People ask what a hero is. Well a hero is a man or woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Good morning/afternoon I am speaking to you today to why I think Cathy Freeman should win the Australian Hero Award. Cathy Freeman always said “You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable.” Cathy is a well deserving winner of the Australian hero award because she is the founder of an organisation called ‘The Cathy Freeman Foundation’ which encourages Indigenous children to find their path way to education, health and to improve self-esteem. She inspired Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians to follow their dreams and not give up and lastly Cathy was the first female to win the Olympic Games and to carry around the Indigenous flag as well as the Australian flag in her victory lap.
Catherine formerly known as Cathy was born in Slade Point Mackay on the 16th February 1973. Her parents are Norman and Cecelia Freeman; Cecelia remarried to Bruce Barber and her brothers Gavin, Garth and Norman Jnr and Sister Ann Marie who sadly died at a young age, Norman also died in a tragic car accident on the 17th of September 2008. Cathy has a bold tattoo on her right bicep saying ‘Cos I’m Free’. She was the first female Indigenous Australian to win the 400m gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. While doing her victory lap she carried the Indigenous flag as well as the Australian flag.
Cathy is the co-founder of an organisation which has been running strongly for three years. The foundation is committed to creating a superior pathway to a brighter future for Indigenous children; the pathways are centred on improving education, health and self-esteem. She aims to close th...
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...ympic Games and made her dream a reality; she then inspired millions of Australians to do the same. She is still being a hero to me and a hero to everyone to this day by going to schools and talking to children about what they should think about doing with their life and to compose a goal and stick to it until they achieve it.
Cathy Freeman has worked a lot on perfecting her organisation for three years to guide the Indigenous children to improving their education, health and self-esteem. She has also inspired millions of Australians to go after their dreams. Cathy was the first female Indigenous Australian to win Olympic gold, proving to the world that everyone is equal. Cathy Freeman has worked so hard for the Indigenous Australians everywhere. Vote for Cathy Freeman for the ‘Australian hero award’ she is one of the very few who thinks of others before herself.
Chicka Dixon grew up in Sydney with his family and worked at a wharf on the waterside.
Neporent, Liz. ‘Olympian Douglas’ Hard Times.” ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014
Freeman also started up a foundation (Cathy Freeman Foundation) to aid unprivileged aboriginal children and help close the gap between Indigenous and Non Indigenous children. Cathy Freeman also outlines the value of being a true and courageous self. Through her schooling she has experienced a lot of racial discrimination from the ‘white people’. Once, when she was in primary school, she was even denied of a medal after coming first place at a school sports day. A ‘white girl’ who came in second received the medal. She didn’t fall because of the discrimination she received, but aimed to succeed to prove everyone wrong; “Goodness gracious I didn’t really need a gold medal or a trophy because to me, all that mattered was that I crossed the line first… what did upset me was my parent’s reaction”. Even through her schooling, Cathy had the ability to get past the racism and discrimination she received. In 1994 she won several events at the Commonwealth games. To acknowledge her win she waved the Australian and Aboriginal flag next to each other, as she did her victory lap, which was an action that caused much controversy. She was criticised by many, including the Australian team’s
From childhood to death Clara Barton dedicated her life to helping others. She is most notably remembered for her work as a nurse on the battlefield during the Civil War and for the creation of the American Red Cross. Barton was also an advocate for human rights. Equal rights for all men, women, black and white. She worked on the American equal Rights Association and formed relations with civil rights leaders such as Anna Dickensen and Fredric Douglass. Her undeterred determination and selflessness is undoughtably what made her one of the most noteworthy nurses in American history.
(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2016). As a Pre-Service Teacher specialising in Early Childhood Education, it is imperative to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were treated in the past and the impact that this may have on Indigenous families in the
Clara Barton attacked many social problems of the 1800’s. From creating a free school, to being on the front lines helping soldiers in the Civil War, to creating the American Red Cross, Clara Barton was a humanitarian. She fought for what she believed in and because of her never-ending fight for people, the world is a different place.
This essay will discuss the Aboriginal Education policies in Victoria and Federally and how these policies impacted upon the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This essay will further analyse the impact these past policies had on the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders’ families and children’s education and how current policies were put in place to assist indigenous students’ access to education. Further to this an analysis of how teachers can implement these changes in the curriculum and classroom.
This strategy of developing a relationship with Aboriginal communities can be seen as one of the most important strategies in the regards to the realisation of meeting 1.1.2 (NSW DET 2008). These learning partnerships have been proven to be beneficial to the community on the whole, not only “giving credibility and integrity to the teaching of Aboriginal students and syllabus content related to Aboriginal issues” (NSW BOS 2008, p. 2) but also builds pride and confidence within the Indigenous parents and therefore their community. The NSW BOS (2008, p. 2) goes on to say that for a school to provide authentic experiences, skills and knowledge in context to Aboriginal studies; they must consult Aboriginal people. The AETP (NSW DET 2008) believe that consultation with Aboriginal communities will provide the support and knowledge teachers need to develop engaging and motivating learning environments and scenarios, demonstrate high expectations and work with Aboriginal students in their pursuit of ‘personal
In the article by Erica Neeganagwedgin she examines aboriginal education from pre contact, through the Residential Schools and concludes with contemporary issues in education, focusing on women in multiple sections. Neegangagwedgin argues how colonial education curriculum in Canadian schools are marginalizing and oppressing aboriginal students by rarely including their history, heritages and cultural antecedents therefore creating a ‘denial of the selfhood of aboriginal students” (p.28). She starts by comparing the pedagogy differences between Aboriginals and Eurocentric students the stem of differing worldviews which have created this problem as Canada denies to recognize the Aboriginal worldview as legitimate. Bringing light to the idea that
Residential schools undoubtedly created detrimental inter-generational consequences. The dark legacy of residential schools has had enduring impact, reaching into each new generation, and has led to countless problems within Aboriginal families including: chemical dependence, a cycle of abuse in families, dysfunctional families, crime and incarceration, depression, grief, suicide, and cultural identity issues (McFarlan, 2000, p. 13). Therefore, the inter-generational consequence...
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
Educational systems are one of the primary foundations in the development of early childhood teachings and beliefs. “It has been argued that there is an essential relationship between students' culture and the way in which they acquire knowledge, manage and articulate information, and synthesize ideas.”(Barnhardt, 1999; Bell 2004; Kanu, 2005). Lessons taught to young school children are first fundamental steps in shaping their future ideas, opinions, thoughts and behaviors and how that influences how they view the world and those around them. One of the simplest ways to properly educate Canadians about the lives, history and accomplishments of Aboriginal people is through introducing Aboriginal history beginning in early childhood education. Children are the future; if they are given the proper education and tools to correctly inform future generations they hold the power to correct the impact that decades of stigmatization, marginalization, inequality, colonialism, and denial of responsibility has had on Aboriginal life and spirituality. In order to properly educate these children, educators too must be informed. Previously in Canada, Indigenous education was not discouraged but was also not a required mandate in the curriculum. Pa...
To the indigenous community, country and story creates a strong cultural identity and is the starting point to their education. The second outcome; connected with and contribute to their world, is shown through the experience and learning of the indigenous culture and the history of the country and land they live in. Outcome three; strong sense of wellbeing is shown through enhancing indigenous children’s wellbeing socially, culturally, mentally and emotionally through learning about their heritage, country and history through the stories passed down through generations and gaining a sense of belonging and self identity. Both outcome four and five; confident and involved learners and effective communicators are important as they show a unity and understanding between the indigenous culture through learning about the country and stories together about the indigenous
While there is little diversity in many sports, gymnastics is starting to make giant leaps toward multi-racial integration. Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles are creating waves in the gymnastics community, sparking national pride with each gold medal. They are leading the fight against racism in gymnastics by proving that they are just as good, if not better than the traditional gymnasts due to their hard work and persistence, combined with raw talent. They are inspiring girls everywhere to follow their dreams, no matter what obstacles get in the way. They are the American heroes who made gymnast history.
CAFCA. (2011). Working with Indigenous children, families and communities Lessons from. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family