Culture at the centre of Clarence Town's new Yarning Circle

Pioneered by the school's Junior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), the yarning circle opened for the first time at the end of March, 2024.

"We did a bit of a grand opening so it was really good. We had the whole school here," member of Clarence Town Public School's Aboriginal Education Team Jackson Myers said.

An AECG is a committee of students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous that provides input into Aboriginal education.

Mr Myers sees the yarning circle as an opportunity to engage the wider Clarence Town community as well as provide a safe space for the school's Aboriginal students.

"The best thing about the place is that we can invite community members down here. We've got 21 Aboriginal students at our school at the moment which is fantastic," he said.

"The big idea was to try to get those families more involved in the school because we haven't had that strong connection in recent years. More programs and initiatives like this would really bring them back into the school."

The idea of the yarning circle came after seeing other schools in the Hunter area developing their own Aboriginal programs. After seeing this Mr Myers and the Aboriginal Education Team took the idea to the AECG who responded overwhelmingly positively.

"They've done a research project on what it would do for the school," he said

"The biggest thing that came out of it was that it would be a place where we could have more of a conversation.

"It was about learning and in general building relationships and respect with each other and creating that sort of wellbeing area."

By developing this area Mr Myers said that he and Clarence Town Public School's Aboriginal Education Team are hoping to foster the school's Aboriginal community and promote their culture.

"I think it's going to make the school a more supportive area where our students are going to feel a lot more connection to their culture," he said.

"A lot more connection to not just their peers but the community in general."

As a proud Worimi man, Mr Myers knows the importance of providing a space like the yarning circle and teaching fellow Aboriginal students about their culture and history.

"I think it's so important for them to get that chance to reconnect to their culture. They're more engaged at school to learn because they know that there are supportive areas and programs," he said.