On the Friday of week one, we took a group of female Aboriginal students from Macksville High School on a bus to Scotts Head Reserve for an introduction to the SistaSpeak program.

We made wall hangings from driftwood and shells that we collected from the beach and attached them using plaited hemp twine to the driftwood. We also painted two large wooden boards using bright poster pens. These boards contained traditional Aboriginal signs and symbols and looked fantastic when finished! We also met local Aboriginal women who participated in the activities with us and shared food with them. The SistaSpeak program aims to link young Aboriginal women with local mentors over a ten-week period. Participants will take part in a number of activities together, exploring different concepts introduced through the program, learning new skills, developing a sense of their own potential, raising their self-esteem, exploring elements of their culture, and gaining an understanding of the connection between education, success and economic independence. At the end of this program, we expect that our female Aboriginal students will enhance their sense of self and their self-esteem, improve their capacity to manage challenging circumstances, and strengthen their Aboriginal identity and knowledge of their culture and connection to the community in which they live. Below is a list of Macksville High School female Aboriginal students who participated in the introductory Sista Speak day on 19 October 2018. They all should be very proud of themselves in the way they represented our school. Our ‘Big Sistas’, or mentors, for the program are in bold

Charlize Blair, Year 10
Ashanti Biggs, Year 8
Savvannah Lowe, Year 7
Kymberlee Blair, Year 8
Naomi Blair, Year 9
Rhea Blair-Kearins, Year 8
Alicia Hicklin, Year 11
Zenobia Hicklin, Year 8
Tahlia Pritchard, Year 7
Jarna Ray, Year 7
Tiajuana Rosser, Year 9
Wulaaran Walker, Year 8

Because of Her We Can

Well done girls, and we look forward to continuing the program in the coming weeks! Below are some pictures from SistaSpeak. [gallery ids="1257,1258,1259,1260,1261,1262,1263,1264,1265,1266"]

Gumbaynggirr Nambucca/Bellingen Community