Keeping children ‘Strong in Culture, Stronger Together.’

This Sunday 4 August is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. Since 1988, this date has been dedicated to celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and was chosen because it has been historically used to communally celebrate the birthdays of children who were taken from their families at a young age, without knowing their birthdays, as part of the Stolen Generations.

On 4 August every year, we celebrate the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, their strength in culture and community and the identities that are nurtured through this connection.

This year’s theme is ‘Strong in Culture, Stronger Together’ and is an opportunity to learn about the impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every child. It’s also an opportunity to highlight some of the excellent services we provide at ATSICHS Brisbane that support children to be ‘Strong in Culture, Stronger Together’ at all stages of their development.

Starting when the child is just bean-sized in the womb, our Jajumbora BiOC Hub provides free support to pregnant women, through their birthing journey and until the child is three years old.

When children are three, they are eligible to access our Deadly Kindy program, which sets them up for success in their transition to school. Our early intervention service model provides a culturally safe, flexible and play-based environment for children to develop a lifelong love of learning and sets the foundation for reaching their full potential.

Unpacking the latest Closing the Gap report card, a recent ABC article highlights the fact that in 2021, only 34.3 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children commencing school were developmentally on track physically, socially and emotionally, compared to 56.2 per cent of non-Indigenous children.

Our Deadly Kindy program plays an important role in addressing this gap with accessible and culturally safe spaces and educators that offer enriching activities to nurture young minds.

Alongside our Deadly Kindy program is our Jajumbora Children and Family Centre (CFC). The CFC is a community space that runs playgroups to support a range of developmental stages and ages, as well as early childhood education and development programs that promote social and emotional wellbeing.

When children reach age eight, they can join our Youth Service programs. These services are provided along the child’s journey into adulthood. The team offers regular activities and catch ups with young people and support on the path to figuring out future plans as well as connecting youth with the right services to help them reach their goals.

In this way, ATSICHS Brisbane is helping to reinstate the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, person by person, family by family, generation by generation starting with keeping children ‘Strong in Culture, Stronger Together.’

Learn more about National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day here: https://www.snaicc.org.au/our-work/campaigns/childrens-day/