The teachers became the students this week when NACC hosted a Professional Learning Workshop at Allendale Primary School with the aim of Sharing Yamaji Knowledge.
More than 45 educators from 14 different schools and education organisations packed the staffroom after the kids had gone home and listened eagerly to presentations by NACC Aboriginal Program Coordinator Bianca McNeair along with Traditional Owners Elvie Dann and Donna Ronan.
During the Workshop, NACC staff were thrilled to introduce our Education Resource which has been produced in consultation with Yamaji and Noongar community members and is aligned with the school curriculum.
The Resource covers a number of topics including the Yamaji and Noongar people, connection to Country, bush food, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and changes to the environment post-colonisation and will be available to teachers very soon.
Bianca said she was thrilled with the workshop turn out, and excited that so many teachers wanted to include Yamaji culture in their classrooms.
“The next step for teachers is applying this information in their classrooms and inviting traditional custodians to present directly to the students,” she said.
“The feedback at the end of the Workshop was incredible, many of the teachers said it was one of the best PD sessions they had ever been to.
“We are sharing our resource with more teachers in the coming weeks and also received a request to present to University students.”
NACC would like to say a big thank you to Traditional Owners Elvie Dann and Donna Ronan for sharing their knowledge and personal stories. NACC would also like to say a big thank you to Allendale Primary School for hosting the event and encouraging more Yamaji culture in the classroom.
The Noongar version of the resource, tailored for schools in the southern part of the NAR will be launched in June when a similar workshop is held in Jurien Bay.
If you missed out on attending this workshop make sure you register for the second one at Wandina Primary School on June 14th.
The Education Resource acknowledges the Noongar and the Yamaji people and recognises the unique skills that Aboriginal people have in supporting the environment. This project is presented by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council and is supported by funding from the WA Government’s State National Resource Management Program, supported by Royalties for Regions.
