Reconciliation Action Plan

We respectfully acknowledges the Yaluk-it Weelam Clan of the Boonwurrung as the Traditional Custodians of the Land upon which we learn, work and play.

We acknowledge that this beautiful country has been cared for by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for over 60 thousand years, living in harmony with nature.

We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future and thank them for sharing their stories and wisdom of this Land.

Our Actions

We aim to build an even greater network of community relationships.

We will achieve this through greater learnings, connections, skills and knowledge on how to best promote First Nations and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety.

2022 Achievements

Our cultural competence and appreciation for First Nations ways of being continued to grow

Visual Acknowledgement of First Nations and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

  • Installed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags

  • Introduced Boonwurrung colours as suggested by our Boonwurrung consultant, Jaeden Williams

  • Created a variety of visual displays of our Reconciliation Action Plan actions

Replaced our Kindergarten group names with the names of Indigenous poets

  • We sought permission from each of the First Nations poets for the renaming

  • Generic Kindergarten group names (Orange, Green and Blue) were exchanged with the names of Aboriginal poets— Uncle Archie Roach, Lisa Bellear, and Ali Cobby Eckermann

  • Organised a Smoking ceremony / Welcome to Country to celebrate the renaming

  • Arranged for new Kindergarten room plaques by an Aboriginal artist

Celebrated through art activities and education

  • Consulted with members of the Boonwurrung community about ethical and respectful practices surrounding art and protocols

  • Held regular Yarning circles for Educators throughout the year

  • Purchased more books and games by Indigenous authors, illustrators and artists

  • Purchased and displayed genuine art by Aboriginal artists, purchased directly from the artists

  • Read more Indigenous books to the children in the rooms

  • Created a library of Indigenous resources for staff

Reflected and shared our learnings

  • Engaged all our educators by reflecting on the Reconciliation Action Plan Actions on a monthly basis

  • Communicated learnings and reflections about Indigenous culture via our community app, Storypark

  • Continued practicing a Children's acknowledgement of country in various ways and in age-appropriate ways

  • Written event/context-specific acknowledgement of country to make it more meaningful and heart-felt

Our Vision Statement

Poets Grove Family and Children’s Centre recognises the importance of reconciliation between non-Indigenous people and the Traditional Custodians of Lands across Australia.

Our vision for recocniliation is to continue to embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ histories and cultures and respectfully embed these perspectives into our daily practices in rich and meaningful ways.

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into our centre and program in a culturally competent way will enable us to instill a culture of respect for diversity and promote understanding, not only for the children in our care and the entire Poets Grove community, but also for all who come into our space.

As educators, we acknowledge that we are in a unique position to accomplish this through the strong relationships we build with children and their families.

We will continue to create a culturally safe learning environment for our children, families and staff that demonstrates respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions, valuing cultural knowledge.

We are committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders present and emerging and welcome members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to visit our centre.

We are committed to teaching children the value of Australia’s rich history by fostering a culturally supportive environment.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strong spiritual and cultural connection to Land, Country, sea and water and we will foster opportunities to grow our understanding and participation in caring for Country.

By respecting and sharing the histories, achievements and cultures of First Nations people we hope to play a part in the progression toward a reconciled Australia.