First Nations News

On Wednesday 22 February, we unveiled the Acknowledgement of Country plaque which you can see as you enter the Administration building. This is a significant addition to the College grounds as it is a constant reminder of the traditional owners of the land we teach, learn, work and play on.

For the unveiling of the plaque, Ms Mujkanovic provided an opportunity for her Unit 3 Sociology class to link what they were learning about to real world examples. Below is her explanation of the experience for her class.

“In their first Area of Study on Australian Indigenous Culture, our Year 12 Sociology students have been learning about practical and symbolic reconciliation, as well as 'cultural relativism'. They were excited to explain this concept to Mrs Crisara - confidently expressing that it involves attempting to understand a culture by looking at it according to its own standards and refraining from judgements or biases. They have analysed many examples of cultural relativism in the media and were happy to unveil Aitken College's new 'Acknowledgement of Country' plaque! The plaque sparked conversations about how such actions can build awareness of and shape public views of Australian Indigenous people and their culture. Students can also use the plaque as an example in their end-of-year Sociology exam.”

Sophie Sykes

First Nations Coordinator