A Mandurah Baptist College student has capitalised on a class project, to open a broader discussion about the lack of awareness of Aboriginal history in Australia schools.
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When tasked with an assignment to examine Australia’s civil rights, year 10 student Matthew Manning wanted to look deeper into the issue and share those findings with his peers.
Matthew was so passionate he invited Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health director and chief executive office Mark Anderson to the school as a guest speaker on Aboriginal reconciliation.
The foundation aims to develop sustainable health outcomes for Aboriginal people through community based programs.
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Among other topics Mr Anderson covered Aboriginal history after colonisation, iconic political moments and ongoing social issues.
Matthew said despite not personally knowing many Aboriginal people he believed all Australians should endeavour to acknowledge their history.
“I think we’re all aware. We all talk about it briefly, but I think we can definitely get deeper into the issue and really start to talk about what the main issue is rather than just looking at history and sort of just scanning over, it like we do,” he said.
Matthew said he believed schools needed to be more proactive in implementing programs that teach people about indigenous history and Australian civil rights.
“I think as students we’re younger, but we’re also the ones that can make change,” he said.
“I think if students are educated, and as Mark did with us – gave us some passion for the topic, then change is actually not that difficult.”
The assignment called “Walk a mile in their shoes” was created by the school’s head of humanities and languages Catherine Eppen-Van Der Aa.
Ms Eppen-Van Der Aa said she was impressed Matthew used the opportunity to place a spotlight on Noongar history from a different perspective.
She said the assignment brief was open to interpretation and that she was pleasantly surprised where some students took the assignment.
“The assignment is to walk a mile in their shoes,” Matthew said.
“I thought I’d maybe look at someone I could relate with as a ‘white fella’.”
He said it was interesting to gain Mr Anderson’s perspective on how he was affected by civil rights.
“I actually have a really deep appreciation for what they [indigenous people] went through, because I’ve always learnt it through a textbook. You just can’t gain the spirit behind it through a textbook.
“Actually hearing it through someone who deals with it everyday, who sees it happening, you gain a deeper appreciation for it.
“It makes you more passionate to actually fix the issue.”
