Content
USC to celebrate Indigenous Education Week
A keynote address by 2003 Australian of the Year Local Hero Award nominee Dr Chris Sarra and a “bush tucker” walk through Mooloolah River National Park will be highlights of Indigenous Education Week activities at the University of the Sunshine Coast this week.
USC staff and students and those involved in education across the Sunshine Coast will participate in these activities as well as workshops on Indigenous research ethics (Thursday 30 August) and Indigenous education (Friday 31 August).
Almost 200 people have registered to attend Dr Sarra’s keynote address on “Indigenous Education: Believing it can be done” from 10.30am to noon of Friday.
Dr Sarra is the director of the Institute for Indigenous Leadership in Education and Development, based at Cherbourg, which is designed to pursue improved student outcomes for Indigenous children.
He was previously the principal of Cherbourg State School where he oversaw changes that increased enthusiasm for student learning through improved school attendance and increased community involvement in education.
In 2003, he was nominated by the State Government for the Australian of the Year Local Hero Award and was listed in the Bulletin magazine’s Smartest 100 people in Australia.
Dr Sarra, along with USC Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill and Gubbi Gubbi community member Lyndon Davis, will lead a lunch-time forum from noon to 1.45pm on Friday, before a variety of workshops on Indigenous education begin at 2pm.
Yvonne Cadet James, Head of the School of Indigenous Australian Studies at James Cook University, will facilitate the Indigenous research ethics workshop at USC on Thursday afternoon (30 August).
This workshop will provide academics and postgraduate students with an insight into the issues that affect Indigenous people which are often not considered in discussions about research ethics.
The “Bush tucker in the Wallum” walking tour through Mooloolah River National Park will be held on Friday from 8.30-9.30am, starting at USC’s new Science Building (Building H).
Registration at all sessions, workshops and activities is essential. For more information, contact Allison Cuskelly at USC's Student Services on <+61 7 5459 4457>
– Terry Walsh