Powderfinger Recently Visited a South Australian School to Support Their Efforts in Developing a Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation

Australian rock band Powderfinger recently visited a South Australian school to support their efforts in developing a reconciliation action plan.

Focus Questions EPISODE 18 ND 22 JULY 2008 1] Retell the story in your own words. 2] Why did Powderfinger visit Christies Beach High School? Learning Area 3] What was the aim of the Powderfinger and Silverchair `Across the great Society and Environment divide’ tour?

4] What do you think reconciliation is? 5] What is the Reconciliation Action Plan Christies Beach High School is working on? Key learning 6] Describe the Indigenous garden the school developed. 7] How do you think this helps with the reconciliation process? Students will develop a 8] How does the support of bands like Powderfinger help spread the deeper understanding of reconciliation message? the reconciliation 9] Did the BtN story change your thinking about reconciliation? Explain process. your answer.

10] How did this story make you feel?

Take action! After watching the BtN story about the Powderfinger visit to Christies Beach High School, ask students to think about and record what reconciliation means to them. In pairs, ask students to share their meanings. In small groups, ask students to brainstorm responses to the following:

• Why is reconciliation important?

• What values are important to reconciliation and why are they important? Values can include: • Understanding

• How does your class and/or school support reconciliation? • Tolerance • How is reconciliation occurring between Indigenous and non- • Respect Indigenous people in the community? • Fairness • What else could be done to support the reconciliation process?

As a class, develop a reconciliation action plan to support the reconciliation process at a school level. Ask students to think of ways this could be achieved. Here are a few starting points:

• Indigenous guest speakers, for example artists, musicians, sports people could talk to classes/whole school about what reconciliation means to them. • Create a reconciliation wall that uses images to represent reconciliation. This could be done in conjunction with an Indigenous artist in residence. • Create a bush food trail in your school. • Create values flags in Indigenous colours with the core values important to reconciliation written on the flags. Display these in the school grounds. The reconciliation action plan at the following website is a useful guide http://www.reconciliation.org.au/i-cms.isp?page=476 Use the school newsletter, website, assembly to report back to school community about your class’s reconciliation action plan. Encourage other classes in your school or other schools to develop their own action plans.

Further investigations

Create a timeline of significant events that have impacted on the reconciliation process in Australia.

Find images from magazines or newspapers that represent the meaning of reconciliation.

Make a card game about reconciliation. Add it to the school library’s collection of games.

Learn an Indigenous game. The following website has a range of Indigenous games to choose from http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/all/indigenous/games Teach it to another student in your school.

Related Research Links ABC News – Powderfinger supports school reconciliation project http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2174611.htm Reconciliation Australia website http://www.reconciliation.org.au/i-cms.isp Reconciliation Australia – reconciliation action plan for schools http://www.reconciliation.org.au/i-cms.isp?page=476 Australian Government Culture and Recreation portal – Reconciliation http://www.culture.gov.au/articles/indigenous/reconciliation/ Reconciliation website – What is reconciliation? http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/education-kit/what-is-reconciliation/ Racism no way website – reconciliation fact sheet http://www.natsiew.nexus.edu.au/lens/reconactivities/index.html