Reflection and Action: The journey so far for the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan

Nicole Devlin

Dean of Academics

The journey so far for the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan

This year the theme for Reconciliation Week was ‘More than a Word, Reconciliation Takes Action’. 2021 marks not only twenty years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process, but also the first year of action for the St Margaret’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). In 2019, a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) group was formed at St Margaret’s to begin the journey to scope and develop relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stakeholders, to develop our vision for reconciliation, and to explore initiatives and actions we could take to develop a RAP that represents the approach our community is taking to commit to reconciliation.

Sitting in the room for our first RAP committee meeting, it was clear that this process was going to have the potential to significantly influence and shape the culture at St Margaret’s. It took the group a year of meetings and online connections to understand what we already do and what we could do. This process challenged, reinforced, reinvigorated and empowered us as a group. However, while inspirational and vitally necessary, the pragmatic reality of the political and social landscape is complex, and we have challenging terrain to navigate as we make progress towards changed behaviours and shared understandings so true reconciliation can be realised. The conversations, auditing of curriculum, and the reflection on what we already do and what we need to do have culminated in the following visions. These visions and underpinning commitments are our guiding principles to unite and energise our school and community to have reconciliation live in the hearts, minds and actions as we move forward, creating a school community strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

St Margaret’s Vision for Reconciliation

Our vision for reconciliation is an Australia that embraces unity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians, and a national culture that represents equality and equity, historical acceptance of our shared history and removal of negative race relations. By establishing a better understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, we will support reconciliation and develop an enriched appreciation of Australia’s cultural heritage and move towards the maturity of our community and Australia as a nation based on mutual respect and trust.

Our commitments

• We believe in the power of shared learning experiences, and welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into our learning spaces. We believe that having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in our classrooms are an essential part of learning about and understanding

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. • We believe in fostering authentic connections between our vision, our plans for reconciliation, and the principles and practices of the Early Years learning framework. We commit to fostering a strong working relationship between the two, and to ensuring that reconciliation is authentically embedded into our early learning environments. • We believe in celebrating cultural identities. St Margaret’s commits to providing opportunities for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students to cultivate a shared pride for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, contributions, identities and histories within our school community. We believe that these opportunities will have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander students.

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• We commit to reflection regarding our own level of cultural competence, and to provide opportunities for staff to build and extend upon their own knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. We support staff in actively developing their cultural awareness to ensure greater cultural competence and understanding. • We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land. We honour their legacy through formal acknowledgement and ensure that significant events at our school begin with a Welcome to Country address. We acknowledge that welcoming visitors to Country has been part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years. • We will celebrate National Reconciliation Week (NRW) each year from 27 May to 3 June and commit to talking about reconciliation in our classrooms and within the school community. This is an important time for all

Australians to learn about and understand our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to recognise how each Australian can contribute to the national reconciliation effort.

• We believe in fostering relationships with our local

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and believe that these bonds must be built on mutual respect, trust and inclusivity. We recognise that these valuable relationships help to create opportunities for a deeper understanding between our Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander community and non-Indigenous staff, students, and wider community members. • St Margaret’s commits to ongoing learning about reconciliation in Australia, and to understanding the ideas, history and progress that have been made towards reconciliation within our country. We recognise the role that our RAP plays in the story of reconciliation in

Australia and we commit to promoting its understanding and integration within our school community. • Raising awareness of significant issues relating to

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the process of reconciliation is vital. We commit to integrating this knowledge into our curriculum delivery, policies and procedures, and into the ethos of our school. • We recognise and celebrate the continuing connection that

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to the

Country that we live, learn and work on. We encourage all staff and students to show respect to our Traditional owners and Custodians by regularly participating in an

Acknowledgement of Country at meetings and significant events throughout the school year. • St Margaret’s is committed to reconciliation; with respect and pride, we fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in acknowledgement and recognition of the histories,

cultures and contributions of Australia’s First Peoples. • We take a strong stance on racism and understand the serious negative consequences that it can have on people who experience it. St Margaret’s commits to building a shared understanding of what racism is and how best to respond when it occurs, and to creating a tailored solution that reaffirms our shared ethos. Only when racism is understood can it be overcome.

• We commit to integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander histories and cultures into our curriculum planning and development. This process reaffirms our ongoing respect for and commitment to reconciliation.

Our curriculum documents have been or will be audited to assess the extent that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions have been embedded.

In this process, we will strive to identify opportunities that will allow for a stronger representation of this content in our curriculum.

• Staff are committed to improving the educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and to developing their knowledge and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in Australia. We also commit to ensuring that all staff comply with these inclusive policies, and that ongoing amendment of these documents ensures inclusivity for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. • St Margaret’s is committed to implementing its

Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in a meaningful and sustainable way. With this in mind, all staff will be involved in its operation and ongoing development and will be encouraged to participate in its implementation through staff development opportunities. • St Margaret’s commits to tracking the progress of the

RAP in order to revisit and refine our commitments to reconciliation in our school. We commit to ongoing growth in knowledge and the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and will continue to explore authentic ways to integrate new ideas, which will further develop and sustain our RAP into the future.

Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and, importantly, as a nation. This journey of reconciliation and the school’s Reconciliation Action Plan are far from complete, but from these commitments the RAP committee will continue to reflect and act to play our part as we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, histories, cultures and futures. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.