NRW 2023
Be a Voice for Generations
For National Reconciliation Week volunteers sent in their own Acknowledgement of Country videos to share with the University community. Students and staff from around Victoria paid their respects to the Traditional Owners of the lands in which they live, work and study on.
Saturday 27 May – Saturday 3 June marks National Reconciliation Week (NRW), an important event in Australia’s annual calendar. The University celebrates NRW with a range of events and activities for students, staff and the wider community. The day prior to the start of NRW, 26 May, is National Day of Healing (formerly known as National Sorry Day) which remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians and we all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation to collectively build relationships and communities that value and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures. The theme of NRW 2023 to ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ is reflective of the need to use our voices in all situations in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialise.
See 2023 NRW events
National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for the University community to participate in a bespoke program of activities developed to facilitate learning and understanding around the five aspects critical in achieving meaningful reconciliation, namely: historical acceptance; race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity and unity. For reconciliation to be meaningful and constructive it must involve truthful reflection of the past, ensuring the wrongs of the past are never repeated, while actively addressing issues of inequality, systemic racism and instances where the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are ignored, denied or reduced and recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage as a proud part of out national identity.
Later this year, the Australian people will vote in a yes/no referendum on enshrining in The Constitution of Australia an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to parliament and government. For those who wish to participate in or contribute to the dialogue about The Voice, a range of resources featuring University of Melbourne academic experts can be found here.
Watch Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell's Acknowledgement of Country
Download a Zoom background
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To upload: while in a Zoom meeting, tap More in the controls. Tap Virtual Background. Tap the background you would like to apply or tap + to upload a new image. The background will be automatically applied.
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When uploading the image to your email signature, please link it to the University National Reconciliation Week events page. When updating your signature copy and paste the image, then select the world symbol on the right hand side of the edit signature bar and enter the URL: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/reconciliation-week#2023