Newhaven College’s Reconciliation Week
The Newhaven College community used their feet to show their respect and support for Reconciliation Week.
The Newhaven College community used their feet to show their respect and support for Reconciliation Week.
The whole school community walked around the oval to raise awareness and support the reconciliation process.
Year 7 student, River Hume, a member of the Boonwurrung Yallock-Bullock clan, welcomed everyone to Country before they set off. After the Long Walk, Junior and Middle School students participated in class activities while learning more about reconciliation and what it means to us all.
“Reconciliation Week is one of the most important weeks in the Newhaven College calendar,” a College spokesperson said.
“It is so important to teach young people to be respectful and to create and strengthen relationships with Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.
“We all have so much to learn from the oldest living culture in the world, especially about how we should be looking after the land and seas.”
This year’s theme of "Be a Voice for Generations" is all about ensuring we leave something better for the next generation.
“It encourages us to question ourselves and to reflect on our actions and our words to ensure we are using our voices for truth-telling and building strong communities.”
This year's National Reconciliation Week was held nationally from May 27 to June 3.
These dates are chosen as they commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
Newhaven College has a proud history of supporting Reconciliation Week and the region’s indigenous history with an acknowledgment of the Boonwurrung/Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of Country.
The acknowledgment is read by staff, teachers or students before all gatherings at Newhaven College.
