Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) provide tangible and substantive benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing economic equity and supporting First Nations self-determination. They also provide an opportunity for communities, workplaces, and schools to articulate their own structured response in acknowledging their commitment to reconciliation.

Damascus College has commenced the process of establishing a reconciliation action plan. The first step in creating this plan has been the formation of a working party of key stakeholders who can provide wisdom and input in developing a plan. In our case we have local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, students, parents, business manager, assistant principals, and school counsellors. The breadth of experience in the working party will allow for a response that is reflective of the vision of the school and the local community. At the second meeting of the group arrived at an agreed vision.

Damascus College is to immerse staff, students, and families in acknowledging and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture as the oldest living culture in the world.

We will provide a safe environment to learn about the past and present journey that has impacted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community by committing to all actions of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Our RAP will provide us opportunities to listen, learn, and act while we move forward together as a Catholic Education Community and for our student’s voices to be heard.

The meeting also revised slightly the current Acknowledgement of Country in use at the College.

Acknowledgement of Country

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's spiritual and cultural connection to country, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land from which we all gather today, the Wudawurrung people of the Kulin nation among the First Nations of Australia.

We pay our respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging. We acknowledge that this land was taken from them without consent, without compensation, without treaty, but not without a resistance.

We acknowledge their care of the land and waterways of this country for more than 60,000 years. They hold the memories, traditions, culture and hope of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We pray that the work of truth-telling and reconciliation will finally carry the day in Australia. May we walk gently and respectfully and sustainably upon the land.

The next stage of the RAP will involve our school surveying the current state of reconciliation at Damascus College. This will provide a snapshot of what Damascus College is already doing in acknowledging our commitment to reconciliation as well as opportunities to further demonstrate our growth in our RAP.

The RAP can be completed using the following link.

https://forms.office.com/r/aEV6RyhJdE

The committee is still very keen to have more members. Please contact Andy Robertson a.robertson@damascus.vic.edu.au or Tony Haintz t.haintz@damascus.vic.edu.au if you are interested in the RAP group.