LITTLE ZAKS ACADEMY NARELLAN VALE

Little Zak's Narellan Vale  provides a culturally responsive environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a feeling of belonging and recognition. As a business, we realise the need for collaborative partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ensure a deep understanding of First Peoples’ histories, beliefs, and viewpoints.

Reconciliation, in Little Zak's perspective, requires reciprocal partnerships. Reconciliation should be the project of non-Indigenous people, consulting First Nations peoples in partnership along the way. Little Zak's Academy teaches about Australia’s true past and the experiences and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at both the local and national level .

Above all, we believe that reconciliation is multifaceted and can only be accomplished holistically. All five reconciliation dimensions are interconnected and equally significant. We want to normalise an inclusive environment and demonstrate and advocate for trusting, respectful interactions. We focus on enhancing equity and equality in educational opportunities and outcomes and are cognisant of the continued strengths and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the face of colonial injustices. Our organisation values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community's contributions to our programme and our current partnerships, which drive change and help us retain integrity and awareness. We seek to promote unity by respectfully incorporating First Peoples’ cultures into our everyday practices, and loudly supporting the reconciliation movement. We advocate for historical acceptance, recognise past injustices, and resolve to prevent a repetition of colonial wrongs. We will accomplish this through raising awareness of past and present wrongdoings wherever possible.

We vow to strive for reconciliation through our practices and interactions; we vow to teach the importance of diverse cultural perspectives; we vow to make every effort to unite our communities and truthfully accept past injustices; and we will continue to work hard for present progress and fight for positive future results.