NEWS
RECONCILIATION IN SCHOOLS AND EARLY LEARNING
Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NARRAGUNNAWALI UPDATE The second half of 2016 is already in full swing, and Narragunnawali has a reason to celebrate – our community has more than doubled in size since January. We now have over 2500 people signed up to Narragunnawali who are learning about and progressing reconciliation in 700 schools and early learning services. Narragunnawali is designed to support early learning services, primary and secondary schools in Australia to foster a higher level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. As teachers and educators, our ability to teach the next generation almost always starts with learning for ourselves. Narragunnawali will facilitate this journey through the provision of professional learning resources tied closely to RAP Actions—stay tuned.
ISSUE NO. 3 2016
Ancestors have walked this country and we acknowledge their special and unique contribution to our shared histories, cultures and languages. We recognise the collective contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians in educating all people across this country.
In this issue of Narragunnawali News, we wanted to share some of the opportuniites and experiences that schools and early learning services had during National Reconciliation Week (NRW) and NAIDOC Week. While national awareness weeks like NRW and NAIDOC provide excellent opportunities for teaching and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, we must remember that reconciliation initiatives need to take place more often than just one day or one week each year. To support these efforts, in this issue you will also find a list of other significant dates for celebration and commemoration, as well as ideas for how to continue the learning journey all year-round. It is still early days for Narragunnawali, so we would love to hear about the successes and the challenges you are experiencing in your school or early learning service’s reconciliation journey. It is only through sharing that we will be able to ensure that the goodwill and support for reconciliation growing across the country isn’t stilted by the many hard conversations before us. These conversations are for all Australians to actively commit to and participate in.
REFLECTING ON NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK Between 27 May and 3 June this year, schools and early learning services around Australia celebrated National Reconciliation Week (NRW) with creativity and committment. This year’s theme – ‘Our History, Our Story, Our Future’ – asked Australians to reflect on our national identity and the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and rights in our nation’s story. The response was immense, with more than one million Australians taking part in National Reconciliation Week on social media in a single day (28 May). Narragunnawali put out the call to schools and early learning services to let us know how you celebrated and what the theme meant to you. We are very happy to showcase some of the responses we received.
6C – Patterson Lakes Primary School, Victoria Patty Lamaro, Teacher: “For NRW, we watched videos, browsed websites and had discussions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reconciliation. Students were then asked to create a poster about the theme for NRW - Our History, Our Story, Our Future. Students were asked to consider their posters’ purpose, audience and reasons why they chose certain design features. We then created a class jigsaw puzzle with a timeline of significant dates in the history of reconciliation. This has been a very valuable learning experience for my students.”
The Grange Kindergarten, Victoria Bunjil the Eagle is the creator spirit of the Aboriginal people of the Kulin Nation. Bunjil created the land, water, animals and the people. Bunjil the eagle protects the lands and watches over people. As a part of celebrating NRW and our ongoing journey of reconcilliation, The Grange Kindergarten have worked in partnership with The Grange P12 prep classes, our families and The Grange Community Centre 3+ groups to create a Community Bunjil the Eagle.
Le Fevre High School, South Australia Le Fevre High School celebrated NRW with a whole school assembly that featured comedian Josh Warrior and traditional Kaurna dancing. Students at the school also made a film reflecting on what reconciliation means to them. Take a look here.
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Keeping the conversation going beyond National Reconciliation Week National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for the country to celebrate and build on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. It is a time to recognise Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander histories and strengthen shared pride in the cultures andcontributions of Indigeous peoples. It is a week to share information, stories, experiences, knowledge and culture, but what happens once the week is over? Following NRW 2015, Trinity College South Principal Mark Simpson, with the help of Education Consultants Monica Williams and Frankie Roberts, implemented a Narragunnawali
Reconciliation Action Plan or RAP. The RAP allowed students and teachers to learn more about the histories and cultures of First Nations peoples year-round. Mr Simpson, Ms Williams and Ms Roberts joined Strong Voice on CAAMA radio last year to talk more about ensuring cultural knowledge and sharing is not restricted to only one dedicated week per year. Listen to what they have to say.
Now that NAIDOC Week is over, it’s as good a reason as any to remind ourselves of the importance of making sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures are part of every day of the year. Early learning educator and Narragunnawali team member Adam Duncan reflects: NAIDOC week serves as a great prompt for thinking about why we should be teaching about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. We, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, are the people of this land. Yes, we have familial, spiritual and conceptual links to Country that are difficult to relate to people of other cultures, however we also have very physical and emotional connections to the land onto which our grandparents, parents, sibling, children and grandchildren are born.These connections can be equated to those formed by Western societies, for example the connection to a childhood home, or connections felt upon returning to our country of origin after a long absence. Why teach about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions? Students and children are growing up on Country and experiencing places that have seen at least 40 millenia of being cared for and tended by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Country is a part of our shared histories. Country wears the footprints of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, colonist, migrant and 3rd/4th/5th generation Australians. These footprints, be they cultural, spiritual, economic, ecological, sociological or physical, are footprints that we leave within, and on top of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander footprints, the first footprints left on Country, and on this country.
Adam Duncan (pictured) is a Narragunnawali team member and educator at Wiradjuri Preschool and Childcare Centre, Canberra
Reflecting on NAIDOC Week: remembering the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures every day of the year NAIDOC Week often falls in the school holidays, which can make it tricky for schools and services to be a part of the buzz. During NAIDOC (3-10 July), events were held across Australia to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Social media lit up with #NAIDOC2016 and many rich stories were broadcast and published. For nonIndigenous Australians, NAIDOC can be a great opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures by participating in community events.
This is what we all share, and it’s why learning about the peoples, my peoples, who made those footprints is so important. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Country are inextricably linked. You share my Country, then you need to share my culture.
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ACTION IN FOCUS
Ideas for action
Teach about Days of National Significance
Create a Reconciliation Calendar: Use internal calendars and emails to remind staff of approaching days of national significance and ideas for celebrating or commemorating them. You may also wish to plot these days on large classroom calendars and have students and children illustrate the significance.
As NRW and NAIDOC Week have wrapped up for the year, it is timely to reflect on other dedicated days and weeks that are significant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reconciliation. These commemorative or awareness-raising dates are a great way to continue teaching students and children about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions.
Prepare a speech: Support students to prepare a short speech for the school assembly to inform peers and teachers about the significance of a particular day or week. Share the responsibility among a number of students for different days of national significance.
Incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into teaching about commemorative dates, such as Australia Day and Anzac Day, will provide a more nuanced understanding of the significance of these days.
Key considerations
Create awareness-raising materials: Use class time with students and children to create artwork, posters and other materials to raise awareness of days of national significance around your school or early learning service. These materials may also be used to promote events your school or service is hosting to meaningfully mark these days and open your doors to the community.
• Many days of national significance were first marked in very recent history. While representing substantial milestones in Australia’s reconciliation journey, their recent memorialisation also reminds us of the journey ahead. • What makes a day ‘significant’ can be understood in differing ways. For example, January 26th marks a day on which Country was invaded and life disrupted for some, but commemorates cultural resilience and survival for others.
Research and reflect on local significance: Support students to investigate how the history and politics behind particular days of national significance have played out inyour local area. Invite local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into your classroom to share their personal stories and perspectives on days of national significance, giving students and children the opportunity to engage first-hand with a more complex and personalised understanding of what these days signify.
• Days of national significance for reconciliation are not exclusively relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They are for all Australians to learn about, teach about, and remember.
Key dates • 26 January (Australia Day)
• 3 June - Mabo Day
• 13 February - Anniversary of the National Apology
• 1 July - Coming of the Light Festival (Torres Strait Islands)
• March - National Close the Gap Day
• July (first full week) -National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee or NAIDOC Week
• 21 March - Harmony Day • 25 April - ANZAC Day
• 4 August - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
• 26 May - National Sorry Day • 27 May to 3 June - National Reconciliation Week
• 9 August - International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
• 27 May - Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum
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RECONCILIATION IN THE MEDIA There have been many challenges internationally and close to home in the last few months, but there have also been stories of success and triumph that should be celebrated. From May to July, National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week events were held across Australia to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and our nation’s reconciliation journey. During this period, many stories celebrating and reflecting on these themes were shared across social, print and digital media. Use the below news stories as conversation starters with colleagues, parents and students to help think about what reconciliation means to you and your school or service community.
Stronger Smarter approach: Professor Chris Sarra was recently named NAIDOC Person of the Year at the 2016 NAIDOC awards in Darwin. Chris was the first Aboriginal principal at Cherbourg State School in South East Queensland in 1998, where he developed his ‘Stronger Smarter’ philosophy. The philosophy encourages students to be both strong in their cultural identity and smart by making the most of their educational opportunities, and has proved to have dramatic outcomes. Chris went on to establish the Stronger Smarter Institute which promotes the Stronger Smarter approach with teachers, educators and community leaders across the country. Conversation starter: What are some of the core strategies of the Stronger Smarter approach and why are they seeing such success?
Reconciliation Australia CEO Justin Mohamed and Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron at Sydney Opera House, illuminated with Songlines during Vivid
Songlines: Coinciding with National Reconciliation Week, this year’s Vivid festival transformed the sails of the Sydney Opera House into an animated canvas of Indigenous art. This celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality and culture focused on the songlines of our land and sky. The theme of NAIDOC Week was also Songlines and prompted Guardian journalist Paul Daley to discuss how the concept of Songlines challenges non-Indigenous Australians’ thinking about history. NITV also recently released a landmark documentary series called Songlines on Screen, which is an ideal resource for classroom discussion.
Success for Indigenous candidates in the federal election: A record number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates ran in the federal election on 2 July, with the current proportion of Indigenous Members of Parliament almost being representative of the general population. Among the successful candidates are WA Labor Senator Pat Dodson, NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Ken Wyatt (who retained the seat of Hasluck in WA) and former NSW deputy Labor leader Linda Burney, who claimed victory in the southern Sydney seat of Barton. Burney made history as the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to win the seat of Barton.
Conversation starter: How can Songlines inform and challenge the way non-Indigenous people learn and think about Australian history?
Conversation starter: Who are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders of your local community?
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Kindergarten Services educators (L-R) Roxene Fenech, Shellie Taia, Lisa Blake, Kim Knersch, Stewart Grieg, Penny Vojtek, Deane Lule and Sonya Findlow
SPOTLIGHT ON Kindergarten Services, Wyndham City Council, Victoria Great things happen when individuals translate their own passion and commitment into supporting and inspiring others. Kim Knersch is the Quality and Educational Leader at the Kindergarten Services department within Wyndham City Council (the Council) in Victoria. A respected educator herself, Kim’s role is to build the capacity of the 200 educators that provide education and care services to 2500 children in the 23 kindergartens owned and operated by the Council. After an eye-opening journey coming to terms with gaps in her own knowledge of Australia’s First Peoples, Kim says the energy she invests in her job “is personal”. She dedicates a large proportion of her time to facilitating opportunities for educators to personally connect to the concept of reconciliation. Kim then supports educators to confidently integrate reconciliation into their teaching practice and “lean in to the discomfort of reconciliation”, as she puts it.
Under Kim’s leadership, Kindergarten Services facilitate professional learning opportunities for educators at conferences, workshops, networking events and area meetings. Over the last few years, reconciliation has become a big part of the agenda. “We want to let everyone know that we take reconciliation action planning seriously, but also that it will never be a top down, mandated approach for our kindergartens. Progressing reconciliation must be a bottom-up, community-led movement, rather than something imposed upon people from above” says Kim. The three key themes built into professional learning opportunities are: highlighting the potential for education to drive reconciliation, dealing with racism, and how to facilitate learning around empathy. “Children are not colour-blind” says Kim. “We must find the courage to address the issues of race, prejudice and racial inequality with very young children in an age appropriate way.” There has been a groundswell of interest in the professional learning opportunities facilitated by Kindergarten Services over the last few years, and educators are increasingly committing to reconciliation action in both personal and professional capacities. “What we can see now is an absolute shift in 6
not only the mindset of our educators, but in their resolve to take action in their services and be the facilitators of change ” says Kim. In 2015, Kindergarten Services sponsored several educators to attend the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Reconciliation Symposium in Adelaide. Upon return, the educators relayed their learnings about Narragunnawali, as a way for services to formalise commitments to reconciliation. A working group was quickly formed to establish the best way to roll out Narragunnawali to all 23 services. These collective efforts have resulted in the registration of 14 services with Narragunnawali and each service is drafting a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Kindergarten Services’ goal is to have all 23 centres connected to Narragunnawali by the end of the year. The impact of the work of Kindergarten Services has not gone unnoticed, with Kim and her team often approached by individuals and organisations in the Wyndham community to share learnings from their own journey. On the back of the work of Kindergarten Services, Wyndham City Council is currently looking at how they can formalise a council-wide commitment to reconciliation through the development of a RAP.
RECONCILIATION RESOURCE REVIEW
the juvenile justice system. The film also prompts critical thought about the state of reconciliation in our nation, especially given Australia’s dark history and track record of Indigenous deaths in custody. Briggs’ commitment to the rehabilitation of young offenders is clear. As a YortaYorta man, Briggs speaks about the incarceration of his own family members in the juvenile justice system and the profound effect this had on him as a young Aboriginal man and musician. The documentary also touches on the influence of hip-hop on these young men and the respect they have for Briggs as an artist.
Over-Represented: A Vice Special On Indigenous Incarceration Season 1, Episode 1: Briggs Live at Juvie This short film, presented by hip-hop artist Adam Briggs (a.k.a. Briggs), is a confronting yet compassionate look at Indigenous youth currently serving time in Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre in the Sydney suburb of Airds. It is made all the more revelvant and insightful in light of recent revelations of mistreatment in the Northern Territory juvenile detention system, and the resulting Royal Commission.
Interviews with the staff at Reiby demonstrate the boys’ general and universal love for their families. The fact that these young men do not speak of their parents’ failures, but of their own, shows some level of understanding that bucks the societal trend of blaming parents for the behaviours of their children. This resource could be used in the classroom to stimulate discussion around the realities of life for young Aboriginal men in institutions like Reiby, the high rates of recidivism in Aboriginal prison populations and the remand centre staff’s commitment to supporting the rehabilitation of the young men.
Through Briggs’ sharp commentary, the documentary provides insight into the realities of youth detention and paints a human picture of the boys in Reiby, all A-Class offenders under the age of 16. Many themes in the documentary link to the Australian Curriculum’s cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. For example, Briggs and several of the boys discuss Country and their understandings of belonging to place. This may prompt discussion around the removal of freedoms as a means of rehabilitation and exploration of impact data surrounding the dispossession of land on Aboriginal peoples.
Over-Represented: A Vice Special On Indigenous Incarceration can be found online. This film is most appropriate for secondary students, but could be used sensitively with upper primary students as well. Please be aware that there is once instance of coarse language in the first 2:00 minutes. At your discretion you can access the footage with the language cut out at this link, however this also removes some contextual information from the documentary.
The documentary reintroduces a human element to daunting statistics that we so often hear; statistics that reveal vast over-representation of Indigenous youth in 7
Hannah: What do you think a school that is deeply and meaningfully engaged in reconciliation looks like? Sharon: I see reconciliation as a three-part process. When I was at university I had Pat Dodson, the father of reconciliation, as my lecturer—which was obviously fantastic. He taught me the process needs to involve truth, justice and reconciliation. You can’t jump straight to the reconciliation part, you have to have truth and justice first. We can’t achieve reconciliation until we are on the same page in terms of the truth of our history. Justice means providing opportunities to foster equity. After you have both of those things, then you can celebrate the wonderful things that make our culture different. This process produces an end result that is meaningful and comes from a place of integrity.
TEACHER FEATURE
Hannah: It’s vital that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are involved in progressing reconciliation in schools and early learning services. But how do we help nonIndigenous people realise it shouldn’t be left to, or assumed that, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will lead reconciliation?
Sharon Davis, Catholic Education Western Australia Sharon Davis is a Bardi Gija woman from Western Australia. Sharon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as Team Leader of the Aboriginal Education Team at Catholic Education Western Australia. In this Teacher Feature, Narragunnawali team member Hannah Bryant chats to Sharon about her work in Western Australia and what needs to happen in schools to progress reconciliation.
Sharon: Yeah, that’s a really great point. Within the truth and justice parts of the equation above, there is a lot of work that non-Indigenous people have to do independently of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Truth means being ready to examine yourself—as a system, or a school, or a teacher— to see where your biases and privileges are. You need to be able to have a really good understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, languages, spirituality and cultures. You need to connect with the Indigenous education team in your system, or connect with Aboriginal people in your community.
Hannah: How has your teaching and learning journey played out and what do you do in your current role?
Hannah: Where would you like to see schools and the education system be in the next 50 years? What will the next generation of kids have that is different to now?
Sharon: It’s a long story! I always wanted to be a teacher, I’m sure everyone says that but it took me until I was married with two kids to find my teaching pathway. I enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in Broome and graduated with a Bachelor of Education for Primary School K-7, specialising in Aboriginal Education. I then took up a position at the University of Oxford to complete a Master of Science in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, focusing on student-teacher understandings and attitudes towards Aboriginal English. I currently lead a team of education experts that work with our Catholic schools across the state, assisting in all aspects related to Aboriginal Education. The Aboriginal Education Team provide professional learning for Catholic schools and staff to develop cultural competencies, assist in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures into the school curriculum, and to support Aboriginal Catholic education staff to strengthen their skills and knowledge.
Sharon: I’d really like to see the proportion of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population reflected in teaching and school leadership positions within the education system. I’d also really like there to be a focus on anti-racism in schools and the wider society. We have to be active in fighting racism and we can do that together— it’s not just an Aboriginal thing. It’s hard because people are really worried about being labelled as racist or things being labelled as racism, and while we spend time worrying, our children are suffering. Read more about Sharon here.
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RACE DISCRIMINATION COMMISSIONER’S STUDENT PRIZE The Race Discrimination Commissioner’s Student Prize for Year 10 and 11 students is designed to promote research and discussion on racism. Race relations is also one of the five key dimensions of reconciliation outlined in Reconciliation Australia’s landmark report, The State of Reconciliation in Australia. For progress to be made in our reconciliation journey, all Australians must understand and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, rights and experiences and commit to relationships which are free of racism and based on trust and respect. To be considered for the prize by Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane, entrants are required to write an essay or record a speech and answer one of the following questions: Image supplied by the Australian Human Rights Commission
1. What role should the law play in Australian society’s response to racism?
While almost all Australians (86 per cent) believe the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians is important, trust between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is low. Only 26 per cent of the general population believe trust towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is high.
2. Ignorance is the root of racism. Discuss. 3. What challenges does racism pose to Australian society today? Entries close on 17 September 2016.
The high levels of racism experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is also concerning, with one third of Indigenous people reporting recent experiences of verbal racial abuse.
For more information, please visit the Racism: it Stops with Me website.
Narragunnawali (pronounced narra-gunna-wally) is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people meaning peace, alive, wellbeing and coming together. The Ngunnawal people are Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land and waterways on which Reconciliation Australia’s Canberra office is located. www.reconciliation.org.au/schools
HAVE YOU GOT A STORY TO TELL? We love hearing about the fantastic things happening in your schools and early learning services to increase pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures! Please send stories about reconciliation in your school or early learning service to schools@reconciliation.org.au. 9