ECA’s Reconciliation in Action
Edited by Catharine Hydon and Joanne Goodwin
Our nation’s future is informed by the past and shaped by the action of the present. Reconciliation is a movement for change that has always been driven by the powerful voices who seek a more just and equitable Australia. The experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities shape collective understanding and are the driving force at SNAICC – National Voice for our Children and one that is palpable in the pages of this new resource.
Reconciliation in Action demonstrates how commitments to social justice must be accompanied by significant structural reform and substantial action. The practice stories, provocations and reflections amplify voices to influence and effect real change to systems that were designed to change early childhood education and care for the better. Turning attention to decisions that are inclusive demonstrate the long-held mantra—nothing about us without us.
Reconciliation in Action is a curated collection of stories that paint a picture of reconciliation from multiple perspectives, as it is now and as it might be in the future. These stories help us understand the distance we have travelled from our beginning conversations around reconciliation to a now more sophisticated understanding that incorporates children of all ages, families and communities. This often includes political and dynamic conversations about imagining an Australia that recognises its true history and builds a more just future.