At Phoenix Support for Educators, our commitment to reconciliation begins with a simple but powerful idea: walking together. True allyship is an ongoing practice of listening, learning, and standing alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in ways that honour self-determination and respect cultural authority.
Our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) guides this journey. It helps us to slow down, to listen deeply, and to act with integrity. It reminds us that reconciliation is a process, grounded in relationships, respect, and opportunities.
Nothing about me without me
The phrase “nothing about me without me” captures the essence of authentic allyship. It reminds us that no work that touches on the lives, cultures, or histories of First Nations peoples should ever be designed or delivered without their voices, leadership, and consent. In our sector, this principle becomes especially important.
When we embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in our philosophy and practice, we are not “including” culture as a curriculum topic, we are recognising that these are the oldest continuing cultures in the world, and that their knowledge systems, languages, and pedagogies belong at the heart of Australian education.
Our role, as non-Indigenous allies and educators, is to create space for those voices and perspectives to lead. That means walking gently, asking questions respectfully, and being prepared to unlearn and relearn.
Cultural humility over cultural competence
In our RAP, we describe cultural humility as the practice of lifelong learning, reflection, and self-awareness. Where “cultural competence” implies a skill to be achieved, cultural humility invites us to recognise what we don’t know, and to approach every interaction with curiosity and respect.
Allyship grows when we hold space for discomfort and reflection, when we acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonisation, and when we take responsibility for our part in reconciliation. This is not quick or easy work, but it is essential to creating culturally safe spaces for children, families, and colleagues.
Three steps to start walking together
If you’re wondering where to begin, here are three meaningful first steps:
1. Start with a RAP.
Engaging with the RAP process through Reconciliation Australia is an invaluable way to begin your organisation’s reconciliation journey. It invites you to consider how your relationships, respect, and opportunities can grow, and helps embed reconciliation into everyday practice.
2. Walk through the door of a local Aboriginal organisation.
Real relationships begin in place. Visit your local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation, cooperative, or community hub. Ask respectfully about their programs, events, and how your service might learn from and support their work. Building authentic, place-based partnerships is the foundation of walking together.
3. Reflect before acting.
Before introducing new ideas, resources, or cultural content, pause to ask: Who has been consulted? Whose voice is represented here? This reflective step helps ensure that your efforts contribute to truth-telling and respect, not tokenism.
Walking together, always learning
Our team at Phoenix Support for Educators is deeply committed to reconciliation as an ongoing process of learning and accountability. We know that meaningful change starts with awareness but grows through action, the kind of action that centres First Nations voices and honours Country, culture, and community.
If you’re ready to begin your journey, we invite you to visit our First Nations resource page for practical tools and inspiration.
And if you’d like to take your learning deeper, explore our free course, Walking Together: A Starting Point for Embedding First Nations Perspectives. It’s designed to support educators to find resources to build confidence, understanding, and cultural humility, a respectful first step toward meaningful reconciliation.
Together, we can walk toward a future where every child grows up knowing, celebrating, and valuing the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Author: Sandi Phoenix