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This week the Watarrka Foundation recognises and celebrates NAIDOC Week 2022. NAIDOC, which stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, is held in the first week of July every year. The week honours and acknowledges the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also provides an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

This year’s theme ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’ encourages all of us to work together for systematic change. The theme stems from a proud history of fighting for change – from the frontier wars and our earliest fighters, to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who champion change, equal rights, and even basic human rights. Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! acknowledges the need for us to move beyond just acknowledgement, good intentions, and promises, and towards securing institutional, structural, collaborative, and cooperative reforms. 

As stated by NAIDOC:

Now is our time. We cannot afford to lose momentum for change. We all must continue to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities. Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—we must do it together.

To support this years theme and to get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities, we recommend exploring the range of activities and events being held across the country. These can be found at https://www.naidoc.org.au/local-events/local-naidoc-week-events 

For access to valuable education resources for primary and secondary settings, visit https://www.naidoc.org.au/resources/educational

To support the Foundation and our future projects, make a donation at www.givenow.com.au/watarrkafoundation