National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. The theme for #NRW2017 is ‘Let’s Take the Next Steps’.
The week starts annually on 27 May and finishes on 3 June.
May 27 - Marks the anniversary of Australia’s most successful referendum and a defining event in our nation’s history. The 1967 referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.
3 June - Commemorates the High Court of Australia’s landmark Mabo decision in 1992, which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land—a relationship that existed prior to colonisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for land rights or Native Title.
This year is the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum and the 25th Anniversary of the Mabo decision.
The following websites contain resources to help you celebrate the week in your schools and community.
The Narragunnawali website has great resources for schools https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/. There is curriculum for early, primary and secondary students and professional learning resources for staff. Each resource is linked to the National Quality Standard (early learning) and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (primary and secondary) and aligns with Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Actions.
The Reconciliation Australia website http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/ has a number of events listed across WA that you can attend. (Enlarge the WA map link and then zoom in on your location.)
The website http://www.shareourpride.org.au/ takes one on an awareness raising journey, a glimpse of how life looks from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective.
