What is NAIDOC Week?

First, let's talk about what NAIDOC actually is. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. For a bit of background, in 1955 the Day of Mourning was moved from the Sunday before January 26th to the first Sunday in July. It was moved because people wanted to focus more on celebrating Indigenous culture rather than protesting. NAIDOC was created in 1956 to organise national events.

In 1975, NAIDOC decided to celebrate for a whole week and so NAIDOC Week was created!

NAIDOC Week invites all Australians to celebrate and acknowledge the ongoing achievements, history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It's also an important time to reflect on the challenges still faced and a reminder that although we've come so far, we still have a long way to go. Each year NAIDOC will choose a theme to build celebrations and events around. The 2022 theme is "Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!"

So how can you support NAIDOC Week?

There are SO many ways that we can support NAIDOC Week - whether you celebrate at home or in community, there's a lot of ways you can honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples this NAIDOC Week.

• Attend an event near you (or organise one yourself!) by checking Local NAIDOC Week Events
• Download and display this year's NAIDOC Week Poster and display it in your classrooms, lecture rooms or bedroom
• Find a book to read, written and published by Indigenous authors and illustrators through Magabala Books or suggest one for your next book club
• Learn more about how deliver an Acknowledgement of Country
• Consider nominating someone for a National NAIDOC Award
• Learn more about the Country you live on using the Map of Indigenous Australia
• Use the hashtags #NAIDOC2022, #NAIDOCWeek and #getupstandupshowup and join the conversation on social media
• Support Indigenous owned businesses

For more information and resources on NAIDOC Week, be sure to visit the official NAIDOC website.