karina continues to build connections and recognises their significance in nurturing and expanding communities.

  • Asheley Goodwill

    Ash has been an advocate of Wierd and Ember Collaborative since the beginning. During her studies, she committed herself to events and bringing people together. Ash studied a double degree in science and arts and is passionate about bridging the gap between these fields. She cares deeply about community, environmental and indigenous issues. After travelling in South America and Europe, Ash built a tiny house with her partner and moved to Gumbaynggirr country on the mid-north coast where she now works on a koala conservation project. Ash loves facilitating meaningful conversations and helps manage the panel discussions at Ember events. In her spare time, Ash loves cooking, swimming and gardening!

Why Ember?

An ember represents the potential for transformation and growth. Embers are resilient. Embers are far more powerful when part of something larger. What better way to explain the power, potential and unity that defines the gatherings our collaborative creates?

A small, glowing ember can ignite into a powerful fire, just as an Ember Gathering can ignite the spark of potential within every woman. When women come together, as embers found within a larger fire, their collective strength and influence can be far greater than individual efforts. And women endure. Just as embers can remain hot and glowing even in challenging conditions, our name reminds us that we too can endure and shine.

An ember has ignited.