Cultural Responsiveness

Dual Naming Signage

In 2022 the College met with Noongar Elder, Freda Ogilvie, who offered consultation on naming the bush tucker garden and campus buildings based on their use or purpose, such as Kaartidjin (knowledge) for the Learning Centre and Dookerniny (cooking) for the Canteen.

Principal Leadership Program

Principal Travis Vladich, was accepted into the Culturally Responsive School’s Program which saw him visit Ballardong Country for professional journey and transformational learning experience. The program will help build cultural responsiveness, promote reconciliation, and strengthen Aboriginal student outcomes within the College and community. This is a one-year program, which includes five days of face-to-face forums held on Wadjak country over 4 terms; a three day on-Country learning experience on Noongar country; and an action learning project.

Noongar Elder, Dr Noel Nannup, hosted a 3 day on-Country experience as an integral element of this program.

FOLLOW THE DREAM – MAALI MIA

The Maali Mia group has 15 students enrolled from Years 7 to 12 who meet regularly. The Indigenous students in the program are from various regions of Western Australia. A number of students are also members of the Polly Farmer Foundation – Follow the Dream program providing industry connections to Murdoch University and the UWA Aboriginal Education program for future pathways. In collaboration with Associate Principal Judy Hendrickse the group have established personalised mentoring and tutoring programs to meet the needs of students for academic growth. The group also attended National NAIDOC week celebrations, joined by parents and community members to celebrate.

Alumni Maali Mia student Jules Thomas returned to the College as a mentor to the current students in the group to provide direction for the artwork for the 2022-2024 Business Plan.

Bush Tucker Garden

Community guests, staff and students gathered for a Welcome To Country, Smoking Ceremony, speeches and a dance performance to announce the development of Meearn Boodjah, the College bush tucker garden project. Students and staff have been hard at work planting native edible plants and creating signage for the garden in the Year Nine quad. The garden and its produce will be utilised in food technologies classes. The Year 10 food students participated in an incursion with Marissa Verma from Bindi Bindi Dreaming, where she shared her knowledge and expertise on bush tucker and connection to Country. In the cooking workshop students prepared and tasted recipes incorporating bush herbs and spices, some of which are being cultivated in Meearn Boodjah. A feature story about the garden and dual naming of campus buildings was published in the Koori Mail, a fortnightly National Indigenous Newspaper that is 100% Aboriginal and Owned 100% Self Funded.

RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN (RAP)

John Curtin College of the Arts respects the history of First Nations people and is working towards having an honest and deep understanding of First Nations culture, through listening, connecting, and building inclusive relationships with students, teachers, school community, elders and broader community. Strengthening these relationships will allow us to develop and build a responsive approach to education that is inclusive of everyone and closes the gap on cultural knowing and connection. We are in a unique position as a College of the Arts which allows us to implement and engage in reconciliation in ways that are unique and authentic. By using the College values to rethink and reconnect with the past, we strive to create a future where reconciliation is a lived reality and not simply an idea, we are committed to knowing, being and doing.

Partnering with representatives from Curtin University, parents, staff and board members to develop the JCCA RAP.