The Conference

The Aboriginal Early Childhood Conference 21st-22nd June 2019

Building respectful reciprocal relationships with Aboriginal children, their families and communities is a central part of everyday life in your service. There are a myriad of ways that this can be done. The Aboriginal Early Childhood Conference brings together intergenerational expertise and experience of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to inspire and support you in authentic relationship building.

Key themes that will be addressed during this two day conference include:

• Growing up Aboriginal
• Communication with children of Aboriginal knowledges through art
• Seeking out Aboriginal expertise and knowledge sharing – Elders and Artists
• Guidance for non-Aboriginal people supporting Aboriginal children in mainstream settings or Aboriginal specific settings
• Building relationships with Aboriginal families and communities
• The critical role of early childhood settings in building relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities
• Challenges of running Aboriginal specific services
• Challenges of non-Aboriginal services reaching out to connect with community
• How child protection is enacted in culturally safe ways

In a carefully designed program this conference expands its reach from pedagogy toward community-oriented curriculum design. By building in the stories and experiences of what it means to grow up Aboriginal, from artists, educators and children’s experiences, these first-hand stories open up spaces for new learning and guide relationship building.

The conference will span two days in order that connections and conversations can take place and plans can be made for ongoing collaboration. There will be a conference dinner on Friday 21st June.