Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

This Sunday 13 September 2020 is the 13^th anniversary of the day that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) was adopted by the UN General Assembly, with 143 countries voting in favour.

Australia was one of only 4 members of the United Nations that actually voted against the Declaration! Subsequently Australia has indicated it supports the Declaration.

The Declaration includes over-arching principles such as the rights of indigenous peoples to the full enjoyment of all human rights, non-discrimination, self-determination and autonomy. It also covers areas such as rights to cultural, spiritual and linguistic identity; education and labour rights; and rights to maintain traditional connections to lands and resources.

The Declaration affirms that indigenous peoples make a unique contribution to the diversity and richness of civilisations and cultures, and encourages positive relations between governments and indigenous peoples.

You can read the full Declaration here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf.

Yuggera word of the week:

‘Yakka’ – work hard. You’ve probably heard Aussies talk about their work being ‘hard yakka’ – did you know that ‘yakka’ is actually a local Yuggera word that is now used all around Australia and is even in the name of an iconic Aussie work wear label?

What is Kalari?

Kalari means ‘message stick’ in Yuggera language and is name of the YSS Indigenous Working Group.

Kalari aims to increase the acknowledgement and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history at YSS, through an inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and in line with the YSS school values.

Kalari is made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous volunteer parents and anyone can join! For more information or to get involved about contact Aren Healy at mamaaren101@gmail.com.