Koorie Education

Strengthening Aboriginal self-determination in education

Throughout 2022, over 180 Campfire Conversations on Aboriginal self-determination in education were held across Victoria featuring more than 3,000 participants, bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and schools to listen, share and connect about the possibilities and opportunities for strengthening self-determination in education.

The purpose of the Campfire Conversations, storytelling and deep listening was to:

• build and strengthen partnerships between Koorie communities and schools
• provide schools with an opportunity to better understand how they can strengthen self-determination in everyday practice
• improve attendance, engagement and achievement for Koorie learners
• develop a range of changes to improve agency and success for Koorie people in schools.

Marrung and self-determination

Marrung Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026 is the department’s 10-year Aboriginal Education Plan, which envisions that:

Victoria will be a state where the rich and thriving culture, knowledge and experience of our First Nations peoples are celebrated by all Victorians; where our universal service systems are inclusive, responsive and respectful of Koorie people at every stage of their learning and development journey; and where every Koorie person achieves their potential, succeeds in life, and feels strong in their cultural identity.

Aboriginal self-determination in education centres community voice in actions that progress the vision of Marrung expressed above. The vision not only strives for excellence for Koorie learners, but recognises the importance and benefit for all Victorians in celebrating and recognising Koorie communities and cultures.

Refer to Marrung for further information and resources including short videos that provide an overview of the Campfire Conversations that informed the Strengthening Aboriginal Self-Determination in Education Report.

The Strengthening Aboriginal Self-Determination in Education Report

The Strengthening Aboriginal Self-Determination in Education Report (PDF) (the Report), contains reform directions devised in response to the perspectives and advice of Aboriginal students, families, educators and broader community members from across Victoria. It is critical for schools to use the guiding questions in the report to reflect on their current practice before undertaking next steps, including the ‘What Can Schools Do Now?’ section.

Conceptual Framework

The Conceptual Framework provides a high-level summary of themes and feedback from the Campfire Conversations and maps how all the elements are interconnected and need to be considered holistically.

This Conceptual Framework animation provides an overview of what was learned through the Campfire Conversations and introduces the Conceptual Framework that was developed to illustrate the interconnected and interdependent nature of the Campfire Conversation findings and how they inform the ongoing work.

Possum Skin Statements

A Koorie Young People Advisory Group was established, consisting of 12 young people from across Victoria, aged 13 to 25, to discuss the self-determination and the findings from the Campfire Conversations.

The group came up with a list of statements designed to provide teachers with greater insight and disrupt practice that perpetuates the negative experiences reflected in the findings. These statements were collated to form a possum skin cloak artwork with each statement adding a pelt. The possum skin cloak artwork is available in a range of visual forms below to be used in education spaces:

• Possum skin artwork with background – A3 poster (PDF, 998 KB)
• Possum skin artwork – A1 poster (PDF, 3.22 MB)

Actions for schools

Following on from the Campfire Conversations, schools are recommended to reflect on current practice and plan how to implement actions that strengthen self-determination and improve experiences and outcomes for Koorie learners.

Schools can better understand their role in strengthening self-determination by:

• reading the Strengthening Aboriginal Self-Determination in Education Report to understand the experiences and conversations shared at the Campfire Conversations
• as a collective, engaging with What can schools do now? (PDF, 760 KB), which provides a practical tool to assist school staff to reflect on their current practices
• watching the Conceptual Framework video to see how it could inform school planning and practice.