It was one small step for kids, one giant leap for cultural education in Melton last week.
On Friday September 19, children and staff from the Little Royals Early Learning Centre took part in their very own Little Long Walk.
The Little Long Walk is a program for young people in education to learn about First Nations people and their culture.
It is run by charity organisation The Long Walk, which is based on former Essendon superstar Michael Long’s walk to Canberra to campaign on Indigenous issues.
Centre manager Fabiola Abablaza said employees at the Melton West child care centre had been working “really hard” for a “long time” to make the event possible.
“Connecting children with First Nations people is something that is very important,” she said.
“We celebrate NAIDOC week, National Sorry Day, and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, so when this opportunity came up we needed to do it.”
The occasion involved an acknowledgement of country and smoking ceremony followed by a short stroll.
Children were “very engaged” in the activities, and particularly enjoyed Indigenous elder Craig Murphy playing the didgeridoo.
The day is also an opportunity for day care staff to learn as well.
“Most of the educators are from overseas and are not very familiar with First Nations, so we go through a lot of learning and professional development to understand how to teach it with respect,” said Ms Abablaza.
Despite windy conditions, the day was a success – Ms Abablaza said there was another one on the way.
“We have already booked for next year on August 4, on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.”
