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Acknowledgement of Country on ABC Kids listen

Posted , updated 
The continent of Australia, drawn in a modern Indigenous style, using pinks and blues, on a yellow background.

If you’re ever listening to Kids listen at midday, you’ll hear an Acknowledgement of Country; a time to recognise and pay respect to the First peoples of this continent.

The thing is, ABC Kids listen is played and listened to on hundreds of Countries around Australia, and our Acknowledgement of Country reflects that. Here are some examples:

Boon Wurrung Country

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Dharawal Country

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Kaurna Country

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We have a number of Acknowledgements of Country from around Australia that play in rotation, and we're always looking for more.

That’s where you come in!

In collaboration with Narragunnawali, we have developed a special script and are looking for young voices to record it for us.

You don’t need to be Indigenous to have a go – anyone can acknowledge the Country they’re on and show their respect to the Traditional Owners.

If you have children aged 4-10 who would like to have a go, you'll see the script below in bold. Simply record your child in a quiet place using the voice recorder app on a smartphone, or similar, and send your recording back to us at Kids listen.

There are some big words in there and the sentences are long, so feel free to record a couple of tries. Go line by line, with you saying it first and them repeating back.

We’ll edit it up, and add some beautiful nature sounds specific to the Country you’re recording from.

We also encourage kids to include a line of their own. This can be anything that they love about their home, to encourage a connection to what acknowledging Country means to them.

There’s a blank space so you can fill in your own location - if you're not sure whose lands you're on, the Gambay map is a useful resource. 

If you have any questions, or would like to get involved, please email ABCKIDSlisten@abc.net.au

There's no submission deadline. As we receive more recordings from around the country, we'll add them to the rotation. Please note that not all recordings will be used, dependant on sound quality and other factors. Guardians of children whose recordings are chosen for broadcast will be contacted.

Script:

ABC Kids listen recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

as the First Peoples of this place, now known as Australia.

We are grateful for the continuing care of the lands, waterways, and skies

where we listen, learn and play.

From here on _____________ Country 

[personal line eg. 'Where I love to swim at X beach, or I love playing in Y place]

and from wherever you are listening,

we respect the Elders of the past and present

and we share our friendship and kindness.

Posted , updated