“Learning from Legacy: Healing Our Country” Reconciliation NSW announces the 2024 Schools Reconciliation Challenge for schools in NSW and ACT

The 15th annual Schools Reconciliation Challenge (SRC) theme has been released by Reconciliation NSW. 

Learning from Legacy: Healing Our Country

Each year Reconciliation NSW create an opportunity, for schools across NSW and the ACT, to embed First Nations perspectives and deepen student's understandings of reconciliation. The SRC is an art and writing competition where students draw on inspiration from an annual theme to create art and writing pieces that reflect First Nations histories and perspectives and the concept of reconciliation; the finalist artworks are then turned into a travelling exhibition throughout Sydney and rural NSW. 

The 2024 theme inspires students and educators to reflect on the continuity of Aboriginal knowledges and cultures and how they have been passed down over time. First Nations methods have enabled a vast practical understanding of the natural environment, one that has ensured prosperity and unity with the land and all it encompasses for over 65,000 years. Learning from Legacy: Healing Our Country highlights the deep need to reconnect with the ancient wisdom of this land; exploring Aboriginal knowledges in the areas of land management, sustainability, history, geology, community, and connection.

Schools are now encouraged to register for this year's challenge via the SRC website and begin exploring the lesson resources and activities that link to the 2024 theme. Last year the SRC engaged over 16,000 educators and students from 171 schools in reconciliation and First Nations perspectives, exploring the theme What Stories Will You Dream?  Finalists were celebrated with an awards ceremony at the Australian Museum. The 'What Stories Will You Dream?' finalist exhibition will be displayed later this year in Sydney visiting International Towers and NSW Parliament House, before travelling to venues in regional NSW. 

Joshua Gilbert, Worimi man and Reconciliation NSW Co-Chair, is particularly passionate about this year's theme as a strong advocate and PHD candidate in Indigenous Agriculture at Charles Sturt University. He explains the importance of recognising the resilience and continuity of Aboriginal cultures.

"This theme provides a great opportunity for students to learn about the true history of our country, especially relating to Indigenous knowledges and how they have evolved to adapt to contemporary contexts." he said. 

"Indigenous expertise in agriculture and other land management practices are an underappreciated resource that deserve greater attention. I look forward to seeing how students interpret their newfound understandings of Indigenous knowledge systems into art and writing pieces". 

The 2024 challenge is open to young people in Years 3-10 (or of equivalent age), Indigenous and non-Indigenous. The challenge will be open until September, giving educators time to prepare their students to enter artworks that reflect cultural continuity, healing country and Indigenous knowledges. 

Reconciliation NSW 

For more information about the SRC, go to https://www.schoolsreconciliationchallenge.org.au/.

Available for further comment:

Tristan Tipps-Webster, CEO - 0408 054 154-  Tristan@reconciliationnsw.org.au