The FIRE Carrier Program promotes reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victorian Schools. FIRE stands for Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education. FIRE Carrier leaders are required to develop a Reconciliation Covenant and are committed to promoting Reconciliation within and outside their school.
The Family School Partnerships Bunurong Cluster of schools acknowledges that our schools are located on the sacred land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation.
We recognise the special place and culture of Aboriginal peoples within Australia. We acknowledge that Aboriginal peoples have been the caretakers of this land for more than 60,000 years. We respect their spiritual connection to Mother Earth through the Dreaming. We understand that practical measures need to address the disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal people in education, health, employment, and general opportunity.
As a community of schools, we will continually strive for Reconciliation of our nation through the lens of the three core values of the Fire Carrier program; Spirituality, Practical Reconciliation and Justice, and Cultural Recognition and Awareness.
We will strive to ignite a deeper awareness, respect and understanding of our First Nations People. We will do this by educating our school community and broader community in our shared Aboriginal history, present issues and significant dates, and future hopes.
We hold a shared commitment to:
We acknowledge the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the ancestral land around Nairm which we gather and learn on today. We pay our respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge and strive for a deeper awareness, respect and understanding of First Nations Peoples in our communities. We are inspired by their wisdom, spirituality, living culture, strengths and stories. We are committed at John Paul College to actively walking together for reconciliation and justice.