It’s NAIDOC Week from Sunday 3 July until Sunday 10 July! Standing for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, NAIDOC Week has been a week-long event since 1975. It’s all about celebrating Australia’s incredible Indigenous history and culture and in 2022 the theme is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

During NAIDOC Week, we encourage educators to support students to engage with a range of activities that promote recognition, respect and reconciliation of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.

Here are just a few ideas:

Display and discuss the NAIDOC Week poster: Each year the NAIDOC Week poster design is designed by an Aboriginal Australia and showcases the year’s theme. This year the winning poster design is by Rhyia Dank, a Gudanji/Wakaja artist from the NT. You might like to access this resource to print and invite children to colour it in, discussing the elements as you go.

Explore Indigenous clan groups: Use the AIATSIS map of Indigenous Australia to identify where your service is located and find out which Indigenous clan’s country you are on. Embark on research to explore more about how that group lived on the land.

Discuss the purpose of NAIDOC Week: Get to the bottom of what National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Week is through the NAIDOC website, and the history of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Week. Brainstorm with children about why it might be important for all Australians.

Invite Indigenous Australians to share: Give Indigenous Australians in your community the opportunity to share their culture. This might mean coming to the centre to share music, painting, dance or stories. 

Attend a NAIDOC event or host your own: You might like to plan a NAIDOC Week event, head along to one or encourage children and families to attend an event nearby. Even just a local walk to explore the country can be a great way to engage with NAIDOC Week. You can learn more about the NAIDOC Week events that are on for 2022 here.

Access NAIDOC Week Resources Pack: To help you celebrate NAIDOC Week this year we’ve created an Australian Aboriginal Resources pack full of ideas and inspirations. This pack is a perfect tool to embed indigenous perspectives and promote cultural diversity in any Early Childhood, kindergarten, school setting or at home. Get your free resource or a complete pack just in time!

Celebrating NAIDOC Week together contributes greatly to our ongoing reconciliation journey. And we all deserve the gift of learning more about the wonderful and rich Indigenous culture and history of the country we share.