This unit was driven by the understanding that:

• People are complex beings shaped by culture, gender, family, society, religion, beliefs and ethics.
• People are spiritual, religious, physical, emotional, social, psychological and relational beings.
• My personal beliefs, ethical values, vision and goals are shaped by my human experiences.
• People are relational beings.
• Religion, beliefs and ethics influence my relationships and how I connect and relate to others, at home, at work and in the community.
• People have social and ‘glocal’ roles and responsibilities.
• people are multidimensional beings
• personal beliefs and ethical values need clarifying and informed understanding
• we need to assess our personal choices, vision and goals.

It aimed to have you:

• foster concern for others through a sense of community and service
• gain understanding of what it means to live in a community with others
• appreciate cultural diversity
• explore the ways in which intolerance and injustice affect people and society
• develop an appreciation of caring for the earth

Exploring the spiritual perspective should help you to:

• appreciate that people have beliefs and values that give purpose and meaning to their lives
• recognise ways in which spiritual and religious practices give expression to significant beliefs, values and ethics
• explore ways in which people recognise and experience realities other than the tangible
• recognise that the practices of contemporary spiritualities, ethical behaviour and religion may represent ways of searching for meaning
• understand how notions about origin, purpose and destiny provide direction in life.

Finally we sought to understand that

• The spiritualities of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples are integral to, and interrelated with, their lived experiences and are extraordinarily diverse and complex.
• The worldviews of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples are connected with all other aspects of life.
• Central concepts to the acquisition of Indigenous knowledges include respect, reciprocity in community responsibility, understanding of cross-generational resonance, and understanding of open and closed knowledge, individuation and interconnectivity.

Taken from the R&E Syllabus

Write a 300 word reflection on a few key understandings that you developed in the course of this unit and consider how you found working in this remote format might have had a positive or negative impact upon your learning experience. Complete the Google Form below. It asks:

What did you learn about yourself as an independent learner?

What were the difficulties you faced and how did you overcome them?

How might you bring strengths you gained into your work when you return to school and classroom learning?

What is one thing that you will take from this unit, into your engagement with Indigenous issues you confront in society?