The Bangabaoui School Education Program gives students the chance to immerse themselves in the history and culture of Australia’s First Peoples. As they cruise along Sydney Harbour in the Mari Nawi and learn about local Aboriginal cultural practices, traditions, ceremonies, place names and stories, students are able appreciate the significance of country, culture and identity to Aboriginal peoples. Then, with the bustling backdrop of Sydney’s CBD behind them, students are encouraged to consider the impact of European colonisation on Aboriginal communities from the tranquil surrounds of Clark Island. By the end of the excursion, students will not only have a greater understanding of the importance of land, spirituality and culture to Aboriginal peoples, but they will also have developed a deep appreciation of the complexities, intricacies and unpleasant realities of Australia’s shared history.
How to use this website
This website has been designed to maximize the educational value of your Bangabaoui excursion. The website contains information about how the Bangabaoui experience connects with the curriculum, and includes a series of teaching activities, suggestions and resources that will prepare, support, consolidate and enhance your students’ experience and understanding of the excursion. Start by using the Syllabus Links page to locate information relating to how the excursion fits in to your unit of work. You will then find links to a range of activities that can be used in conjunction with your excursion. We recommend that you use and modify these resources to suit the learning needs of your class. These resources have been designed so that students can make connections between the excursion and their classroom learning, meaning that the Bangabaoui excursion will not be seen as a one-off experience, but an integrated aspect of their curriculum. In the lesson following the Bangabaoui excursion, we encourage students to spend some time reflecting on their experience. A series of reflection questions and activities can be found on the Reflection page.