A singalong with celebrated musician Christine Anu and the planting of 1000 trees are part of the extraordinary celebrations by NSW Department Education to mark NAIDOC 2021.

Starting Monday, the Department of Education will celebrate national NAIDOC Week, which falls during the first week of the school holidays.

With its theme, Healing Country! NAIDOC 2021 invites the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as they do the cultures and values of all Australians

Karen Jones, Executive Director Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships, said schools would be able to celebrate NAIDOC Week in partnership with their local communities, and learn from their local Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal community members.

The events of the week will be launched with tree-planting ceremonies, held in partnership with Landcare Australia, across the State on Darug Wiradjuri and Gumbaynggir Country.

More than 20 schools in Sydney, central NSW and mid-north coast of NSW are involved in the event, which will be shown online from 9am.

On Tuesday an official launch will be held at the Department of Education’s Parramatta State office with a smoking ceremony.

As part of the week’s celebrations, Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships are encouraging schools to increase their stock of Indigenous children’s and young adult’s book titles with a 50 per cent discount on cover prices.

The week will also include a special event with the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, who will showcase their mobile learning centre and share their stories of the impact of the Stolen Generation.

The NAIDOC Week 2021 celebrations will close on Friday with a singalong featuring Christine Anu singing My Island Home and Taba Naba with schools across the state.

The official NAIDOC Week (4 to 11 July) is also being marked by events in the Department and in communities around Australia.

You can join the virtual celebration via video streams hosted by Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships, each weekday morning from 9am, during our special NAIDOC Week.