About this Live Online Workshop:
Embedding First Nations perspectives, cultures and histories is important in your everyday learning. With that in mind, there are two significant weeks in the calendar year that should be acknowledged and celebrated in your school too.
National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) and NAIDOC Week (6 – 13 July) are both important times for reflection and celebration. This year marks the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week – a special milestone!
Shelley will unpack the themes and guide you towards resources that will help you reflect and celebrate together. You’ll also have the opportunity to experiment with felt and create pieces collaboratively – leaving with inspiration to use in the classroom during these weeks and beyond.
Reconciliation Week is a time for reflection. This year's theme, ‘Bridging Now to Next’, invites you to explore the ongoing connection between past, present and future.
for more information, visit:
NAIDOC Week is a time for celebration. The 2025 theme is ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy’. Together with your students, you’ll celebrate First Nations people of all generations – those who have shaped and continue to inspire the generations to come.
for more information, visit:
Key Takeaways:
- Build Confidence in embedding First Nations perspectives into everyday teaching, aligned with the cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum.
- Understand the significance and themes of National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, and how to meaningfully acknowledge them in your school context.
- Practical classroom ideas and resources linked to Reconciliation and NAIDOC Week themes, adaptable for both primary and secondary year levels.
- Hands-on experience with felt-based art activities, providing inspiration for inclusive, creative projects that celebrate First Nations cultures.
- Opportunities to reflect and celebrate the legacy, strength and vision of First Nations peoples with your students, fostering culturally responsive classrooms.
What’s Included:
- Art-Making Materials Kit* Valued over $75
- Live Online Workshop Session with Shelley Ware
*standard freight charges apply
About the Presenter:
Shelley Ware is a proud Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman from Adelaide, South Australia, who currently lives in Melbourne and is well known as part of the groundbreaking SBS football program Marngrook, as well as a member of the Outersanctum Podcast and Broad Radio.
For the past decade or so, Shelley has worked in the media as a radio and television presenter on both local and national AFL football news shows. During that time, particularly as a member of NITV’s Marngrook Footy Show team, Shelley has become one of the most respected and recognised female presenters of AFL football in the country. Shelley’s role on The Marngrook Footy Show has her, discussing and analysing AFL games. She hosts the webshow Colour Of Your Jumper, where she leads discussions about topics of the week throughout the AFL. She also writes a fortnightly AFL column for the Koori Mail.
Shelley has 25 years experience as a primary school teacher as a reading specialist, art teacher and a classroom teacher. Now she works part-time as an Aboriginal Education Officer at Parade College in Bundoora and Preston. She is an education consultant, who is passionate about embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture and History into our national curriculum.
A Message from Zart
The responsibility to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures into everyday learning environments is shared by all educators – and works of art are the perfect vehicle to start the conversation.
At Zart, to support this we work closely with First Nations artists, educators and cultural knowledge holders to deliver our programs and workshops. We engage local elders on protocols and have been encouraged by them to support teachers to celebrate the beauty of First Nations cultural practices.
Finally, Zart always recommends teachers and schools connect with their local First Nations community first. This way, they will build strong, authentic relationships within their communities so their students, staff, and school can share in the beauty of First Nations culture and history.
