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National Reconciliation Week 2011 - Let’s talk recognition

27 May - 3 June

Download NRW 2011: 'Lets Talk Recognition' information sheet

Download the NRW 2011 Poster

Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates the rich culture and history of the First Australians. It is the ideal time for everyone to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Recognition. Think about how much you value it. When you are sincerely recognised for who you are and what you contribute, you feel proud, validated and connected. Being recognised is good for your self esteem. It energizes you and encourages you to recognise the best in others.

Recognition comes in all sorts of ways and means different things to different people but everyone likes it when they get it. In what ways do you recognise people around you and in what ways do they recognise you?

For National Reconciliation Week 2011, Reconciliation Australia invites you to join a national conversation about the value of recognition.

Join us in a national conversation

The theme for NRW 2011 is Let’s talk recognition. How you interpret it is entirely up to you. You might like to hold an event that recognises the important contributions that Indigenous Australians are making to your community. Or perhaps engage students, staff or friends more deeply in a conversation about the value of recognition and why it is of particular importance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Over the next couple of years recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution will be on the agenda as the Federal Government has indicated that there will be a referendum on it, on or before the next election. When people go to vote, we want them to feel confident and capable of making an informed decision. To do this it is important to start the conversation about the value of recognition for us all and why it is important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in particular.

But recognition isn’t just about the referendum, it’s much broader, and has a lot to do with reconciliation. During NRW 2011 we’re asking all Australians to think about the value of recognition, what it means to you personally and its importance to the nation.

Check out the NRW calendar to see how other people and organisations are talking about recognition. Don’t forget to add your event too.

What's Happening for NRW this Year?

For more information on what’s happening for NRW in your area visit your state reconciliation council website.

If you’re organising an event, in NRW or any other time of the year please list it on our Online Events Calendar.

Order form for NRW 2011 poster.

What is National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is an annual celebration from 27 May – 3 June and is a time for all Australians to reflect on our shared histories, contributions and achievements. The week is framed by two key events in Australia’s history which provide strong symbols of the aspirations for reconciliation.

May 27 marks the anniversary of Australia’s most successful referendum and a defining event in our nation’s history. The 1967 Referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.

On 3 June, 1992, the High Court of Australia delivered its landmark Mabo decision which legally recognised that Indigenous people had a special relationship to the land—that existed prior to colonalisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for Indigenous land rights called Native Title.