NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities and is a great opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

To celebrate NAIDOC WEEK and its theme of The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy the students were split into their three house groups and over three afternoons rotated between each activity.

For the Strength activity students learnt about the importance of Country and land for the Indigenous community and how they found strength in nature. Students made a beautiful nature collage of a kangaroo and a big tree with deep roots to represent strength.

Students learnt a little bit of the Gathang language and about bush tucker for the Vision activity. They were treated by Miss Gunn to some lovely lemon myrtle cordial and adventured through our bush tucker garden to see what there was.

Students learnt about the Legacy of 2024 NAIDOC Youth of the Year award winner Dante Rodrigues and his amazing charity work. They then coloured in their own footprint and wrote what they would like their legacy to be at St Joseph's.