What is NAIDOC Week and how can you get involved this year?

NAIDOC Week is coming up on the 5th to the 12th of July. This year’s theme is “50 Years of Deadly”. So, what does this mean?

In many Aboriginal communities, “deadly” is a positive word that means awesome, amazing, excellent or the best. This year’s theme invites us to look back on the history of NAIDOC Week and celebrate how far Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities have come.

It also honours the people who helped build the movement, as well as everyone who continues to celebrate, support and keep NAIDOC Week strong year after year.

Recently, my friends and I celebrated this through art.

Just like NAIDOC Week has a theme each year, we decided to create one piece of art that answered one question:

What does being healthy, safe and connected mean to you?

There was an issue though. We all had different answers!

We talked about it, listened to each other and learnt a lot. It was really cool to hear how some answers were similar, and why others were different. We inspired each other and decided that we would combine our answers to create one artwork. We also had some help from a grown-up to bring it all together. This artwork was the result:

The waterholes, fish, bush tucker and landscape represent elements of all of Australia. At the centre, we have people, living and growing on Country.

Our art is all about balance. It shows how the land, sea and country all work together – just like we did to create this!

It made us proud because it shows the importance of including everyone’s voice and perspective.

I think that’s what NAIDOC Week is all about, coming together to connect. It also reminds us how important it is to listen, learn and work together.

Taking part in NAIDOC Week is important because it helps us to understand and respect the cultures, histories and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – and celebrate the many contributions they make to Australia today. When we take the time to learn about someone else’s culture, we can also discover more about ourselves, our communities and where we belong.

So, what can you do to celebrate NAIDOC Week? There are lots of fun and meaningful ways to get involved:

Create artwork, like us, inspired by this year’s theme, “50 Years of Deadly”. You could draw a picture showing what being healthy, safe and connected means to you.

Read a book by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author and learn about different stories, cultures and experiences.

Spend time outdoors! Plant a native plant.

Most importantly, ask questions, be curious and take time to listen.

No matter how you choose to celebrate, NAIDOC Week is the chance for all Australians to come together, learn from one another and recognise the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

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