Culture is Life’s Education Projects include curriculum resource development, social impact campaigns and teacher training. All materials are developed by a collective of First Nations educators and young people to inspire teachers to creatively embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, peoples and cultures in their classrooms.
We hope that this guide offers some guidance to support you in feeling more confident and competent in your teaching and helps to create safe learning environments for all young people.
A Message from Culture Is Life’s CEO, Belinda Duarte
We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this unceded land, this beautiful country we call Australia. We acknowledge the Elders and old people who have endured the impacts of colonisation on our cultures and the resilience they embody which inspire our work daily.
We at Culture is Life are committed to ensuring the truth of First People’s history is told, heard and known by every Australian, which is why we are so passionate about our work in education and supporting teachers and staff in their huge role and relationships with their students.
Our Education Resources are our contribution to inspiring a curiosity and commitment to building relationships together between First Peoples and Non-Indigenous Australia, and a united commitment to honouring the history of this country and the oldest living culture in the world.
In understanding the truth of this country we can therefore understand why we are where we are today and forge the collective healing required to create a stronger, healthier country into our future.
Thank you for walking this journey with us.
– Belinda Duarte (Wotjobaluk/Dja Dja Wurrung)
Resources
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Today Culture is Life celebrated the NAIDOC Education Resources thanks to Aunty Professor Lynnette Riley and ABC Education where the Fullaship alumni spoke to a room of inspiring NAIDOC Award finalists 🌟
#naidoc #naidocweek #naidoc2025
Celebrate NAIDOC in your school or early learning centre with stories and activities from the National NAIDOC Education Resources!
Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles is a picture book by Corey Tutt and illustrated by Ben Williams.
A proud Kamilaroi man, Corey released the book earlier this year, sharing traditional Aboriginal reptile names in different languages. Corey Tutt is the founder and CEO of Deadly Science, a non-profit Aboriginal-owned business that is dedicated to providing science and STEM resources to remote schools in Australia.
The illustrator of the book, Ben Williams, has cultural ties to the Warlmanpa mob, and his Clan group is Kanturrpa from the Barkly Region in the Northern Territory.
Activity:
-Read about and research other reptiles in the book — and their traditional name. (This activity can be done in small groups or together as a class).
-Make a class list of reptiles you have seen before when walking on Country.
-Draw a Venn diagram and compare two different reptiles listed in the book. In small groups, share the similarities and differences between your two chosen reptiles.
-Invite a local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Elder or community member to your school to learn words, phrases and sentences in language. For example, if your school is on Kaurna Country, invite a Kaurna Elder or community member.
Official NAIDOC Education Resources Free to access - links in bio
#naidoc #naidocweek #naidoc2025
📰 From Cunnamulla to the ABC!
We’re so proud to see our Fellow Jarib Branfield-Bradshaw recognised by the ABC for his incredible work with young people in his community.
As a proud Kooma man and youth worker, Jarib runs the local neighbourhood centre, a lifeline where young people find safety, support and someone who sees them.
This work is personal for Jarib, and it’s powerful to see his story and leadership getting the spotlight it deserves.
🤎 Big love to you Jarib, you’re making waves and showing the next generation what’s possible.
Read the full story on the ABC website link our IG Stories.
📷 ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh
✨ 1st of July – Coming of the Light
Every year on July 1st, Torres Strait Islander communities celebrate The Coming of the Light, a powerful moment in their history marking the arrival of Christianity to the islands in 1871.
It all began when Reverend Samuel MacFarlane of the London Missionary Society landed on Erub (Darnley) Island, where he was warmly welcomed by community leaders.
Now, more than 150 years later, this moment is remembered with pride, faith and joy. Across the Torres Strait and the mainland, families and communities gather for a day of cultural celebration, island music, worship, storytelling, and feasting.
For many, it’s more than a public holiday, it’s a living expression of identity, resilience, and community spirit.
🖼️ Coming of the Light celebration 1959 Kemus, Erub, Torres Strait. © Queensland Museum.
#torresstraitislander @qldmuseum
As part of this year’s NAIDOC resources, Aunty (Prof) Lynette Riley asked our Fullaship Program Alumni: “What ancestor do you want to be?”
Irwin Lewis (Gooniyandi/Nhanda/Widi/Wiradjuri) shared:
“I want to be an ancestor who was known for their knowledge of stories, language and culture; an ancestor who was the holder of shared stories of our way of life, our traditional stories of creation and stories of survival, determination and strength.
“Being the descendant of Stolen Generations, I strive to sit and learn with my Elders who are the knowledge holders, who have preserved and carried the knowledge with them for my generation and generations to come.”
🖤💛❤️ #NAIDOC #NAIDOCWEEK #NAIDOC2025 #Fullaship
Sharing some quotes we have loved reading lately to help inspire your week ahead. Take care and prioritise doing things that give you strength, good energy and have a sacred Sunday evening ✨
🖼️ 1. @yayeproducts
🖼️ 2. @relentless_indig_woman
🖼️ 3. @paulocoelho
🖼️ 4. @blackliturgies
#firstnations #elderwisdom #inspirationalquotes
34 Years ago in June 1991, the incredible song Treaty, was released.
Courtesy of @aiatsis , here are some comments about the song from Dr M Yunupingu’s:
‘The song became a number-one hit, the first ever to be sung in a Yolŋu language, and caught the public’s imagination.
Though it borrows from rock ’n’ roll, the whole structure of “Treaty” is driven by the beat of the djatpangarri... It was an old recording (heard in 1988) of this historic djatpangarri that triggered the song’s composition.
The man who originally created it was my gurrung (mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s brother’s son) and he passed away a long time ago in 1978. He was a real master of the djatpangarri style.’
🎥 @yothuyindi_official
#yothuyindi #firstnations #treaty
Meet our 2025 Fellow: Waniki Alofipo
Waniki Alofipo is a proud Zenadh Kes (Boigu Island) and Papuan storyteller based in Magandjin/Brisbane. A passionate community organiser and digital storyteller with 350 Australia, Waniki supports national campaigns to move Australia beyond fossil fuels 🔥 with a powerful focus on justice, culture and climate.
She works on the Torres Strait Climate Justice campaign Our Islands Our Home, elevating the voices of Torres Strait Islanders on the frontlines of the climate crisis 🌊. Her work is deeply rooted in ancestral knowledge, community, and truth-telling.
Now a mother, Waniki’s storytelling takes on new depth, driven by love, legacy, and a fierce vision for a better world 🌺
#fullaship #ourislandsourhome #cultureislife
