What a week Australia has had! With increasing uncertainty about just about everything, life is changing drastically for most Australians. For schools around Australia these changes are immense and teachers and principals are working overtime to do everything they can to support education for our kids. It is not an enviable job – catering to kids who have to attend daily as well as those that can stay home while putting together programs for online learning in case we are not back to school as normal for term 2 and supporting their students who are feeling the uncertainty. Then of course they have their own families to organise and plan for. 
It is a confusing time and everyone is worried. Parents have questions and are feeling the pressure of taking on a bigger role in their children’s day to day education which is not easy. It is a good time remember to be kind to each other. Teachers are doing the best they can. I have spoken to many teachers in the last week who are searching for the right resources to keep kids on track with their learning goals. Nothing replaces a classroom teacher but teachers are working to come up with the next best thing – a balanced, engaging program that can be delivered digitally or via take-home packs. Trust your kid’s teachers, be patient and be kind. We are all in this together. 

Wingaru Kids is a tool that can support schools in this time. It offers a range of lessons meeting outcomes from all key learning areas and students can access the resources from anywhere. For teachers it offers quality content that can be provided with little preparation and for students it offers engaging content that provides variety in the work that is being sent home. We have been contacted by many parents this week asking how they can access our resources. We are working on how to do this but at this time the best way is to speak to your classroom teacher about organising access through your school. They can set up a free trial and our team are working to set accounts up in just a few hours. We are working with schools to meet their budget so we encourage them to get in touch and see what we can do. 

Our educators are also working on resources that we will be sharing on our social media so make sure to follow us on facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss them. 

Speaking with many teachers and parents this week, one thing is very clear - we are all worried about how this epidemic affects our kids. Coronavirus is everywhere we turn and kids are hearing so much information that they probably don’t understand. The uncertainty is a cause of worry for many. Mr 8 saw a report on the news about the impact of the virus on Aboriginal people and asked me if he was going to die. The concern in his face was heartbreaking – it’s a level of worry that none of us want our kids to feel. After a yarn with a few kids in my life I realised they were all experiencing a new level of concern and while the specific worries differed, the level of concern was high. I reached out to Nathenya, the director of Kids Steps Speech Pathology, who we provided Cultural Awareness Training to late last year.  I explained that some were worried because they heard that old people would die and Aboriginal people were going to be one of the groups most affected and asked her if she had any suggestions on how I could support my kids. Nathenya said some of her clients had expressed similar concerns and gave me some strategies that might help not only my jarjums but many of our young friends out there. I have attached a social story that might be of help to your family. Please use it with your children and share it with other families that you think could do with some support.​

I hope your mob stays safe and healthy in this time.

Can you believe it is 2020 already? I feel like 2019 passed by in a blink and all of a sudden we are here, a few days away from a new school year. A fresh start with new challenges ahead for teachers, students and parents. 

Aboriginal perspectives is one of those challenges for many teachers. Putting together a program that meets curriculum requirements, is engaging and works for the kids in their class is no small feat, especially since a teacher may not have met the students in their class for the year ahead. Yet teachers do this year in and year out, usually during the holidays. 

One of the challenges that comes up during this planning is how to incorporate Aboriginal perspectives, and how to do it in a meaningful way. The fear of being seen as tokenistic often means teachers do not include an activity out of respect and not wanting to offend somebody. I would love to see teachers feel comfortable in including perspectives, even if they are small. Small does not mean tokenistic. Short activities or pieces of information contribute to a child’s knowledge base and understanding of the world around them and when it comes to Aboriginal perspectives, short learning opportunities are much better than what most kids are getting now. 

Wingaru Kids supports teachers to include a short activity/session that relates to something already being explored in the classroom. For example, include Aboriginal Astronomy with your study of Earth and Space Science or learn to count in Darug when exploring numbers and counting in Maths classes. This is a really easy way to include perspectives across all key learning areas. 
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The whole purpose of Aboriginal perspectives is to give kids an appreciation and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It would be great to see 2020 as the year that we focus on getting more perspectives in the classroom and letting small things grow into a solid knowledge base for students going forward. 
As a starting point you could:

• Start the day by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land your school is on. 
• Find out how to say hello or good morning in the local language and greet your students in language. 
• Acknowledge key dates on the Aboriginal calendar and talk about what those dates mean and how that are observed – I have included our 2020 calendar with this post so you have a handy list of significant dates. 
• Talk about the issues in the media – the beginning of the school year starts just after Australia Day. Ask students what they did – there will likely be some who attended Aboriginal events; talk about how Aboriginal people might feel about the date we celebrate on; talk about why Aboriginal people might refer to the day as Invasion Day or Survival Day. Encourage everyone to respect each other’s views and consider them.
• Bring some native fruits in for students to try during ‘munch and crunch’ time.
• Include some Aboriginal resources in your classroom – posters, books, stickers, art. And make sure you use them or talk about them. 
• Follow Wingaru Education on social media and/or sign up to our monthly newsletter for ideas and free resources that may work in your classroom. ​

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​I’d love to hear how you are incorporating Aboriginal perspectives in your classroom. Maybe the things you are doing are just what another teacher needs to get the ball rolling in their classroom.

​A few months ago I went to a networking meeting – an opportunity to meet with other business people in the area in the hope of meeting some like-minded people who might one day be interested in collaborating on a project. To be honest I hate these events. I am not great at small talk and I feel awkward in a room of strangers. I try to make myself go a couple of times a year because as I tell my kids, it is good to step out of your comfort zone occasionally and challenge yourself to practice something you are not comfortable doing. I have also met some inspiring people doing some amazing things at these events so deep down I know it is a worthwhile activity despite my hesitation.
 
At this particular event I found myself talking to a lad, making small talk about his start up and the challenges he has faced in getting his vision from paper into the real world. His story was interesting and very different to mine. He was friendly and I think good hearted and I was enjoying our conversation. He asked about my journey and the barriers we face at Wingaru and I shared some of our barriers including race-based barriers that we are working to overcome. I talked about the assumed deficit that many people think Aboriginal people have – like we somehow cannot achieve to the same level as non-Aboriginal people, that we don’t quite do as good a job as our non-Aboriginal counter parts; how people incorrectly assume we have received massive amounts of funding to create our resources so our resources should be free of charge; how people continually dismiss Aboriginal education as an Aboriginal issue rather than a crucial part of Australia’s education system; and how as a business we often have to deal with racism before we can discuss our projects. 
 
His interest in what I am trying to achieve was genuine and he confessed that I was the first Aboriginal person he had ever met. To be honest I am always a little shocked when people tell me they don’t know any blackfullas. Honestly, we are everywhere! But it is something I hear often, although I suspect that most people have met an Aboriginal person but haven’t realised because most of us don’t fit the stereotype that people are expecting. I shouldn’t have been too shocked when he suggested I pretend I wasn’t Aboriginal so that I didn’t have to face the adversity that our mob face. At least he didn’t suggest I line up for my free car or house, right?
 
It makes sense really. Why would anyone want to face the adversity that Aboriginal people face every day? Why, if we had a choice, would we put ourselves out there to become the subject of racial hate, disadvantage and misconceptions that continually pop up as barriers that stand in our way?
 
Because being Aboriginal isn’t a choice. It is part of who I am. I have always been raised to be proud of my culture and my mob. We are resilient, we are strong, we are still here despite every attempt to keep us down. I couldn’t pretend I am not Aboriginal even if I wanted to. It would be like pretending I am a duck instead of a human. I don’t know how to be anything but an Aboriginal woman. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am part of an amazing culture and a great community. I am proud of all the things we as a people have achieved. 
 
This seemingly innocent comment highlighted just how far mainstream Australia is from understanding Aboriginal Australia. To think that it is as simple as choosing not to be who you are so that you are treated appropriately by other people feels like something from 100 years ago, not today. In the past Aboriginal people did deny their Aboriginality out of fear but surely we are past that? How are we approaching 2020 and people still think like this? Not because they are trying to be disrespectful but because they don’t know better? If there was ever an argument for changes in Aboriginal education for all Australians, this is it. We cannot have another generation not knowing. We need change. 

I asked him what he thought, about being taught proper blackfella stuff. He’s nine, just recently turned, and while he has a turn of phrase to rival the greatest orator when excepting himself from homework or feeding the Kelpie, I was genuinely unsure what his response would be. 
 
His face – muscles appearing where hair will come, eyes growing wiser by the day – split into a joyous grin, and the words tumbled out un-thought, a stream of pure consciousness that is as authentic as it gets. 
 
“Mama, I love it! It’s all the stories about this land, stories about the creatures that live here and stories that sound like songs… and the games are great: they’re funny and clever and it’s not like school work at all but I’m still learning. Do you want to see too? I can show you?”
 
If you knew my child, you would know that this is solid endorsement indeed. His bright little mind whirs continually, a powerful engine of curious thought. But school? He’s not so keen. I have seen him adeptly tap out a the theme tune to M*A*S*H using four pencils and a Lego ninja while failing miserably to take in what is being said about multiplication algorithms beneath the beady eye of his teacher. Big blue eyes and a freckled smile get him a long way, and he skirts through much of the required syllabus with a wily shrug and insouciant attitude. 
 
And yet, when we roam – swags belted, truck torqued, tarps often unravelling in a dirt-road scene akin to Priscilla – he is fascinated by the world around him, the culture and story and the application of this on Country. He was taught to make animal tracks by Uncle Kev Buzzacott on the edge of Lake Eyre. He learned to pick and cook wild rosella fruit, sticky hands dipping in and out of the pot on the fire on the banks of a lazy green river. And he will happily eat roo tail with his hands, fur and all. 
 
This child has absorbed everything he has been taught about Indigenous Australia, because it is relates to the very heart of this land. Ask him and he will say, “it’s Australia’s story Mama, so that means it’s everybody’s story”. And while he is lucky enough to have experienced the broadest reaches of this country, this tenet remains at the core of why I celebrate the opportunity he has to receive an Aboriginal education. 
 
I have always taught him that knowledge is power: to understand and engage critical thought to situations is powerful. The understanding that he gains from an Aboriginal curriculum is equally and notably so, as it engenders shared understanding. It encourages recognition and respect, an embracing of diversity for its strengths as opposed to restricted, closed-minded colonial mythologies that breed discrimination, prejudice and inequality. 
 
As the oldest continuous living culture on earth, the knowledge and lore of the traditional owners of this land is of seminal importance to Australia and globally. It is something to be innately proud of, to celebrate and to embrace with every part of our national identity. That it isn’t remains a mystery to me, but I have to believe that will change. 
 
And I know that the chance to broaden his understanding of the world with an ancient knowledge will help him navigate his future and that of those he loves in an equitable, diverse and caring capacity, a capacity that engenders reconciliation and ongoing understanding between the many, many people of the land on which he grows. 

​People often think that cultural awareness training is only for large organisations but the reality is organisations of any size can benefit from cultural awareness. This year our Butabuta facilitators have delivered our cultural awareness program to organisations with as few as 10 staff and across all sectors – private, public and not for profit. Each of these organisations had a different reason for organising training but each one was seeking to increase the knowledge of staff about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, our history and how we can all move forward and start addressing the outcome gaps our mob experience.
 
Over the last week I have been contacted by a couple of small businesses who are considering cultural awareness training but are unsure if they will benefit from it so I thought I would share, with their permission, about two of the small organisations that we provided training for this year  - Kids Steps Speech Pathology and Tempe OOSH.

Kids Steps Speech Pathology
 
Kids Steps Speech Pathology is a private practice located on beautiful Gumbaynggirr Country in Coffs Harbour with services also offered at Grafton, Yamba, Macksville and into New England. The team offer a range of services to support kids who need support with speech and language disorders. The incidence of speech and language disorders is higher in Aboriginal populations and the Kids Steps Team, who work with a number of Aboriginal families, want to make sure that they can appropriately engage and support Aboriginal families in therapy to support our jarjums. The NDIS means more families can access the therapies they need and as an NDIS provider, the Kids Steps Team is well placed to support these families and it is encouraging to see non-Aboriginal businesses starting to recognise the need to modify practice in order to be culturally safe for our mob. 
 
The team lead by Nathenya Fall, refer to their clients as friends. As a mum with a kid who has done his fair share of speech therapy, I love this approach. I know first-hand how important building a positive relationship between a child and their “speechie” is, so when Nathenya told me they were looking for opportunities to support their koori friends as best they could, I felt a rush of gratitude and excitement. The support we give kids in early years plays a huge role in shaping future outcomes for them. Having a private service that understands the importance of a culturally inclusive environment for Aboriginal people is amazing and the fact that they are willing to ask for help, acknowledging that Aboriginal people are best placed to provide advice on solutions to support our communities, is worth shouting about.
 
All of our cultural awareness sessions have been tailored to meet the needs of the participants and our facilitators were able to support the Kids Steps Team with a number of strategies they could introduce into their offerings that would help Aboriginal families to feel comfortable at the service. The Kids Steps Team were very keen to know how they could be more involved in the Aboriginal community so we spoke about opportunities to participate in events, community meetings and inter-agency events to connect with community outside of the Kids Steps offices. This conversation provided the Team with both the knowledge about where to connect with community as well as the confidence to join these events knowing that they were welcome. The respectful approach that Kids Steps has to working with our kids is amazing and the local community are blessed to have such a great service available. If only all small businesses were so welcoming of our mob!

Tempe OOSH
 
Another session that really stands out for me this year is our visit to the Tempe OOSH. The team, led by Helen Pentecost, is very highly regarded by the community they service. Kids love attending and we all know how important it is knowing that our kids are safe and happy when we can’t be with them. We hadn’t had an OOSH contact us about training before and Helen’s approach is very refreshing and I hope an approach that is adopted by many OOSH providers.
 
Helen told me that she felt ‘Training staff in cultural competency to understand the unique history of Australia’s First Nations people provides not only enormous benefit in terms of helping them offer sensitive and appropriate care for children from Aboriginal, Torres Strait and other diverse backgrounds, but it helps everyone at our centre by deepening our connection to and understanding of the custodians of our land.’ She said ‘I believe the recognition of the vast and rich cultural heritage of Aboriginal people is a vital underpinning of all education in Australians, and helps us create safe and appropriate learning spaces for all children, of any background. For us, there was no question that this training was vital to our way of working, and how we see ourselves as educators’.
 
We talk a lot about creating culturally inclusive environments in schools so to have an OOSH embrace this and take steps to ensure their service is inclusive is all kinds of exciting. An approach which recognises that understanding Aboriginal people and our role as custodians of the land is important for all students and staff at the centre, for me really highlights Helen’s approach as best practice and I would love to see other OOSH providers work towards adopting this approach. 

In modern society Christmas is celebrated in many different ways. For some it's a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ, for others it's a holiday to celebrate with gifts. Whether for religious or cultural reasons, the common thread for all that celebrate Christmas across the globe is the coming together to spend time and celebrate with family and friends.

In traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture Christmas was not celebrated but coming together and celebrating as a mob was, and continues to be, an important aspect of culture. While held for varied reasons, these events helped in defining identity and a sense of connectedness to kinship and culture, strengthening the mob through feelings of spiritual and cultural belonging.
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Traditional reason for coming together for ceremonies and gatherings included:

Welcome to Country: In traditional times an Aboriginal person would not travel between groups without permission. If permission was granted the mob accepting travellers would formally welcome their visitors with a welcome ceremony. This welcome would tell the spirits of the land that the traveller came in peace and asked them to protect the traveller while on the traditional lands.

Smoking Ceremony: Smoking ceremonies are traditionally a cleansing ceremony. Various native plants are collected and burned to produce smoke which is believed to have cleansing properties and the ability to ward off unwanted and bad spirits.

Corroborees: Corroborees are ceremonial meetings for mobs to interact with the Dreaming through singing, dancing, costume, and artistic expression.

Sorry Business: Sorry business refers to protocols around the death of an Aboriginal person. There are very intricate Dreaming ceremonies to help a spirit leave the earth after death. Traditionally the ceremonies around death varied between clans. How the body was prepared and farewelled was significant to ensuring the spirit made safe passage back to the Dreaming.

Trade: Traditionally trading was a time for sharing ideas, technology and culture, it was a time to catch up with other mobs for both business and leisure.

Download our free "Ceremonies and Gatherings" find-a-word PDF for your class to see what other ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people traditionally came together in celebration.

You can also explore this topic in more depth with the following lessons found on Wingaru Kids:

• Darug Mob Words - In this lesson, students learn how to name different members of the family in Darug language. You can find and assign this lesson under the "Language" category in the Lessons section on your class dashboard.
• Artefacts - In these lesson, students learn about recent archaeological finds during light rail construction in Sydney and discover how these finds reveal evidence of widespread trade. You can find and assign this lesson under the "Traditional Life" category in the Lessons section on your class dashboard.
• Aboriginal Life at Cooks River - In this lesson, students learn about traditional Aboriginal life at Cooks River, including trade and ceremonies. You can find and assign this lesson under the "Traditional Life" category in the Lessons section on your class dashboard.
• Welcome to Country - In this lesson, students explore a traditional welcoming ceremony. You can find and assign this lesson under the "Culture & Beliefs" category in the Lessons section on your class dashboard.
• Smoking Ceremony - In this lesson, students explore a traditional smoking ceremony. You can find and assign this lesson under the "Culture & Beliefs" category in the Lessons section on your class dashboard.

The benefits of cultural awareness training for workplaces are often spoken about. We talk about the role that cultural awareness training has in improving workplace culture; in improving both internal and external workplace communications; and in better servicing Aboriginal clients.

But we don’t often talk about the effects that extend beyond the workplace. 

Reading social media these days is hard. Everyone has an opinion about everything, and people seem much more comfortable expressing racism from the safety of the impersonal internet. Just in the last few days, I've read comments online saying a young man in a remote Northern Territory community deserved to be shot to death by police, and how it was ‘totally wrong’ to close the Uluru climb because ‘it never hurt the rock’ and ‘the Aboriginals are lying about cultural significance’. Today, I read a post that could have been from 100 years ago: a man advertised that he and his wife ‘would like to help fire victims and have a spare room if you need it … no blacks or immigrants’. This is all on top of the everyday deluge of comments rife with racial hate and myths about Aboriginal people that are perpetuated by print and social media. 

Fear of the unknown and a lack of education are the primary reason these types of posts are so prevalent. Often, keyboard warriors make these alarming statements because they've never had an opportunity to learn about Aboriginal culture—they know no alternative to the myths and ignorance they enthusiastically spout. I've been delivering Aboriginal cultural awareness training for many, many years and I've found that most people become much more accepting of Aboriginal people and culture and open to Reconciliation, when they learn the story of the Aboriginal peoples, and how we got to where we are today. 

Many participants have never heard about Australia’s history with Aboriginal people from an Aboriginal perspective. Cultural awareness training is the first time they've heard the stories of people from the Stolen Generation, or of families forced to live on missions, with no control over any aspect of their lives. ‘Why weren’t we taught this in school?’ is a common response when we talk about past government policies, about the denial of Aboriginal people’s rights to practice culture and the way they were treated by non-Aboriginal people—about how in the past racism was so systematic, and how in many ways it continues to be. 

Cultural awareness training in the workplace can support people to take a stand against the culturally insensitive—or downright racist—posts that are put out into the world every day. It arms people with the knowledge to see through misinformation, so that they don't help spread the myths that fuel hate against our First Nations. By giving people knowledge, training gives people the confidence to challenge the racist rhetoric we all seem to have become so complacent about. 
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Often employers don’t think they'll benefit from cultural awareness training for their staff because they don’t service Aboriginal people or have any Aboriginal staff. But consider the wider impact: training your staff not only increases their capacity, which strengthens your business, but also, in the case of cultural awareness training, can help protect your reputation. Often, misguided racist comments are made by employees on their workplace social media profile, and I watch as offended readers tag the employers asking them to take action, or demand others boycott them. It's something to consider: if making a positive social contribution is not reason enough to consider cultural awareness training for your workplace, then the potential PR implications if you don't might be.