Indigenous Voice Celebrated in VCE VM   

VCE VM students invited Indigenous Engagement Officer- Corey Wanganeen from the Education Department into their classroom on Tuesday April 4 to share his experiences working in his local community to support a range of initiatives. Corey opened his talk with a presentation with a reflection of his early years growing up in rural Victoria and highlighting the important role his education played in his career success. Corey is the only person from his family to graduate from VCE and he used his education to take on a social work role in juvenile justice settings to mentor young Indigenous men. 

Eager to hear about Corey’s connections to football, many of the Year 11 and 12 VCE VM students had the opportunity to ask a wide range of questions allowing them to gain an insight into the lived experiences Corey had experienced growing up in a tight knit community. 

While Corey imparted an important message around respect and cultural diversity, his main message was around valuing your community and the people in it and participating with active awareness of what it means to be culturally aware. Corey works with a wide range of schools to promote inclusion of Indigenous pedagogy and perspectives in learning and it was a great pleasure to have him come and visit our VCE VM students as they prepare for entering the workplace. 

Well done to all the VM students who practiced their public speaking skills by asking Corey some questions. Much of the work the students are doing is centred around the development of an Indigenous Sensory and Herb Garden at Greensborough College which will later be used to cook a range of recipes in the practical cooking classes. 

Keep up the great work VM students! And a special thank you to Corey Wanganeen for visiting our VCE VM student cohort!