Today, on National Sorry Day,
I add my personal apology to the families of the Stolen Generations.
I am sorry for how our country treated you,
and commit to standing with you towards reconciliation and justice.
Sorry Day - 26th May
Reconciliation Week - 27th May to 3rd June
Mabo Day - 3rd June
Yesterday was National Sorry Day and the beginning of Reconciliation Week for 2017. So I thought I'd share a couple of AMAZING resources that I have found that could help explain this very important week to you children/ students.
But before we get started, let's talk about WHY this year in particular is so important!
This year is a HUGE year as it is the 50 Year Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum where we saw the removal of the words ‘… other than the aboriginal people' from our constitution.
It is also the 25 Year Anniversary of the Mabo Decision which involved Eddie Mabo challenging the Australian legal system in recognising the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of their land.
And the 20 Year Anniversary of the 'Bringing them Home' Report, which was a National inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
There's a lot of stuff in there. There's a lot to remember and a lot of pain to dig up. That's why I was completely blown away after reading Jennifer Castles' 'Say Yes'. Not only are the illustrations absolutely beautiful (thank you Paul Seden) but it explains the importance behind the 1967 Referendum clearly. Castles uses a number of examples to delicately show how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were treated prior to the Referendum.
While Castles respectfully recognises that some people believe that the Referendum was a waste of time as not a lot had changed, she states that if we look back we can see that slowly ("very slowly") some positive changes have happened.
This book is a must-read. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy!
While searching around the internet, I also stumbled across a number of resources that have been put together by Twinkl. There's lots of resources that can be used and adapted. I particularly like their PowerPoint presentations on Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day.
Screenshot from the Twinkl website.
Don't forget to check out BTN (Behind the News) as well. They tend to cover lots and lots of topics and present the information in a kid-friendly format. They have an episode that covers Reconciliation Week, another that covers Mabo Day and finally one that was released just this week about the 1967 Referendum.
Also remember that the National Reconciliation Week website has lots and lots of ideas. You can download their teaching and learning resources HERE.
I add my personal apology to the families of the Stolen Generations.
I am sorry for how our country treated you,
and commit to standing with you towards reconciliation and justice.
Sorry Day - 26th May
Reconciliation Week - 27th May to 3rd June
Mabo Day - 3rd June
Yesterday was National Sorry Day and the beginning of Reconciliation Week for 2017. So I thought I'd share a couple of AMAZING resources that I have found that could help explain this very important week to you children/ students.
But before we get started, let's talk about WHY this year in particular is so important!
This year is a HUGE year as it is the 50 Year Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum where we saw the removal of the words ‘… other than the aboriginal people' from our constitution.
It is also the 25 Year Anniversary of the Mabo Decision which involved Eddie Mabo challenging the Australian legal system in recognising the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of their land.
And the 20 Year Anniversary of the 'Bringing them Home' Report, which was a National inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
There's a lot of stuff in there. There's a lot to remember and a lot of pain to dig up. That's why I was completely blown away after reading Jennifer Castles' 'Say Yes'. Not only are the illustrations absolutely beautiful (thank you Paul Seden) but it explains the importance behind the 1967 Referendum clearly. Castles uses a number of examples to delicately show how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were treated prior to the Referendum.
While Castles respectfully recognises that some people believe that the Referendum was a waste of time as not a lot had changed, she states that if we look back we can see that slowly ("very slowly") some positive changes have happened.
This book is a must-read. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy!
While searching around the internet, I also stumbled across a number of resources that have been put together by Twinkl. There's lots of resources that can be used and adapted. I particularly like their PowerPoint presentations on Reconciliation Week and Sorry Day.
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| Screenshot from the Twinkl website. |
Also remember that the National Reconciliation Week website has lots and lots of ideas. You can download their teaching and learning resources HERE.
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