National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – 4th August 2022
‘My Dreaming , My Future’
On behalf of REAIE, we invite you today to join Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities to acknowledge and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s cultures and exceptional ability to navigate multiple ways of learning and achieving. “Our children’s strength makes us proud! Our kids are deadly” (Deb Mann, Wakka Wakka woman).
We urge you to investigate the importance of ‘Dreaming’ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s cultural identity, safety, and future. You can do this by pausing and stepping back from dominant perspectives on what children want and need by listening and reconsidering what it means to embed Aboriginal perspectives in learning and teaching.
The first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day was established on 4th August 1988, during a time of social unrest. The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) sought a day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were stolen, displaced and unaware of their birthdate to have a dedicated date to be recognised and celebrated.
This National day is also a reminder of ongoing inequitable lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with the productivity commission data on ‘Closing the Gap’ showing there is still a long way to go to bridge imposed gaps. The atrocities of the ‘Stolen Generation’ happened a long time ago. However, children continue to be removed from their homes, families and communities today, in more significant numbers than before. Although the attendance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in early childhood programs has improved, the report does not address the notable ‘developmental’ discrepancies between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other children at school entry.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children to receive equitable education opportunities, educators must rise to their ethical responsibility to reflect on their pedagogy and practice to ensure culturally safe learning environments that reflect the principles of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child – an environment free of discrimination; the right to life; survival and development (UN, 1989)
This year we encourage educators to work with colleagues in their educational services and social lives to :
- learn about and acknowledge past and continuing injustices that erode children’s rights
- recognise and reflect on the impacts of colonisation
- resist policies and practices that continue to marginalise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- critically reflect on your roles as citizens and how you can advocate for a fair and just future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
- highlight the current injustices that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience to ensure the truthful past is not forgotten or maintained.
- commit to providing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people to stand proud, be recognised and celebrated.
Deb Mann and Leanne Mits (REAIE Committee Members)
Reference:
United Nations (1989). Convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org
