Our commitment
Victorian education is richer and more truthful when it celebrates and respects the unique knowledge, history and experience of our First Nations Peoples.
We work with Traditional Owners, education partners and community members to embed local Aboriginal cultures in the design of our schools and kinders.
These artworks, stories and knowledge make culture and Country visible in education settings. They spark curiosity in our young people and communities.
They create welcoming spaces for First Nations students, staff and families. They teach us about Aboriginal cultures, our history and shared future.
Projects we engage on
We engage with First Nations stakeholders about the design of new schools and significant school upgrades. We also engage on early childhood projects, including kindergartens on school sites (whether a traditional or modular build) and Early Learning Victoria centres. Our First Nations stakeholders tell us how we should include their stories, knowledge, language or perspectives in the school or kinder's design.
This could be, but is not limited to:
- naming rooms in the local Aboriginal language
- employing artists to paint a mural or make a sculpture
- using colour palettes or shapes from Country
- planting a bush garden
- using specific animal footprints for wayfinding
- catching rainwater to use on the gardens
- building a yarning circle.
Our meetings include Traditional Owners as well as representatives from the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI), Local Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group members (LAECGs) and Marrung Facilitators. Read more about these stakeholders in the Who we engage section.
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