SHINE for Kids celebrates NAIDOC 2010

SHINE for Kids' second annual NAIDOC celebrations were held across all Child & Family Centres over various Family Fun Days during NAIDOC Week 4–11 July, celebrating and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements to the wider community.

Over all the venues, activities that were available on the day may have included:

• Welcomes to Country
• Child & Family Centres decorated to reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture
• Craft tables with colouring sheets, native animal templates, Aboriginal stencils, collages using Indigenous paper & cut out people
• Face painting
• Aboriginal dot painting
• Hand printing
• Information tables about local community services
• Aboriginal music
• Jumping castles
• Lolly bags and balloons for the children to take home
• Very popular was the painting of craftwood boomerangs in dots, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag motifs and other schemes
• Barbecues and refreshments, some with kangaroo sausages and steaks
• Basketball and other outdoor games
• Drawing lessons from a local Aboriginal artist
• Play areas featuring jumbo Lego blocks, cubby houses, large vinyl/foam blocks

SHINE for Kids sincerely thanks all the staff and volunteers who assisted on the day, and also our many supporters who donated food and a great variety of goods and services on each Family Fun Day. Each was very well attended and a great day was had by all the children there.

What is NAIDOC?

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

With a growing awareness of the distinct cultural histories of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, NADOC was expanded to recognise Torres Strait Islander people and assumed its current name, which has become the title not just for the day but for the whole week.

Each year, a national theme is chosen to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC. This year's NAIDOC theme is 'Unsung Heroes - Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way'. This recognises the part played by the quiet achievers in the Indigenous community, both now and in the past. By taking their own paths they lead other Indigenous people set their own direction for the future. The theme asserts Indigenous ownership of 'closing the gap'. The gaps that need to be closed include gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and gaps in knowledge and understanding.