NAIDOC Week 2024
Sunday 7 July 2024 marks the commencement of NAIDOC Week. This week celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whilst sharing these histories and oldest, continuous living cultures with all Australians.
The 2024 theme is Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud. The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year's theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.
Along with strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in V2.0 of the Approved Learning Frameworks, services may be inspired by NAIDOC Week to start the conversation about what embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait perspectives genuinely means to services and how is it reflective, respectful and informed by the unique Country the service is located on. The concept of embedded implies it is integral to practice being firmly fixed and deeply connected to its surrounding mass. This thinking may inform some conversations in services as they unpack these concepts when reflecting on pedagogy and practice.
Services may also consider:
- understanding the why behind NAIDOC week, sharing authentic stories of place that can enrich and support authentic approaches
- privileging stories of truth telling, as NAIDOC has a long and important history for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back before the 1920s. Services may reflect upon how to tell stories through Non-Indigenous and Indigenous lenses to bring together shared understandings for our future
- how events such as NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week showcase daily pedagogy and practice in the service, rather than ‘the week’ being the showcase
- when critically reflecting on a services day to day work, can services see NAIDOC and Reconciliation in every day, rather than a focused practice that takes place just on a particular day or week?
- how embedded are Aboriginal and Torres Strait perspectives? If they were taken out of the service practice tomorrow what would change, what would be impacted, how would children, families and community be disadvantaged because this practice stopped?
- how are services thinking beyond the ‘Do NAIDOC Week’ approach with relation to the place-based context of where the service is located to find out the stories of place and the cultural connections that should be recognised and celebrated in sharing, not only in their service community, but their wider community
- acknowledging that engaging with community members and events, reflecting on relevant articles, websites and sharing stories and newsletters during NAIDOC week can be the start of an ongoing conversation rather than a weeklong conversation.