Celebrating National Reconciliation Week in the Classroom
We are fast approaching National Reconciliation Week 2021, coming up in a few weeks on 27 May - 3 June. This significant week is a wonderful opportunity for schools and educators to highlight reconciliation in their classrooms and the role we all have to play in Australia’s reconciliation journey. 2021 also marks the 20 year anniversary of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process.
The theme for this year, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges us to move from awareness to action, acknowledging that in the last year or so, with the Black Lives Matter movement, and significant numbers at the Invasion Day rallies in January, we are seeing more and more people stand up to have their voices heard on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The theme asks us to be brave, bold and to make a stand.
For teachers, the call is clear - we need our schools to create a learning environment which is conducive to not only building students’ understanding of reconciliation, but one which equips them with the skills and confidence to stand up and be heard on these important issues which impact on Australia, issues like the Black Lives Matters movement, the Uluru Statement of the Heart, Truth-Telling, the educational, employment and health gaps and more.
Here are a few learning tools / platforms you may like to explore with your students:
Learn our Truth: The #LearnOurTruth campaign is led by the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition in collaboration with In My Blood It Runs documentary, BE. On their website you can take the Educator Pledge which calls on Principals, School Leaders and Educators to take the pledge to teach First Nations histories in school.
From the Heart: Check out their toolkit which has been developed to be used throughout schools, businesses and organisations to promote a greater understanding and awareness of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Check out some educational videos from NSW Education Reconciliation Action Plan events.
Take part in the Reconciliation NSW Under One Sky, Yesterday, Today and Forever Schools Reconciliation Challenge.
Don’t forget, you can download the posters and resources around National Reconciliation Week here.
