NAIDOC WEEK THEME: 

Country is inherent to our identity. It sustains our lives in every aspect - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.

It is more than a place. 

When we talk about Country it is spoken of like a person. 

Country is family, kin, law, lore, ceremony, traditions, and language. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples it has been this way since the dawn of time.

Through our languages and songs, we speak to Country; through our ceremonies and traditions we sing to - and celebrate Country – and Country speaks to us.

Healing Country means embracing First Nations cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage. The right to protect Country and culture is fundamental.

END RACISM SRC PROJECT

SRC students and Year 12 Indigenous students met during Lesson 4 and Lunch on Wednesday 10 November, to begin exploring "The School That Tried to End Racism" Project, as a part of our NAIDOC Week activities. 

A great way to start was by engaging with the ABC series and the accompanying ABC Education Resources of short clips and discussion questions. Led by Jason Jolley and supported by Trina Stewart and Jody Siegwalt, it was a great way to start this important conversation and move our journey towards reconciliation forward.

Please find below reflections from some participants:

Something that really stood out to me was the culture of acceptance across a year group that was so young, and how great it was to see young kids celebrate diversity.  I loved seeing the kids being so enthusiastic and willing to break down prejudices. The statistic that 1 in 3 students experience prejudice, really made me want to come up with ideas of what we can do here at Kildare to make us stronger together as a community.

Our community already has so much diversity, which is one reason why we are such a great school.  I would love to build on the feeling of connection and belonging.  For example, Gus' idea of a cultural day would be great - like a Celebration of Diversity community day. (Gus Goodyer  | 2022 College Captain)

Something that really stood out to me from the “School That Tried to End Racism” was the culture of acceptance across a year group that was so young, and how great it was to see young kids celebrate diversity.  I loved seeing the kids being so enthusiastic and willing to break down stereotypes. The statistic that 1 in 3 students experience prejudice, really made me want to come up with ideas of what we can do here at Kildare to make us stronger together as a community.

Our community already has so much diversity, which is one of the reasons why we are such a great school.  I would love to build on the feeling of connection and belonging.  For example, Gus' idea of a cultural day would be great - like a Celebration of Diversity community day. (Josie Carroll | 2022 College Captain)

I noticed that prejudices are directed at people for different reasons especially to those from a variety of cultural backgrounds. What stood out for me was that the comments are often hurtful but that a lot of people struggle with knowing their own identity and where they belong particularly if you come from a mix of cultural backgrounds.

I would like to enable people to understand that your identity is more than your cultural background and the labels that others put onto you. When you know yourself well and are confident in who you are, you are able to genuinely feel like you belong and you can help others to feel that they belong too. It’s more about valuing individuals and letting go of the labels. (Xya-Lilly McLauchlan | Year 12 Student, 2022)

The first action the SRC students will lead involves distributing posters and stickers to coaching groups on Friday to mark RESPECT awareness WEEK.

SOME KEY MESSAGES:

• We are here to raise awareness for Respect Week
• This is a time for Kildare and the wider Wagga Wagga Community to come together
• One of the aims is to break down stereotypes and emphasise that we all belong
• Statistics tell us that 30% or 1 in 3 students experience some form of prejudice in schools.
• Therefore, it is important to speak out against prejudice
• We are all people just with different stories.
• We can celebrate our differences … We are all equal!
• Respect for one! Respect for all!

Socktober Advocate, Rohan Cummins (Year 10), speaking about the annual Socktober Appeal at Our Lady of Fatima Church.

You can still donate at: HERE

Dates for your diary

Blessings,

Christine Savage | Leader of Faith, Formation and Mission