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:: Education
Reconciliation Queensland is committed to education as an essential element in developing socially just and respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders.

As reconciliation advocates our members are committed to working with schools, teachers, parents and community members in a variety of local, regional and state focused activities.

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Reconciliation Queensland can offer your school:
A diverse range of support, programs, resources and speakers including:
  • Speakers and resources in relation to key events in the reconciliation calendar such as: Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week, and Mabo Day
  • Links to a speaker or workshop (when available) on Reconciliation Issues
  • Contacts of consultants and Indigenous educators who can assist in providing workshops and hosting events
  • Resources and ideas for action-orientated and life long learning experiences
     
What schools do now
In Schools across Queensland Reconciliation activities have been creating a new way of developing sustainable partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders.

Activities in schools are localised and target students from a variety of ages. Some projects are established through community and school partnerships, whilst others are developed through the initiative of students and teachers. Some include the establishment of memorial gardens and learnscapes, developing collaborative murals and public art, organising events and guest speakers, developing committees or school based reconciliation groups, teachers working on embedding Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and many other projects.

Some key annual events that you as a reconciliation supporter might support your local school include:
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day Observance Week (NAIDOC Week)
  • Mabo Day
  • Coming of the Light Celebrations
  • World Indigenous Peoples day
  • Harmony Day
To find out more about these events please go to the Events page of this site.

            
            
Queensland Government: Indigenous Education, Training and the Arts
The Division publishes a monthly newsletter to update stakeholders about events, activities and issues that impact on Indigenous Queenslanders in the areas of education, training and arts.

To view current and past newletters go to http://deta.qld.gov.au/indigenous/

            
            
Putting the apology into action
My name is Liz Connor (Knox) and I am a Senior Aboriginal woman belonging to the Euhalayi and Kamilaroi people of SW Qld and Northern NSW. My father is Ted Knox and my mother is Lulu Simpson. Our tribal totem is the emu. The Gumilaroi are river people and I am river dreaming. My people live all along the great river system known as the Murray-Darling.

At Ipswich State High School where I currently teach, we have built an Aboriginal heritage trail as a place for students to learn about Indigenous history and culture. We are healing the environment by planting trees and by restoring the natural waterways, and have won numerous awards for this work.

My own spiritual concept is called Rainbow Serpent River Dreaming and the concept is about healing our sacred lands and waterways by following the journeys of our Creator and Ancestral Spirits and linking up the country of each traditional Aboriginal language group. Then we would have a network of healing throughout the entire continent and islands.

I teach about the Supreme Creator Byamee and the Rainbow Serpent through stories and songs. I also create mandalas and other craft work to promote my spiritual concept as well as conduct story circles and song circles.

My spiritual concept also includes creating murals to commemorate the national apology to the stolen generations. The murals will feature the Rainbow Serpent to link together Aboriginal nations and have the words “Learn about the past. Heal the present. Embrace the future.” The word SORRY should feature prominently. Each mural will reflect the traditional country where the mural is drawn. The permission of the traditional custodians of each area must be obtained before the mural is drawn.

This is one idea to begin to put the apology into action. For more information please contact Liz Connor at Ipswich High School 0738134488.

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Learn online and share pride in Australia's Indigenous cultures
Developed to meet the huge, post-apology demand for information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their history and cultures, Reconciliation Australia has developed a ground-breaking, new resource for workplaces, schools and individual Australians.
  
Share Our Pride is a cultural awareness website which brings together facts and figures, answers to common questions and lots of inspiring stories to help build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The site was developed with funding from the Westpac Foundation and Coles Group Community Fund and is now available free of charge to schools, public and private sector organisations and individuals wanting to understand more about the special place of  Australia’s first peoples.

To find out more go to the Reconciliation Australia page of this site.

To use the site, all people have to do is go to www.shareourpride.org.au and register their name, email address and their organisation once only.

 
            
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© Reconciliation Queensland Incorporated 2008
Images courtesy of RQI, Liz Connor and Tourism Queensland