Yarning circle launched at high school for NAIDOC Week

Boyup Brook District High School students began their NAIDOC Week celebrations with the opening of their new yarning circle. The circle, which provides a safe space for people to come together and talk and share, was officially opened on Friday by First Nations woman and former BBDHS teacher Christine Latham. Ms Latham said it was an “honour” to return to her old school for the special occasion. “To be asked as a First Nations woman and former teacher at BBDHS to open the yarning circle is an honour and privilege,” she said. “Being here again has reminded me of the special place this school still is and also the wonderful people and students I encountered in the many years I have spent here.” Deputy principal Renee Knapp said helping students learn about Aboriginal culture was a big focus for the school. “At the last Census, Boyup Brook was known as the least multicultural town in Australia,” she said. “We’re very much conscious that when we’re trying to bring in information about Aboriginal and Indigenous people, we really want to make a point of having something that was tangible for kids because they don’t really have any wordly knowledge of it, or much experience with diversity in Boyup Brook.” Mrs Knapp said the idea of the yarning circle also complemented the work the school was doing in the mental health space. “We have a really strong focus at Boyup Brook about belonging and connection, and at the school we’re doing a lot of work around mental health and wellbeing,” she said. “It just made such sense when someone mentioned this idea of the yarning circle because it was a place that we could gather as a group of students, staff, parents, it was a place we could talk about our stories. But it also gave us an opportunity to have something that was relevant to the local Aboriginal people so that we could start having conversations around that with our students.”