2 Townsville community resource

The City of Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community resource link can help educators connect with meaningful stories and knowledge that are within a context that  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their class can identify with. The resource is in line with Goal 1 of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (Education Council, 2019). One of the provisions is to “ensure that learning is built on and includes local, regional and national cultural knowledge and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and work in partnership with local communities” (Education Council, 2019, p. 5). This may be achieved by looking at the different opportunities that are available along with appropriate activities that can be done by children. The resource will aid Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to connect with their local community and culture. They will gain knowledge of where their ancestors came from, their histories and languages. In addition, all students will gain knowledge and understanding of Australian Indigenous cultures.

Children that attend early childhood services extend their social identities by interacting with other people. Some children notice differences such as race and the colour of people’s skin. Children who have grown up in families where there is racism may think this is acceptable in broader society and bring this attitude to the service (Srinivasan & Cruz, 2015). The resource may help expand children’s and educators’ knowledge base for helping end racism for future generations.