Indigenous Perspectives
Embedding Indigenous perspectives into all learning areas is important work. The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians identifies the need for all Australian children to ‘understand and acknowledge the value of Indigenous cultures and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to, and benefit from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’.
Inclusion is one of our school values at Chewton Primary. We celebrate diversity and strive to educate all students to have awareness, respect and understanding of the perspectives of First Nation Peoples. Schools must be active sites of anti-racism and reconciliation. It is our hope that our work in this area will lead to a far more equitable society for all people as we encourage students to become informed leaders and active citizens of the world.
Read about our commitment to Reconciliation on the Narragunnawali education website or see our full Reconciliation Action Plan below.
Reconciliation walk
Since 2022, Chewton Primary School leads a community walk for Reconciliation in June — along the Leanganook Walking Track in Chewton.
Inspired by The Long Walk, the Chewton Primary School and our community begin near the school with an Acknowledgment of Country and the Elders who have worked with us and given us permission to use a series of teachings along the way: Aunty Kath, Aunty Kerri, Aunty Julie and Uncle Rick. We also acknowledge Trent Nelson whose clip on Connection to Dja Dja Wurrung Country is viewed during the walk.
There are stops along the walk with storyboards and thought-provoking reflections prompting walkers to look, listen and learn about identity, kinship, connection to country, Sorry Day, Reconciliation and celebrating Aboriginal people as change makers.
All students at the school create signs, storyboards celebrating Indigenous people who have made change, and information on Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. The students finish at the Me Mandook Galk, the Grandmother tree, where we listen to Aunty Kath Coff share a reflection on the power of the Tree and view a clip from Uncle Rick. In 2022, everyone wrote a personal commitment to be brave and make change on a paper hand which contributed to a giant Bunjil back at school.
Chewton Primary recently received a recommendation from the Hon Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, that our school be nominated for the National Reconciliation Narragunnawali Award in recognition of outstanding reconciliation initiatives.
We want our young people to know how to be brave and contribute to positive change for Aboriginal people in our community.
We ask you to take your time and use this opportunity as a time to reflect, to listen, to watch and to learn.
We ask that you take the time to connect to Country as you walk, and to think of what you can do in your life to make change.
We ask you to think about what you can do to stop racism.
We ask you to think about what you can do to make our community a safe place for all.
We ask you to think about what you can do to make our country a better place for all.
We ask you to be brave, to make change.
Reconciliation Action Plan 2023.pdf