Please send this email to as many people as you can: -
ABORIGINAL EDUCATION IS UNDER ATTACK AT UWS BANKSTOWN
The admin at UWS in its wisdom decided that it would close down the
Aboriginal Education centre at Bankstown known as Goolangullia. Their plan
is to move all aboriginal education centres to UWS Blacktown, for the
reason that that is where demographically where more Indigenous people live
in the Western Sydney area. Despite the fact that most of the Indigenous
students studying at Bankstown have roots here, the admin at UWS has
decided to rip those up and move them to Blacktown. The Indigenous students
who access Goolangullia are mostly students studying under the Aboriginal
Rural Education Programme (AREP) which teaches education and welfare, with
the idea that AREP students can go back into the their communities and
help their communities.
The boxes were sent to Goolangullia on Friday and staff were told that they
have to be out by Wednesday which is TWO DAYS away. The plan is that AREP
students are going to stop the moving from happening on Wednesday by
staying in Goolangullia and refusing to leave. The time and stuff is not
figured out but i will email everybody again when a decision has been made.
But that is not the only sort of protest you can do. The elders of the
traditional owners claimed Goolangullia the sacred learning place for
Indigenous people. Community groups are sending messages of support. Here
are some suggestions: -
- Send your letters / messages of support to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Fax
them to (02) 9774 3442
- Ring Jan Reid who is our Vice Chancellor on (02) 9678 7801, email at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or Fax her a few times to make sure she receives the message
on (02) 9678 7809. Some suggestions are 'leave Goolangullia at Bankstown'
or 'Dont close Aboriginal Education at Bankstown'. Or if you're more
creative make something up
- Get involved with the fight back, you can call on (02) 9772 6488, and ask
for John or Dave or any student working on saving Goolangullia
- Or if you want to help on Wednesday that would be awesome.
This is really important, if Aboriginal Education goes to Blacktown all the
AREP students and the AREP programme will be in jeopardy. UWS Blacktown is
known for its high level of racism, violence, and sexual assualts in their
residences. UWS Blacktown has none of the facilities for AREP students and
thus the programme will soon be scraped, and the student union at Blacktown
are unsympathetic to the cause (that's as nice as i can be). AREP students
are taking this as the final showdown, this will be the one and only fight.
Please show your support and if you can show your solidarity and fight with
these Indigenous students in their quest for an equitable education.
Thanks for your time
Dave Wilcox
--
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