Friends of Woolyungah
Donation protected
Daniel Bourke Physical Challenge Fundraising is teaming up with Woolyungah Indigenous Centre at University of Wollongong
As part of the drive to an ultimately unsuccessful referendum in October 2023, I was aware of my privilege as a white person to chime in and out on matters that impact First Nations People.
This has troubled me deeply, as has my relative silence since the majority of the population decided to act with ignorance as opposed to love and care.
Wollongong was one of the rare areas around the country that was able to muster a slim majority, and it's this effort by so many black and white community members that has driven an initiative to create the Friends of Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC).
Despite the disappointment of the national vote, many of us felt the strong alliance and mutual respect created in the Illawarra has the potential to deliver many positive outcomes which will benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.
One of the positive outcomes is ME! I've enrolled to undertake the Sydney Marathon on September 15 and as part of the training I'll be raising awareness of why Woolyungah is important, introducing some of the excellent staff and people involved AND running a competition for some Indigenous Art to be printed on a shirt that I'll wear whilst running the marathon. Half of the money raised will go to support the work Woolyungah does in communities right around Australia and the other half will go to the winner of the art competition, minus costs to print the shirts.
Despite the referendum campaign being over, we still have much to do to bring the full truth of how this country came to be where it is today, and highlight how much positivity can come from engaging with First Nations People to create a better future for us all.
Here's a History of Woolyungah...
An Indigenous presence in academia and student support has been well established at the University of Wollongong for almost 40 years. In 1982, the Faculty of Education established a unit to respond to the needs of Aboriginal students on campus. The Aboriginal Education Unit then had the task of contacting all of the Aboriginal students that were currently studying at the university to offer them a place to study, seek guidance and meet other Aboriginal students. Since this time the Unit has expanded and now supports Indigenous students across all faculties of the University. In 2006 the Unit was renamed Woolyungah Indigenous Centre. The centre continues to provide entry pathways and support services to Indigenous Australians pursuing tertiary study. The centre maintains a strong collegial relationship with Indigenous academic colleagues who work from the Indigenous Studies Unit, in the Faculty of Law, Humanities, and the Arts.
As part of the drive to an ultimately unsuccessful referendum in October 2023, I was aware of my privilege as a white person to chime in and out on matters that impact First Nations People.
This has troubled me deeply, as has my relative silence since the majority of the population decided to act with ignorance as opposed to love and care.
Wollongong was one of the rare areas around the country that was able to muster a slim majority, and it's this effort by so many black and white community members that has driven an initiative to create the Friends of Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC).
Despite the disappointment of the national vote, many of us felt the strong alliance and mutual respect created in the Illawarra has the potential to deliver many positive outcomes which will benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.
One of the positive outcomes is ME! I've enrolled to undertake the Sydney Marathon on September 15 and as part of the training I'll be raising awareness of why Woolyungah is important, introducing some of the excellent staff and people involved AND running a competition for some Indigenous Art to be printed on a shirt that I'll wear whilst running the marathon. Half of the money raised will go to support the work Woolyungah does in communities right around Australia and the other half will go to the winner of the art competition, minus costs to print the shirts.
Despite the referendum campaign being over, we still have much to do to bring the full truth of how this country came to be where it is today, and highlight how much positivity can come from engaging with First Nations People to create a better future for us all.
Here's a History of Woolyungah...
An Indigenous presence in academia and student support has been well established at the University of Wollongong for almost 40 years. In 1982, the Faculty of Education established a unit to respond to the needs of Aboriginal students on campus. The Aboriginal Education Unit then had the task of contacting all of the Aboriginal students that were currently studying at the university to offer them a place to study, seek guidance and meet other Aboriginal students. Since this time the Unit has expanded and now supports Indigenous students across all faculties of the University. In 2006 the Unit was renamed Woolyungah Indigenous Centre. The centre continues to provide entry pathways and support services to Indigenous Australians pursuing tertiary study. The centre maintains a strong collegial relationship with Indigenous academic colleagues who work from the Indigenous Studies Unit, in the Faculty of Law, Humanities, and the Arts.
Organizer
Daniel Bourke
Organizer
North Wollongong, NSW