At Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design, 23 Aboriginal students gather regularly for Koori Club - a place for connection, culture and leadership that’s grown into one of the school's most significant community programs.

"Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design ensures Aboriginal students receive dedicated support through culturally appropriate programs and strong connections with Aboriginal communities and initiatives," Principal Lance Raskall said.

"We foster care, support and connection by providing an array of student-chosen learning opportunities and ensuring robust wellbeing initiatives are in place."

Koori Club is facilitated by Barkindji and Malyangapa woman Elise Abihanna, Head Teacher Admin, alongside School Support Officer Stephanie Mora. Drawing students from every year group, Koori Club meetings give Aboriginal students the chance to come together and take ownership of the school's Cultural Education program.

"Our Koori Club is committed to going beyond wellbeing in our delivery of a Cultural education program,” Ms Abihanna said.

“Our priority is for students to develop passion and pride in their histories and cultures, and to be supported in leading the school community in this educational space."

The first Koori Club meeting of every school year is dedicated to welcoming new Year 7 students and introducing them to their peers. From there, students are asked to reflect on what worked well the previous year, what they'd like to continue, and what new directions they'd like the club to explore.

It's an approach built on student voice — one that also extends to families, through an annual Meet the Mob Evening, where parents and carers are invited to discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and contribute feedback in genuine partnership with the school.

Leadership, Pride and Belonging

For staff and students alike, Koori Club's growth over the years has been a source of enormous pride.

For Deputy Principal Josh O'Neill, watching the club evolve has been a career highlight.

"It has been a profound privilege and utter delight to watch Koori Club grow over the years and to see these amazing young people shine, making the most of the opportunities and generously sharing their knowledge and culture with others," Mr O'Neill said.

And for the students, Koori Club offers something that goes far beyond a weekly meeting.

Year 8 student Lizzy Ray Ingram said the club was about protecting culture and building understanding across the whole school community.

"To make sure Culture is not lost," she said.

"It's really important for the whole school to learn about our Culture and be respectful. Koori Club feels like family, and I feel connected to my Culture."

Year 9 student Daniel Touma described the club as both an anchor to his own heritage and a bridge to the wider school community.

"It helps students learn about our ways and our history," he said.

"Non-Koori students, staff and community can learn about our Culture when we share what it means to us.”

Building Towards NAIDOC

In the lead-up to this year's NAIDOC Week celebrations, students took part in a rich program of cultural experiences, including an excursion to the Royal Botanic Gardens, a cultural foods and cooking workshop with Barkindji and Malyangapa chef Matt Atkins, First Nations cultural workshops at Sydney Zoo and an excursion to see Bangarra Dance workshops.

These experiences directly informed the students' writing of the school’s NAIDOC assembly script, giving the whole school community rich insight into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture.

Koori Club students ran the assembly themselves, speaking about the significance of this year's theme, “50 years of Deadly”, and sharing their own experiences of culture. The event was well attended by families, friends and community members, and featured a smoking ceremony, cultural performances, an art exhibition and film screening, a native food-inspired food stall, and oztag games between students and teachers.

An Exhibition Years in the Making

For a number of years, Koori Club has run a printmaking-based artmaking workshop that culminates in a NAIDOC Art Exhibition, open to families and the community.

The workshop has been led for the past two years by Kamilaroi woman Maddy Anderson, a Dulwich High graduate who returned this year to facilitate the program once again.

Beyond the exhibition, the students' artworks are digitised and turned into corflutes, displayed on the school gate to share with the broader community.

"For Us" — A Song for 50 Years of Deadly

The “50 Years of Deadly” theme inspired one of Koori Club's most ambitious projects yet: an original song written and recorded by the students themselves.

Koori Club members took part in songwriting workshops run by Dunghutti and Mandandanji music producer and singer-songwriter Reggie Brown, co-owner and operator of Songlines Studios, which supports Indigenous youth in bringing their culture and style into the spotlight. Lorenz Prichard, from Nakama Arts, an organisation dedicated to empowering emerging artists and young creatives, also supported the project.

Students experimented with sounds, lyrics and concepts, culminating in a final composition titled "For Us." The song's lyrics look to the future — the next 50 years, the return of language, and the return to Country. The track was created for this year's NAIDOC "behind the scenes" video, capturing the students' pride in their culture.

As Koori Club looks ahead to another year of growth, its message — carried through art, food, dance, song and story — remains clear: culture shared is culture strengthened, for the next 50 years and beyond.