A team of John Curtin Leadership Academy (JCLA) students have been working in partnership with the Office of the Elder-in-Residence team in creating an online module, Learning Here Together.
Unique to Curtin, this module is aligned with advancing reconciliation and contributing to an Australian society that values and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage as a proud part of shared national identity.
We asked the Cli-Mates team about their Learning Here Together experience:
Why is Learning Here Together important to Curtin students?
By taking part in this module, you’re able to understand and appreciate how Australia has come to be, to learn about the roots of this country and the things that have led us to where we are today. Just like we can appreciate the benefits of having a multi-cultural society in our modern era, it is important that we know where it all began.
Jason Bennetts
What do you like about Learning Here Together?
I love that the module will give new students a basic knowledge about the Indigenous people. This will give them a better understanding of who they are and why we need to give them so much respect. All the activities we included in this module will keep participants focused and will also help them to remember the content of the module.
Milan Kukadia
What has surprised you most?
As an international student, almost everything was new to me. I never thought that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had gone through so much, especially the Stolen Generations. This module is an eye-opener about the rich culture of Indigenous People because it covers the topics that will increase our knowledge and establish connections which result in harmony and continuous reconciliation.
Cristina Quiocho
Have you been able to apply anything you’ve learnt in your daily lives?
Yes, I wrote my own acknowledgement of country for filming in this module. I felt confident in knowing what to put in and why I was delivering it. It’s also going to be useful on my upcoming rural tutoring trip with Teach Learn Grow. I will hopefully be better able to understand the difficulties faced by my Aboriginal students in the education system and tailor my tutoring to suit their style of learning.
Simmone Brown
The Learning Here Together module will be available through Curtin Challenge in second semester this year.
