Celebrating NAIDOC Week: How Can We All Help 'Heal Country' From Home?

This land is home to the oldest continuous culture on earth and there are many ways we can all support and celebrate communities all year round, but having a dedicated week in the calendar is an important commitment to shining a spotlight on the ways we can learn more, have conversations and also shop thoughtfully, in a way that has a positive impact.

The theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week is ‘Heal Country!’ and it got us thinking about how we can help to heal Country from right where we are. (In our case, Gadigal land of the Eora Nation.)

Country is more than a place. “Country is family, kin, law, lore, ceremony, traditions, and language,” says the official NAIDOC website. “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples it has been this way since the dawn of time.”

As NAIDOC.org.au explains, “Healing Country means embracing First Nation’s cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage. That the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders are respected equally to the cultures and values of all Australians.”

So how can we help to Heal Country right where we are?

5 ways we can Heal Country
1. The right to protect Country and culture begins at birth. Children’s Ground believes it’s crucial that children have access to learning on Country, in both English and their own language, finding innovative ways kids can learn, including creating their own Arrernte language app. They invite you to ‘walk with us’ – find out more about the work they do to heal Country and if you’re able to, you can donate to Indigenous kids’ education here.

2. Read or listen to The Uluru Statement From The Heart, a statement which calls for the establishment of a First Nations voice enshrined in the Constitution – and reiterates “the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom” and keep an eye out for product available soon on THE ICONIC for you too to show your support. 

3. Watch some of our previous Let’s Be Frank Fridays, videos where Indigenous voices including Teela Reid, Eve White, Jarin Street and Olivia Williams took over our channels to share their experiences and observations with our followers.

4. Check out an event. There are lots of COVID-safe, virtual ways we can all participate. Find out what’s on via the official NAIDOC site, here. 

5. Start an important conversation with five people. In a recent discussion between Uluru Dialogue members and THE ICONIC teams, ‘Aunty Pat’ Patricia Anderson and Megan Davis encouraged everyone to have a conversation with their friends and family this NAIDOC Week. Make this commitment and share your learnings with those around you.