Next week, as part of the National Reconciliation Week, Torres Strait Islander dancers from Ignatius Park College will travel to Melbourne to perform at the Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) Reconciliation Action Plan launch.

The ceremony on Monday will see the Reconciliation Action Plan officially launched to the over 50 schools that the EREA oversees, including Ignatius Park College.

The plan has been created by principals, teachers and Indigenous program workers from around the country and will be used to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture is respected, valued and embedded into the daily running of their organisation. The plan will then be rolled out to school level.

Although the launch is the focus of the trip, on Saturday, the students will also take part in the ‘Long Walk’ that acknowledges the walk that Michael Long did from Melbourne to Canberra to discuss Indigenous affairs. 2019 marks the 15^th anniversary of Michael Long’s iconic walk to meet the Prime Minister to get Indigenous rights back on the national agenda. The boys, along with tens of thousands of other Australians, will join Michael Long in solidarity and walk from Federation Square to the MCG.

After the Long Walk, the group will also be attending the Dreamtime at the G AFL match between Richmond and Essendon. The group will see Aboriginal Australian artists Baker Boy, Thelma Plum and Yirrmal perform during the match. 

The dance group will also be performing at Parade College, which is Australia’s oldest Christian Brothers school.

The students will fly out from Townsville on Friday.