Koorie Education 

& Engagement

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK CONTINUED...

National Reconciliation Week so far...

Flag Raising Ceremony

Excerpt from the student speeches at the flag raising...

"Gawaymbanha.  That means hello in the language of my mob, Wiradjuri.  My name is Jenaya, and I am a strong Aboriginal woman.  I cannot welcome you to this land though, because we are on Bunurong Country. 

I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we gather today, the Bunurong people.  It always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.  This is Bunurong Country.  I am lucky enough to learn and live on their Country, I want to thank the Bunurong people for allowing us all to do this.  I want to thank their Ancestors who have returned to the Dreaming, for protecting this land and its ecosystems since time immemorial.  We tread lightly on this Country.  And I want to thank my own Ancestors for guiding and protecting me, wherever I leave footprints.

My name is Alex, and I am Murri Warri Ngemba.  And along with Jenaya thanking those who have allowed us to stand on their shoulders, I would like to pay respects to Bunurong Elders past, present and emerging; who carry the memories, traditions, cultures, and aspirations of First Peoples, and who forge the path ahead for emerging leaders....

Today is National Sorry Day.  Every year on the 26th of May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.  Today is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation. We raise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags today as a symbol of hope and resilience, and as a beacon to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are still finding their way home to their families.

We are also marking the start of National Reconciliation Week tomorrow.  EMC not only supports but drives towards reconciliation in education... In 2021, we were recognised as one of the top 10 schools in Australia with a Reconciliation Action Plan.  During National Reconciliation Week, many non-Indigenous people come together to acknowledge and celebrate our peoples, cultures and histories.  Yet many of these people are missing in action at other times of the year. 

Today, we are asking you to stand and act with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  Don’t step away when things get tough.  Stay.  Don’t defend racism.  Call it out. Promote our voices.    Put us in the spotlight and allow us to define the issues that impact us.  Celebrate our successes.  Understand that some spaces can only be ours.  We know you may not always get it right, but we just ask that you always be ready to listen and to learn.

At EMC, we want all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids and our families to feel seen, and heard; and to feel like we can celebrate our culture and history.  Being safe to do this at school is something that is important to us. 

Thank you all for supporting Koorie students and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community connected to EMC. Thank you for the part you have, and will, play in the healing process for our people and nation.  Thank you for acknowledging and celebrating the oldest living continuous culture in the world."

Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools

On Tuesday 31 May, we saw 26 students from 8 local secondary schools come together at EMC.  This project is the first of it's kind in Victoria.  

We launched Koorie Emerging Leaders in Schools, or what we have been affectionately referring to for the better part of over 12 months, KELiS.  A joint project by EMC and the Bayside Peninsula Area Koorie Engagement Support Officers, KELiS brought together secondary school students from the Bayside Peninsula area to build the skills of Koorie students in leadership skills, cultural connection and advocacy skills to build their confidence to use their voice in their own respective schools.   

We started with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Alvin of the Bunurong Land Council, before engaging with Natarsha Bamblett of Queen Acknowledgements as our keynote speaker.  Tarsh is a proud Yorta Yorta, Kurnai, Walpiri and Wiradjuri woman, a leader and facilitator, speaker, storyteller and entrepreneur. She is a mother, she was the first player signed to the Richmond Victorian Football League Women’s (VFLW), was the youngest Member elected to the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.   The students then yarned about leadership with Sarai Roe of Wanyara, a proud Yorta Yorta & Kulin woman.  Sarai founded Wanyara, an organisation that provides interactive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural experiences to help people understand and embrace an Aboriginal perspective.  Students then had a chance to break off to discuss their goals for their schools, and how to make it happen.  Staff had a yarning circle with KESOs to talk about supporting student voice in reconciliation in education.

KELiS will involve termly events (rotating host between schools who are involved in the project) with a focus on information sharing, skill building and action planning for students to follow up Koorie student driven plans in local secondary schools.

Increasingly, Aboriginal young people are being asked to, and want to be, active in their communities; especially with the discussions around self determination, Treaty, reconciliation, racism, flag rights and January 26 entering mainstream media.  Their feedback tells us that they want to be part of these discussions but feel like they want more leadership and advocacy skills, understanding of their culture, and support to make strong connections to local community opportunities. Koorie students report they feel pressure to provide voices to issues they feel passionate about but don’t always have confidence to speak up about, or know how to protect themselves from tokenism. They have identified schools as their comfort zones, and KELiS aims to bridge the gap between school and community; so Bayside Peninsula Area Koorie students are ready to step up as leaders of the future.