Access to education, weekend sport, culture and language is something most of us take for granted. But what if we arrived at school to find that the teacher was communicating in a foreign language? What if all the books, posters and other resources were indecipherable? And what if our failure in this environment prevented us from playing sport, meeting up with family, or engaging in our own culture and language? 

Aleryk Fricker examines how whiteness and English-language teaching has created an environment where remote Aboriginal students are forced to assimilate or perish. Through a case study of a remote Northern Territory Aboriginal school, Fricker will  examine the different measures of control, and explore implications for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students around Australia.

BIO

Aleryk Fricker is a proud Dja Dja Wurrung man and former school teacher. He is in the final year of his PhD at Charles Darwin University. His thesis is focused on the impact of whiteness on the intersection of sport, education and culture for the children who attend the Papunya School. He is currently the Indigenous Education lecturer at RMIT University, and is working hard to decolonise the education system.

6:00 PM @FAD Gallery, 14 Corrs Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

Entrance over 18  |  The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Also speaking at FAD Gallery 7:30 pm is Lauren Gurrieri