Reconciliation Australia is inviting schools across the country to register to use their School Reconciliation Action Plan during National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2008). The action plan is designed to encourage children to celebrate Indigenous cultures and histories, and work to remove the disadvantages experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The School Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation Australia's School Reconciliation Action Plan is designed to assist schools in facilitating activities that attend to three important areas of reconciliation:

1. Building respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
2. Respecting Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
3. Creating opportunities to support Indigenous people to succeed for the benefit of all Australians.

Reconciliation Australia has produced a toolkit, designed to be adapted to a range of learning environments, containing a list of suggested actions and a chart to keep track of progress.

Schools that register to participate in the School Reconciliation Action Plan by the end of April 2008 will have the chance to win a visit from Australian band Powderfinger.

The School Reconciliation Action Plan toolkit and a form schools can use to register to run the program are available on the Reconciliation Australia website.

Reconciliation Australia

Reconciliation Australia is the peak national, independent, not-for-profit organisation working to build and promote reconciliation, and especially to eliminate the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Visit Reconciliation Australia's website.

Further reading

View these related items on the Early Childhood Australia website:

• February 2008 - New government's plan to improve Indigenous education
• Media release: Early Childhood Australia commends PM's decision to apologise
• August 2007 - Government intervention in Indigenous communities – responses continue
• February 2008 - PM Kevin Rudd says 'sorry' to the Stolen Generation
• May 2007 - Reconciliation begins with Australia's children
• April 2007 - New research into life expectancy of Indigenous Australians

Related resources on the Early Childhood Australia website:

• Diversity and difference: Lighting the spirit of identity
• Dreaming Stories: A springboard for learning
• Building Bridges book and DVD pack

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