Due to COVID-19, KIDS IN ACTION 2020 has had the opportunity to pivot our program to take you all online for a Virtual Environmental Projects Day – 16 mentors with heaps of First Nations perspectives and knowledge.
The show must go on and we are excited about the opportunity to work with our mentors to bring you an engaging and thought-provoking program full of hands-on experiences you and your whole class can now engage with. We are currently filming our mentors and will have these vignettes available to access in Term 3. All vignettes will be aligned to the Australian Curriculum Key Learning Areas, 2 Cross Curriculum Priorities – Sustainability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and be underpinned by strong pedagogical practices that support the demonstration of AITSL 1.4 and 2.4.
Just in case you missed the World Vision LIVE for Reconciliation Week 2020, here I am sharing from my experiences, how to embed First Nations cultures and histories within the curriculum and the importance of connecting with your local First Nations Communities.
Thank you to World Vision for the opportunity to share and inspire other non-Indigenous teachers. This was a part of the campaign for “In my blood it runs” and Reconciliation Week 2020.
Head directly to World Vision’s website for the full 1 hour panel discussion and brilliant resources to support you in your journey. Click on the link or image below.
Kids in Action has just been named the State winner of the partnerships category for the 2020 Queensland Reconciliation Awards. This award affirms our deep respect and relationship with the Jinibara, Kabi Kabi/ Gubbi Gubbi peoples who guide our work and add immeasurable value to the program. Thank you to all involved, our sponsors, our mentors, volunteers, teachers and the kids of the greater Sunshine Coast Regional Council footprint. 2020 is going to be next level. This is only the beginning!! We are all on a life long journey to acknowledge and learn from First Nations peoples. We are extremely excited about how we can continue to walk together to become better custodians of Country.
I am very fortunate to be a part of an amazing team that continues to deliver culturally responsive best practices. We call ourselves the “Birdies” and we are a group of 4 women who share a passion for the environment and First Nations histories and cultures. We call ourselves the ‘Birdies’ as we all have a deep relationship and affiliation with birds as our spirit animal. Karen is the Brush Turkey, I’m the Black Cockatoo and Lisa and Mandy are White-bellied Sea Eagle. And funnily enough, our personalities emulate those birds and their behaviours within the ecosystem and broader community. Most importantly, we are guided by the ancestors, Elders and Community leaders who’s country we live and work on.
In 2019 we worked together with the Traditional Custodians and community from Jinibara, Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi countries to deliver a program like no other which spoke to the theme – Celebrating Nature’s Icons. Here the opportunity to engage First Nations mentors to guide the programs was a ‘no-brainer’. By all accounts, it was the “BEST year ever”. We also ensured that Teachers involved with the program had the opportunity to strengthen their cultural capability, so it was essential that we provide a Professional Development opportunity that demonstrated 8 ways, Uncle Ernie’s Framework and Yarning Circles.
I remember at the end of the Environmental Projects Day, I was in the car park watching all the First Nations community ‘high fiving’ each other and reunifying as a broader community. The tensions of the past were overshadowed by the success of the day. And this success was because we all came together with the same agenda – to build a greater sense of Custodial responsibility within 350 students and volunteers.
In 2020, we strive to take Kids in Action to the next level, even with the complexities that COVID-19 has provided. We are going online and are currently filming First Nations mentors and non-Indigenous experts in their field to bring a program that aligns with the theme – ‘We are Botanica’. Watch this space, it is going to be amazing. Thank you again to all involved.
I am excited to be going online to support you all in these unprecedented times and ensure you continue to have access to quality Professional Learning that supports you to grow as an Educator.
This 4 part series is designed to engage Educators in any education setting, be that Childcare, the Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary, to grow their professional practices and standards and ensure culturally safe and supportive learning environments are created.
This series is will build a strong foundation for Educators to engage with First Nations peoples and ensure Educators act in culturally appropriate ways to build and strengthen these relationships.
This series does not teach First Nations Culture, nor is it designed to replace the relationships you need to support you in your local environment.
Join me as I share my personal stories of how I went from being a graduate teacher with no cultural capability in the mid-1990s to becoming an Educator of over 20 years’ experience of working with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities all over Australia. I hope to inspire you to embed key pedagogies like Uncle Ernie’s Framework, 8 ways, Being a Significant Other as I guide you through the Building Cultural Capability Framework.
In these current times, life is being done differently. With restraints on social and professional gatherings, we are encouraged to think outside of the square and connect in other ways. Like you, I don’t want to lose momentum and am taking the opportunity to temporarily move my business online so that we can continue to connect, learn and inspire.
I’m pleased to announce that by the end of this week, I will be offering online learning through a series of 4 Webinars. Head to https://www.sallylawrence.com.au/shop/ to purchase and download Webinars that you can watch in your own home/school environment.These 4 sessions include:
Session 1 – Building my Cultural Capability Journey
Session 2 – Becoming a Significant Other – Building Self-Efficacy in Learners
Session 4 – 8 ways of Aboriginal Learning
Session 5 – Uncle Ernie’s Holistic Framework
Please note that face to face sessions, Session 3: Crossing Cultures workshops, all-day tours and experiences on country with First Nations community are currently suspended until further notice – COVID-19.
These prices are for sole use only. If you’re interested in access for groups and whole school staff, please contact [email protected] for further information. Whole school packages are available for schools to purchase access for 6 month periods.
