About this resource
Acknowledgement of Country
Be You acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land, sea, Country, and waterways across Australia. We honour and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Considerations when using this resource
An array of organisations represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. These include Land Councils, Prescribed Body Corporates (PBCs), language, education and art centres, and regional organisations.
This is a list of links to key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and educator resources in Australia, compiled by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and a panel of First Nations education experts.
Learning communities can browse these links to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, communities and languages. You can also discover the standards for culturally appropriate professional development for educators, resources and tools to use with children and young people, and more.
In your early learning service or school, use the content from these websites to develop and share knowledge, plan actions or reflect on practice.
Remember, the websites listed below are only a starting point. To share and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, connect with local knowledge holders and community organisations so you can be sure you’re incorporating the traditions and histories of your area in a culturally appropriate and respectful way.
A great way to start is to search for local Land Councils along with Language and Cultural Centres. They will have a wealth of information about your area.
As you do this, also consider the contribution you can make back to the community or ask what support you can offer community members for sharing their knowledge.
You should also contact your state or territory’s Reconciliation organisation, local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consultative groups, local Land Councils and your education department to find out more about First Nations education groups in your area.
Find out more about engaging with local First Nations organisations and stakeholders on the Be You Creating a Stakeholder List webpage.
Thank you
AIATSIS is Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. We acknowledge the experienced staff at AIATSIS, in particular its Education team, and thank AIATSIS for being a part of this important work.
In addition to this, Be You thanks the panel of First Nations education experts who have contributed to this work: Mystique Dia, Esma Livermore, Nina Ross, Jessica Staines, Nathaniel Tamwoy, Duane Vickery and Juanita Wilson. We also thank artist Kevin Wilson for the design and artwork.
Organisations and resources
3Rs (Respect Relationships Reconciliation)
This project, sponsored by Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), supports educators to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in initial teacher education (ITE) courses. The resource addresses two focus areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and is structured in three modules: Know yourself; Know your students; Know what you teach.
Aboriginal Art Association of Australia
This association serves and represents artists and organisations that produce, promote, protect or support First Nations art, and the cultures that create and nurture that art. It includes a directory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
ABC Education
National broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) supports the teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures as part of the Australian Curriculum with features on languages, National Sorry Day, Dreamtime and more.
All Together Now
This not-for-profit offers resources and tools to educate Australians about racism, including racism in schools. The Kids Together Now app aims to promote positive peer relationships among students and reduce incidences of racism among children.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Education (AIATSIS)
Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. AIATSIS aims to influence what children learn at school about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia and support educators and schools to teach confidently.
Burbangana Group
A First Nations-owned consulting business that provides services such as coaching and mentoring, cultural competency and unconscious bias training, team building, Reconciliation Action Planning, co-designing community consultations and engagement, and building effective partnerships
Gambay: a map of Australia’s first languages
Gambay translates to ‘together’ in the Butchulla language of the Hervey Bay region in Queensland, and this interactive map displays more than 780 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages from language communities around Australia. The site offers Teachers Notes.
Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program language centres list
This program currently supports several organisations, including a network of 20 language centres. While the language centres are listed here by state, language areas do not align with state borders. As such, some language centres physically located in one state could service areas in another state.
Indigenous Psychological Services
This private company founded in 1998 by Adjunct Professor Tracy Westerman of the Njamal people of the North West of Western Australia was developed to address specialist mental health services for Aboriginal people across Australia. Its services include Aboriginal mental health training, community intervention programs and cultural competency programs.
InSights: A unit outline and content for professional learning units to support teachers in meeting Focus Areas 1.4 and 2.4
Developed by AITSL, in partnership with Charles Sturt University, Edith Cowan University and Monash University, this is a guide for education service providers to develop their teacher professional development using a rights-based approach. With the full engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education experts, this resource includes guiding principles, recommended resources, teacher prompts and sample activities.
Koori Curriculum
An Aboriginal consultancy organisation that supports early childhood educators to grow their cultural confidence and capacity. The organisation works with services to embed Aboriginal perspectives in their curriculum and form meaningful relationships with First Nations communities
Racism. It Stops With Me
This national campaign provides tools and resources to help people, schools, services and organisations learn about racism and stand against it by acting for positive change.
Reconciliation Australia's Narragunnawali Program
Narragunnawali supports all schools and early learning services in Australia to foster knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. Register for free to access Narragunnawali's practical resources to introduce meaningful reconciliation initiatives in the classroom and the wider learning community.
Narragunnawali offers schools and early learning services the tools and resources to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), access professional learning and support the implementation of reconciliation initiatives via the curriculum. The Build Relationships with Community website provides guidance on how to build relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community based on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness.
SBS Learn
This public service broadcaster has a library of teacher resources linked to documentaries, news and current affairs, and other productions aired on SBS and the National Indigenous Television channel (NITV). Resources are aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority.
SNAICC - National Voice for our Children
This national non-governmental peak body advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. works to protect the rights of children and ensure their safety, development and wellbeing. SNAICC has a network of members comprising of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children throughout Australia.
Supply Nation
A database of verified First Nations businesses, including services such as food and hospitality, office supplies and printing, graphic design and IT services. This website also has information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and cultural awareness training services.
The Final Quarter Curriculum Resources
This resource by education not-for-profit Cool Australia address racism, rights and reconciliation. The resource contains 52 lessons designed for Years 5 to 12 that investigate racism, privilege, truth-telling, cultural pride, resilience, values and dignity.
The Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students
This teaching resource has been developed to educate young people about the Stolen Generations. It introduces students from Foundation to Year 9 to the firsthand experiences of Stolen Generations survivors, so students have a full understanding of the history of Australia.
Wingaru
This Aboriginal-owned education organisation develops and delivers programs and resources to support early learning services, schools and educators, as well as providing cultural competence training.
Yarn Strong Sista
This Aboriginal-owned organisation provides a range of services, such as hosting professional development for educators and providing First Nations-designed resources and educational tools.