A Cross Cultural program run by Desert Channels Queensland and the Longreach State High School with year eight students met with great success, with attendance rates in classes at an all-time high.
The program, funded through the Federal Indigenous Cultural Heritage program, worked with year eight students in Longreach to create a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, said Jeff Poole, DCQ’s Indigenous Engagement Officer.
“When a year eight student doesn’t want to miss a class, it is a pretty good sign that a program is working,” he said.
The project began with local elders visiting the students to share stories, knowledge and history. “Each week, a different elder or personality would visit the children, sharing skills like boomerang throwing, local history, knowledge on bush tucker, or whatever the students wanted to know,” said Jeff.
One of the most popular topics was Indigenous art, dance and music. Students were instructed in the different traditional painting methods, with students’ artwork now featuring in an Indigenous-themed native garden at the school. Well known artist, Adrian Ross, also joined the program to teach students dance and music, delving into the significance and meaning of both the sounds and movement.
The program culminated with a presentation to the community of what the children had learned. They danced and performed and shared the personal impacts of the program. “It was exciting to see students of different races excited about our Indigenous culture,” said Jeff. “Understanding leads to appreciation, and appreciation leads to valuing our precious cultural heritage. It is from this position that we can cross the cultural bridge and meet in true reconciliation.”
