Narragunnawali Award finalists announced ahead of November presentation

Finalists for the Narragunnawali Award have been announced, with three early learning centres in the running for the prestigious award to be presented in November 2019. 

Narragunnawali is part of Reconciliation Australia and supports early learning services and schools to foster knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

The Awards, which are sponsored by the BHP Foundation, celebrate schools and early learning services that are striving for a just, equitable and reconciled Australia.

Reconciliation Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Karen Mundine says all the finalists have enthusiastically embraced reconciliation.

“We were so impressed by the calibre and creativity of the nominees this year, and particularly of the finalists. Educators and children alike have been working in partnership with Elders, Traditional Owners and community members to ensure teaching and learning is relevant to their local community context. 

They have been actively engaging with the true histories of the country on which their education service respectively stands, and exploring themes of racism, holistic approaches to wellbeing, land management practices and sustainability,” Ms Mundine said.  

“The important work that these children, educators, and broader communities are doing, is part of a broader movement of Australians learning, unlearning and relearning our shared histories in schools and early learning services around the country,” Ms Mundine concluded.

The finalists for the Narragunnawali Awards 2019 are:

Early Learning: 

Kelly’s Place Children’s Centre, Sydney, NSW

Forbes Preschool Kindergarten, Forbes, NSW

Barefoot Early Childhood, Dayboro, QLD

Schools: 

Maclean High School, Maclean, NSW

Tamborine Mountain State School, North Tamborine, QLD

Moolap Primary School, Moolap, VIC

The winners of the Narragunnawali Awards will be announced at a special Awards ceremony in Canberra which will be livestreamed on Thursday evening 14 November 2019.

About Narragunnawali

Narragunnawali (pronounced narra-gunna-wally) is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Owners of the land on which Reconciliation Australia’s Canberra office is located, meaning alive, wellbeing, coming together and peace.

The Narragunnawali online platform offers a wide range of free resources that help teachers and educators bring reconciliation into the classroom. More than 35,000 individuals have signed up to the Narragunnawali platform, and more than 4,500 schools and early learning services – equivalent to 14 per cent of schools – have commenced a Reconciliation Action Plan.