Sustainable Change: A Long Term Approach
It is six months since Wingaru Kids was launched and what a six months it has been! We are now in over 100 schools and the feedback we are getting is overwhelmingly positive. Teachers are embracing our resources and confidently delivering lessons about Aboriginal culture in a way that has not been done before.
Wingaru Education was born out of a desire to fill what I believe is a missing piece in the puzzle that is improving outcomes for Aboriginal people and making real steps towards true reconciliation.
There are many people delivering great programs aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities however, while many of those programs are successfully changing lives for some Aboriginal people, the overall living, health and education outcomes for our First Nations are not improving and in some cases are even declining.
I can’t help but think that part of the problem is that no one is addressing the need for education for wider communities so that a better understanding of Aboriginal people and culture is developed across the country. And what better place to start but with our future leaders.
Today’s students will one day be leading this country and it is my hope that through broader exposure to the issues impacting on Aboriginal people, the culture we hold so dearly and the development of an understanding of the true history of this country, that those future leaders will be in a position to make better, more informed decisions and work more collaboratively with Aboriginal people and by doing so will drive sustainable change for Australia.
We have a long way to go but as time goes on, I am encouraged by the openness that many teachers have to including more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in their classrooms.
I think we ask a lot of our teachers and I am proud of the support that the Wingaru team is providing to make their jobs just a little bit easier.
