Over the last few weeks each of the classes at the ELC have been engaged in activities that build an understanding of Reconciliation. The theme for this year’s Reconciliation was: Be a voice for Generations. As teachers, building young children’s understanding of Reconciliation can be challenging. Our focus has been on promoting the student’s awareness of Australia’s First Nations and building their respect for their rich cultural heritage. We want this respect, understanding and empathy to go beyond Reconciliation week and NAIDOC week to a deeper appreciation of values such as caring for country, living sustainably, appreciating the innate value of people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds and seeking to listen to the stories of others.

This ties in with the value of Empathy that we will explore further with the children as part of our involvement in The Resilience Project. Empathy is the ability to see things from another person’s point of view, and that oh so important ability to listen to others. We do see this happening around us at the ELC in the children’s interactions; when they remember that sharing is caring, when children make space for somebody else to sit with them on the mat, or when they invite others to join in with their play. We see that empathy in action when they recognise their actions have hurt somebody else and they say sorry. 

This week the children have begun to work together to create their own Acknowledgement of Country. This is a part of each classes’ daily routine, and to build on the meaningfulness of this activity we wanted to work with the students on a statement that is meaningful to them. An acknowledgement that reflects their understanding of the importance of the Ngunnawal people and other First Nation people, and that reflects the things they value and love about Ngunnawal country.