Indigenous Corporate Activities

The Questacon ScienceLines team not only develops and delivers Outreach Programs for remote and regional areas, but they are also involved in a range of corporate activities within Questacon and around the country.

Here are a few activities and events that ScienceLines has been involved in:

Indigenous Year 5 and 6 students from the Canberra and Queanbeyan region explore Questacon’s galleries at their Sleepover event.

NAIDOC Week

In 2006, National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee Week, or NAIDOC Week was a huge event at Questacon. The highlight was a Questacon sleepover for around 100 local Indigenous upper primary students. Questacon staff were also treated to a special morning tea which included a flag raising ceremony, a traditional dance demonstration led by Mr Duncan Smith, cakes depicting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and a display of historical and cultural information.

The Questacon ScienceLines team was presented with the Department of Education, Science and Training Secretary’s NAIDOC Excellence Award 2006 for innovative approach to Indigenous Australian program delivery through Questacon ScienceLines projects.

This year, Questacon’s NAIDOC events will hopefully include another sleepover, flag raising ceremony, lectures and cross cultural awareness training for staff.

Shell Questacon Science Circus presenter Zannah Lyons helps children create a spin at the Reconciliation Week Family Day event at Boomenulla Oval, Narrabundah.

Reconciliation

Questacon is involved in a range of activities and strategies that promote Reconciliation.

The Shell Questacon Science Circus and Questacon’s theatre troupe – the Excited Particles participated in a family day held at Boomenallah Oval during Reconciliation Week 2006. The Circus set up a display of hands-on science exhibits and the Excited Particles presented a spectacular science show.

The ScienceLines team has coordinated the formation of a Reconciliation team who, alongside ScienceLines have been the driving force behind the development of a draft Reconciliation Statement, Reconciliation Action Plan and an action plan for the Mainstreaming Indigenous Programs Taskforce.

Conferences

Questacon ScienceLines has participated in a range of Australian and international conferences to deliver information about programs and experiences. Some of the conferences we’ve been involved in include:

• (Re)Contesting Indigenous Knowledge conference, Gold Coast 2006
• CONASTA (CONference of the Australian Science Teachers Association), Canberra 2004
• Aboriginal Studies Association conference, Sydney 2006
• Public Communication of Science and Technology Working Symposium, Beijing 2005