NAIDOC Week 2015

NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July. It is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.

This year the theme highlights Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and sea. The theme is an opportunity to pay respects to country; honour those who work tirelessly on preserving land, sea and culture and to share the stories of many sites of significance or sacred places with the nation.

Virtual Excursions Australia is presenting the NAIDOC Week Video Conferencing Festival. This event will run before and after the July school holidays for student across Australia. Please join the Australian Museum, Australian National Maritime Museum, State Library of NSW and Sydney Olympic Park for a series of fabulous events.

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22 June

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 10:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 11:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 12:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

 

23 June

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 10:00

Overview: To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous Programs Manager Donna Carstens and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss the cultural significance of water to indigenous people. Water is integral to the everyday life of communities for survival, travel and play. Learn an traditional dance, examine an Indigenous artwork and build a canoe replica.

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 10:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 11:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC – Create YOUR Australian flag

Time: 12:00

Overview: In this special NAIDOC week art workshop students will explore Indigenous culture and art from various regions of Australia. In this lesson students will create their own Australian Flag by investigating their cultural heritage as well as that of Australia’s first inhabitants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 14:00

Overview: To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous Programs Manager Donna Carstens and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss the cultural significance of water to indigenous people. Water is integral to the everyday life of communities for survival, travel and play. Learn an traditional dance, examine an Indigenous artwork and build a canoe replica.

 

24 June

NAIDOC Week – Language on Tumblr and Sacred Land Sculpture workshop

Time: 10:00

Overview: This interactive video conference for Stage 2 and 3 students is centred on the NAIDOC 2015 theme of We all stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate. Learn about the State Library language resources with the Indigenous Services team, and see how they are now being shared through social media. Use some Sydney Language words in a creative activity where students reflect on sacred places and build a miniature 3D model of their own special place

 

26 June

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 10:00

Overview: To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous Programs Manager Donna Carstens and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss the cultural significance of water to indigenous people. Water is integral to the everyday life of communities for survival, travel and play. Learn an traditional dance, examine an Indigenous artwork and build a canoe replica.

NAIDOC week ANMM Unlocked: Unlock Water and Indigenous people

Time: 14:00

Overview: To celebrate NAIDOC week Indigenous Programs Manager Donna Carstens and special guest Uncle Terry will discuss the cultural significance of water to indigenous people. Water is integral to the everyday life of communities for survival, travel and play. Learn an traditional dance, examine an Indigenous artwork and build a canoe replica.

 

14 July

NAIDOC Week – Indigenous Totem workshop

Time: 11:00

Overview: The Indigenous Totems session is a practical workshop where students learn about lifestyles and beliefs of Indigenous Australians whilst creating their own totem. Concepts and culture will be demonstrated with real artifacts and aboriginal cultural material.

NAIDOC Week – Indigenous Totem workshop

Time: 12:00

Overview: The Indigenous Totems session is a practical workshop where students learn about lifestyles and beliefs of Indigenous Australians whilst creating their own totem. Concepts and culture will be demonstrated with real artifacts and aboriginal cultural material.

NAIDOC Week – Indigenous Totem workshop

Time: 13:00

Overview: The Indigenous Totems session is a practical workshop where students learn about lifestyles and beliefs of Indigenous Australians whilst creating their own totem. Concepts and culture will be demonstrated with real artifacts and aboriginal cultural material.

 

15 July

NAIDOC KOORI CLASSROOM: The origins and meaning of NAIDOC

Time: 14:00

Overview: “To know the future we must first know the past” (Aunty Fran Bodkin D’harawal Elder). In this session of our Koori Classroom series, D’harawal knowledge keeper, Shannon Foster will guide students through the origins of NAIDOC – also part of her own family story.

 

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.

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Virtual Excursions Australia is proud to support this event

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Mapping with Matthew Flinders

The map of Australia and many of our place names are the work of Matthew Flinders but how well do we know this important explorer? Come on a journey of discovery with the State Library of NSW as we commemorate 200 years since his death.

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The State Library collection encompasses many of Matthew Flinders personal possessions, including his chess set, sword and miniature writing box.  See some of these treasures up close as we circumnavigate Australia with the great explorer and his cat Trim in this one hour, free video conference.

a082001rWe’ll retrace his journey and hunt for treasure along the way in this interactive experience on 24 July.  Bookings through DART Connections.

 

Art Around the Library

Come behind the scenes and explore the amazing pictures collection at the State Library of NSW in this 5 part video conference series. Inspire your inner artist in these five, hour long interactive sessions. Each experience examines a different artwork from the collection, followed by a hands-on workshop where your students will create artworks using different techniques including perspective drawing, painitng, collage and 3D modelling to build their observational and art-making skills.

DSC_6045_webBook for one session or for all five, and best of all, it’s FREE! Pre and post visit notes complete the experience and outline curriculum links, and we encourage you to use this as a springboard for further art-making adventures: one school recently held an art exhibition in their hall for parents and students, showcasing all the artworks produced by their students during this VC series.

According to teachers who have participated, Art Around the Library is ‘a great way to easily get experts into your school’ and ‘a great way to bring history to life’. The next series will run on Tuesdays beginning week 2, Term 3. Bookings can be made at DART Connections.