The NAIDOC Week 2021 theme was Heal Country. This healing is important not just during NAIDOC Week but throughout the entire year. Country is integral to First Nations identity, culture and community. 

That is why we ensure that reconciliation is embedded in our children’s services, with all having age-appropriate acknowledgements of country and regular programming to help the children understand and connect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. 

In our Conder Early Childhood Service, they have incorporated traditional stick tapping into their daily Acknowledgement of Country process. 

In addition, during NAIDOC week, the educators and children set up a corner dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, culture and histories, complete with books, rocks and pictures. 

The children also took part in a yarning circle and the educators told them a range of Dreamtime stories, to engage their imagination and interest in learning about Aboriginal connection to country. 

Of particular interest to the children was a chance to dance along as kangaroos in the “We are Koori” kid dance. 

Find out more about what happened across YWCA Canberra for NAIDOC Week.