Today is the first day of Reconciliation Week. What is reconciliation?

According to the Reconciliation Australia website: Reconciliation is about building better relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the benefit of all Australians. To create positive change we need more people talking about the issues and coming up with innovative ideas and actions that make a difference.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is celebrated across Australia each year between 27 May and 3 June. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the 1967 referendum (27 May) and the High Court Mabo decision (3 June).  Additional information and resources can be found on the SNAICC website.

One of the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework is that Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are valued. This aligns with element 1.1.2 of the National Quality Standard which requires that each child’s current knowledge, ideas, culture and interests are the foundation of the program. Building cultural competence is a key practice of the national approved learning frameworks and the concept is unpacked in the Educators Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework, which can be accessed from: http://www.workforce.org.au/media/359962/cultural%20competence%20in%20early%20childhood.pdf

The IPSP online library has some useful resources to assist. The ABC Indigenous website is also a valuable source of resources including a downloadable Indigenous language map that can be used with both children and adults.