The NCNS Communities & Children team celebrated Reconciliation Week within our Breakfast Club, Cranebrook Kids & Kingswood Park Kids groups, Cambridge Park Playgroup & School, and Braddock Playtime Playgroup.
For the start of Reconciliation Week, NCNS Community Development Workers, Justine & Nada spent lunchtime doing Reconciliation Week activities with K-2 Students from Cambridge Park Public School!
On Tuesday 1st June, our Cranebrook Kids group facilitated by NCNS Community Worker, Nada enjoyed reflecting on what reconciliation means to them and how they can be part of the healing journey!
We did various activities throughout our Breakfast Club at Cranebrook Neighbourhood Centre each morning.
Our adorable kids from Braddock Playtime Playgroup enjoyed doing some Reconciliation Week colouring in and art activities!
We have loved listening to conversations, stories and community who have shared knowledge and information with each other.
A highlight for Justine this week was having the privilege of working with Aboriginal School Leaders in Cambridge Park who have been involved in planning the activities for Reconciliation Week and have been able to provide non Aboriginal students with a deeper insight into Aboriginal culture.
One of these activities has been constructing 3 reflection trees situated at the front of the school.
The children have drawn, weaved and beaded for the trees. During this time they have shared stories about how they experience their culture in their daily lives.
We decided to put solar lights on the trees so that if students pass them at night, they will remember what they have learnt, their experience while making the trees and share this with their families.
Justine explained, “I was blown away when one of the students who helped create the tree, asked their mum to stop on the way home from soccer training so that they could take a photo of the tree and send it to me!
The mother told me how proud her child was of the tree they had helped create. The student told their mother about their friend’s Aboriginal culture and how their friend is learning how to paint from their grandmother. This happened when the tree was only at stage one, so even when it hadn’t been completed it provoked a conversation within this child’s family.
We hope these trees will remind students when they walk past, what they have learnt and prompt further conversations with each other in the future!”