East Doncaster Secondary College Newsletter

Respectful Relationships News

Everyone in our community deserves to be respected, valued and treated equally. We know that changes in attitudes and behaviours can be achieved when positive attitudes, behaviours and equality are embedded in our education settings.

 

Respectful Relationships is about embedding a culture of respect and equality across our entire community, from our classrooms to staffrooms, sporting fields, fetes and social events. This approach leads to positive impacts on students' academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour, and relationships between teachers and students.

 

Together, we can lead the way in saying yes to respect and equality, and creating genuine and lasting change so that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.​

The EDSC Respectful Relationships Pledge:

"All members of our school community have a responsibility to stand up against family violence and the misuse of gender power and control. We foster relationships that are respectful, caring and fair."

 

If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence the following services are available

 

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger call 000 and ask for the police. 

For non-urgent help, please contact:

More resources/agencies can be found on our Wellbeing, Engagement and Positive Futures page of the East Doncaster Secondary College website

 

https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/wellbeing-ngagement-positive-futures

Diversity and RRRR Calendar dates May

10/5 - Are You Safe At Home? Day

17/5 - IDAHOBIT Day

26/5 - National Sorry Day

29/5 - Reconciliation Week

LGBTQIA+ Resources/Events

Minus18 

Virtual Chillout

DETAILS: 

 

🌈 WHEN: Thursday, 30th May 2024

🌈 TIME: 5pm - 7pm AEST 

🌈 WHERE: ZOOM - We'll send you the invite link on the day! 

🌈 WHO: Youth aged 12 to 19 ONLY

 

Join us on Zoom to chill out together, apart – and this time, the theme is Falling for Autumn! We’ll bring the lo-fi tunes and cozy vibes, you bring your fave relaxing activity. Or jump into the drawing challenges, creative activities, writing prompts, and low-key chats with your Minus18 community in the Zoom hangout.

 

Minus18's Virtual Chill Out events are fun, digital spaces to help you de-stress, and spend some time with other LGBTQIA+ young people in a safe, calm, and chill environment. The event will be hosted by our Young Leaders and will include some affirming activities you can opt in to, as well as live acoustic music, lo-fi tunes, and creative prompts. And because this is a digital event, it's available for EVERY queer young person to attend (safely), no matter your location.

 

Tickets are available here:

https://events.humanitix.com/minus18-virtual-chill-out?c=eventpage

Manningham Council Events

Free lunchtime Money Matters sessions 

Women’s Health East invites you to a series of free lunchtime Money Matters sessions, designed to empower women to take control of their finances and future. Held on consecutive Wednesdays via Zoom, with topics including budgeting, superannuation, managing debt, and life stage finances. Register for one or all sessions.

https://whe.org.au/money-matters/

National Sorry Day

Every year on 26 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’.

National Sorry Day 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. While this date carries great significance for the Stolen Generations and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is also commemorated by Australians right around the country.

 

The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998,  one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament.

 

The Bringing Them Home report is a result of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.

 

Following this, in 2000, there was one issue that was high on the agenda at the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk for reconciliation – an apology to the Stolen Generations.

 

It was also high in the sky, when a group of people – independent to the organisation of the walk – had the word ‘sorry’ written in the clear blue skies above the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Such was the intensity of feeling and support for Stolen Generations members – many of whom were among the huge crowd that day.

We cannot begin to fix the problems of the present without accepting the truth of our history. Sorry Day asks us to acknowledge the Stolen Generations, and in doing so, reminds us that historical injustice is still an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Islander families, communities, and peoples.

National Reconciliation Week 

27th May – 3rd June

The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.

 

There have been many moments in Australia’s reconciliation journey that make us want to turn away. But when things are divisive, the worst thing we can do is disengage or disconnect.

 

Now more than ever, we need to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation. We know that the 6.2 million Australians who voted YES are committed to better outcomes for First Nations people and are with us.

 

Reconciliation supporters must stand up to defend and uphold the rights of First Nations peoples. To call out racism wherever we encounter it, and to actively reinforce the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across this continent.

 

Now more than ever, the work continues. In treaty making, in truth-telling, in understanding our history, in education, and in tackling racism. We need connection. We need respect. We need action. And we need change.  

 

Now more than ever, we need reconciliation.

RR Indigenous YA Book of the Week

Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn’t exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. Luckily, he’s got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private.

 

After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking—interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter!

 

Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono’s intuition becomes his best guide. He’s haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun—a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What’s the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?

 

Borderland is a heart-pounding horror gothic that follows Jono on an epic quest to find himself in the face of unbelievable challenges. Graham Akhurst, the brilliant mind behind this coming-of-age gem, is a Fulbright scholar from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. Brace yourself for a fresh, mind-bending tale exploring Indigenous identity, the impact of colonization, and what happens when you take a stand.

 

Rebecca James

Respectful Relationships Coordinator