News

Reconciliation Australia is proud to have launched the inaugural Narragunnawali Awards, recognising reconciliation excellence in the education sector.

With new apps, websites, language competitions and programs emerging around the country, the urgency and energy for learning about Australia’s First Languages is clear. This is reflected in increasing media coverage celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and the stories of people learning and supporting the continuation of these languages.

Priscilla Singer and Daisy Henry tell the Narragunnawali team about their work with students at Indulkana Anangu School in the APY lands in South Australia.

My Grandmother’s Lingo is an online resource that uses voice-activated gaming technology to connect users with the story of Angelina Joshua, a passionate and determined young Aboriginal woman from East Arnhem Land’s remote Ngukurr community.

The Parkes community is increasingly recognised for its revitalisation of Wiradjuri language. Most schools in Parkes have a Wiradjuri Language Program, with around 1000 students and children learning First Language words for objects and people in the world around them.

Briony Franklin is a non-Indigenous Year 1 teacher with a passion for learning and teaching about Kaurna language, the language of the Traditional Owners of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia.

A team in Kununurra, WA, adapted a language nest model to surround the children of Kununurra in the local, critically endangered Miriwoong language in daily or weekly sessions.

Issue 4 of Narragunnawali News celebrates the importance and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and the role schools and early learning services play in supporting the maintenance, revitalisation and revival of First Languages.

The Narragunnawali team has teamed up with Cool Australia to create new teaching resources designed to support inquiry into the histories and cultures of Australia’s First Peoples.

There have been many challenges internationally and close to home in the last few months, but there have also been stories of success and triumph that should be celebrated.

National Reconciliation Week is a week to share information, stories, experiences, knowledge and culture, but what happens once the week is over?

Between 27 May and 3 June this year, schools and early learning services around Australia celebrated National Reconciliation Week (NRW) with creativity and commitment.

NAIDOC Week is over, and it’s as good a reason as any to remind ourselves how important it is to make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures are part of every day of the year.

Sharon Davis is a Bardi Gija woman from Western Australia. Sharon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as Team Leader of the Aboriginal Education Team at Catholic Education Western Australia.

This short film, presented by hip-hop artist Adam Briggs (a.k.a. Briggs), is a confronting yet compassionate look at Indigenous youth currently serving time in Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre in the Sydney suburb of Airds.