Voices of Australia
An education resource for Australian secondary school teachers
Voices of Australia: Education Module allows for the different stories of Australian people to be heard and celebrated in the classroom. Students will increase their awareness about experiences of diversity, discrimination, race relations, friendship, and respect.
The teaching and learning activities in this module are curriculum linked and applicable for use in:
- upper primary Civics and Citizenship
- lower secondary Civics and Citizenship/ English/ Personal Development/ Arts
- post compulsory Legal Studies, English, Modern History
Accessing Voices of Australia
The Voices of Australia Education Module has been developed in accessible, usable formats which are easy to download for use in the classroom.
You can also order the Voices of Australia Education Module on CD-Rom
To order a free copy of the Voices of Australia Education Module and CD-Rom complete the publications order form.
Youth Challenge
Teaching Human Rights and Responsibilities
The Youth Challenge Program includes a website, CD-Rom, DVD and teaching strategies and worksheets for use in the classroom. The resources are designed for use with Upper Primary and Secondary School Students (Ages 11 - 17).
Youth Challenge assists students to focus on real life issues such as sex, race and disability discrimination, sexual harassment and rights in the workplace and encourages them to explore the relevance of human rights to their own experiences and communities.
The Youth Challenge Program is broken into four distinct units:
- Unit 1: Human Rights in the Classroom
- Unit 2: Disability Discrimination - 'But what about Doug's rights?'
- Unit 3: Young People in the Workplace
- Unit 4: Tackling Sexual Harassment in Your Classroom
Accessing Youth Challenge
Youth Challenge the resources have been developed in accessible, usable formats which are easy to download for use in the classroom.
You can also order the Youth Challenge resources by completing the publications order form.
Bringing them home
Learning about the National Inquiry into The Separation
of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families
The Bringing them home Education Module is designed to engage students and teachers in an exploration of the Bringing them home report.
The Bringing them home Education Module:
- traces the history of the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families in Australia
- charts the personal experiences and long-term effects of this history on the lives of Indigenous people
- explores the laws and practices across the country which allowed for this to happen.
The aim of the module is to present reliable information and resources to young people so that they may ask questions, analyse, debate and finally draw their own conclusions. There is a major focus on literacy and comprehension skills. It complements curriclum frameworks accross a range of key learning areas including Society and Enviroment, English, Aboriginal Studies, Geogrpahy, History and the Arts.
The module comprises three major components:
- the Bringing them home Timeline
- the Bringing them home Maps
- Teaching Resources for use in the Classroom
Supplementary information sheets on Reconciliation, Native Title, Self-Determination and Criminal Justice have also been included to provide additional information and as a resource for further study.
Accessing Bringing them home online
The Bringing them home Education Module is accessible online at: www.humanrights.gov.au/bth. The resource has been developed using cutting-edge internet technologies including Flash and includes a range of resources for download.
You can also order the Bringing them home Education Module on CD-Rom
To order a free copy of the Bringing them home Education Module complete the publications order form
Face the Facts
Questions and Answers about Refugees, Migrants and Indigenous Peoples
Race and racism are still burning issues in Australian society. Face the Facts was developed to address the need for clear information that addresses prevailing myths about refugees, migrants and Indigenous people. It is a straight talking publication which answers questions such as:
- Who is a refugee?
- Who is an asylum seeker?
- How many refugees come to Australia? and Where do they come from?
- How many people migrate to Australia?
- What is multiculturalism?
- How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are there?
- What is Aboriginal reconciliation?
- Is native title the same as land rights?
The Face the Facts Teaching Strategy is broken up into 3 sections:
Section 1 - Refugees and Asylum Seekers provides students with basic information about refugees and asylum seekers and how they are treated in Australia. The resources enable teachers to explore key current issues relating to 'unauthorised arrivals' or 'boat people', immigration detention and the so-called 'Pacific Solution'. Simple information is also provided to help students identify the reasons people become refugees and how the different ways they flee persecution impact on their treatment in Australia.
Section 2: Migrants and Multiculturalism provides students with information about the role of migrants and multiculturalism in Australian society. This section provides a useful starting point for the exploration of the history of the migration policies and the development of policies to promote multiculturalism and acknowledgement of the diversity of Australia's population.
Section 3: Indigenous Peoples allows students to examine a range of issues relating to Australia's Indigenous people. The information provided explores some of the disadvantages experienced by Indigenous Australians in regard to work, health, education, housing, criminal justice and historical effects of government policies of separation of Indigeneous children from their families.
Accessing Face the Facts
- Click here to access the Face the Facts Education Module
- Click here to access the Face the Facts Publication, this publication can be ordered by completing the publications order form
A last resort?
The National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
To coincide with the launch of A last resort? - the Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention, the Commission has released two activities which will assist students in accessing the National Inquiry Report and Summary Guide to the Report
The National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention was announced in November 2001. It was established to consider whether Australia's immigration detention laws and its treatment of children in immigration detention comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The A last resort? Summary Guide provides an overview of some of the important issues, findings and recommendations of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention. It is not an exhaustive account of all the information contained in the Inquiry report.
The A last resort? Activities will assist student in developing an understanding of Australia's Immigration Detention Policy, an understanding of issues concerning asylum seekers and refugees, particularly children who are seeking asylum in Australia and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Accessing A last resort?
- Click here to access the A last resort? Education Resources
- Click here to access A last resort? - the Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
Celebrate Human Rights Day!
To coincide with Human Rights Day on 10th December HREOC has developed a small collection of activities to assist students in learning about and celebrating International Human Rights Day.
The activities included will be useful in assisting students to reflect on the principles that form the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and encourages them to understand and celebrate the rights we exercise everyday as Australians.
Please provide your feedback
HREOC is always working to improve our human rights education resources to ensure that they are useful to teachers and engaging and informative for students.
Did you find the resources and activities useful in your classroom? Did the formats available suit your needs? What other formats or resources would be useful to you?
Feel free to email your comments to: education@humanrights.gov.au or fill out the Feedback and Evalulation form online.