NAIDOC
NAIDOC stands for the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
Today, NAIDOC is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and an opportunity to recognise the contributions of Indigenous Australians in various fields.
Activities take place across the nation during NAIDOC Week in the first full week of July. All Australians are encouraged to participate.
For more information on the history of NAIDOC please visit the National NAIDOC Week website www.naidoc.org.au
For more information about events and activities in the ACT go to the ACT NAIDOC Facebook page.
NAIDOC Week 2011
Change: The Next Step Is Ours
This year’s theme Change: The next step is ours, reflects the work being done by Indigenous people across the country who are taking responsibility for their own future and shaping the changes they want to see in their communities.
In July, a group of dedicated members of our community met for breakfast at the Weston Community Hub to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2011. Among them were representatives of the YWCA of Canberra, ACTCOSS and Woden Community Services.
The breakfast was a great celebration with wonderful entertainment and the sharing of stories from local community members. The YWCA of Canberra was proud to launch our new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at this event, representing our continued commitment to reconciliation and detailing how we will put this into practice over the next coming three years.
In Canberra the official ceremony for NAIDOC Week was at the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre at Yarramundi Reach. There were activities as well as music by local Indigenous performers and a range of information including fostering and kinship services for Indigenous communities. Members of the local Indigenous community also participated in the annual Flag Raising Ceremony in Civic Square.
Other events included a free film showing at the National Film and Sound Archive and a NAIDOC exhibition and family workshops at Belconnen Arts Centre.
Unsung Heroes - Closing Gap by Leading Their Way
An example of unsung heroes in the ACT is the class of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students about to graduate with their Diploma’s of Counselling and Groupwork. Eighteen students will be graduating on July 10 at a ceremony at Parliament House after completing the Diploma. These students have all worked tirelessly for their communities over the years, in the roles of healer, helper, or counsellor and many have overcome significant obstacles to complete the course and achiUnsineve this well deserved recognition of their skills, experience and knowledge.
The YWCA of Canberra has supported this course by enabling the Director of Community services, Manja Visschedijk to assist in the training and delivery of the course. Manja has said that being involved in the course has been a significant and very valuable experience for her, and that she has learned more than she has been able to teach. Manja believes that there is a lot the wider Australian community can learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of delivering counselling and community work. Manja will be attending the graduation on Saturday July 10 to celebrate this class of truly ‘Unsung heroes, closing the gap by leading their way’.
A new Diploma in Counselling and Groupwork course for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will be starting in September this year, delivered from both Canberra and Wagga sites, and so far 21 potential students have expressed interest in the Wagga area and a further 22 have expressed interest in the Canberra region. If you are interested in finding out more about this course, which is run by the Registered Training Organisation, the Australian Institute for Relationship Studies, phone Relationships Australia, Canberra and region on 02 6122 7130
NAIDOC Week 2009
Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth
A gathering to celebrate Indigenous Women’s Leadership
The NAIDOC Week 2009 theme was Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth.
ACTCOSS, Beryl Women Inc., Women’s Legal Centre and the YWCA of Canberra held a gathering to share stories, honour the work of the women who have gone before us and to inspire and nurture the younger women who are beginning their journey.
For non-Indigenous women, there was opportunities to learn about how non-Indigenous women have supported Indigenous rights and reconciliation and how to carry on that legacy into the future.
NAIDOC Week 2009 Flyer (116 KB)
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