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The Australian Dream: Racism

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Footballer Nicky Winmar lifts football guernsey and points to his own skin
The Australian Dream: Racism

SUBJECTS:  Civics and CitizenshipHealth and Physical EducationHistory

YEARS:  9–10


Adam Goodes believes that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism.

Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used social media to react, pass judgement, and be racist and unkind towards Adam Goodes. The clip shows the intense reactions and booing from the crowds towards Adam during his games and ultimately how all these reactions affected his wellbeing.

To talk with someone about mental health call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or visit headspace, beyondblue or ReachOut.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What is racism? Do you understand what it means to be racist towards someone? Tracey Holmes says, "Racism is a word that Australians find very hard to deal with." Why do you think this is? Do you agree or disagree?
  2. 2.What physical and mental effects can racism have on people? Do you think Adam Goodes was brave to stand up to racism? What role does social media play in racism?
  3. 3.Standing up to racism can be very difficult. Having consistent policies and the right support structures in place helps people to stand up. Adam Goodes stood up to racism at a time when the necessary support structures were not in place. What could you do to stand up to racism and help stop it at your school or in wider society? Tracey Holmes says, "People think because it's casual and because it happens everywhere and because we do it in our backyard barbecues and because it happens in the schoolyard and because it happens at work, it's just a joke." Is racism a joke to the person it's being said to or about? Discuss casual racism and why it is still prevalent in society today. How can we stop casual racism in Australia? Do you know what institutional racism is? Discuss how we can put a stop to institutional racism. Refer to this speech to help you with your discussion. Investigate Rule 35 of the AFL's Vilification Framework. Do you think the AFL enforced this rule enough during what happened to Adam Goodes? What would you add to Rule 35 to make it more relevant to today – considering it was written before social media and the way the media portrayed Adam Goodes? How would you rewrite Rule 35 to prevent any future vilification of footballers, umpires, officials or supporters attending football games? Adam's stand against racism took a huge toll on his mental wellbeing. Discuss the impact this had on his personal and professional life. How could have the AFL and the media handled this differently? What measures could prevent this from ever happening again? Recently, a statue of Nicky Winmar's iconic stand against racism was unveiled in WA. What impact do you think this statue will have on future generations of Australians?
  4. 4.Does your school have a Reconciliation Action Plan? Identify some actions you can do at your school to strengthen your school's respect, relationships and opportunities for reconciliation. Encourage each other to have the courage to call out racism and to educate people about the effect their words can have. Make sure to check in on victims of racism, as words can hurt and have long-term effects on people's wellbeing. Remind them if they don't feel comfortable enough to speak to you, they can speak to an adult and ask for help and support. Create a school environment where everyone feels safe to speak up about any injustice. Teachers: We strongly encourage you to read about, understand and get behind The Australian Dream campaign and encourage your students to express their thoughts, feelings, emotions and visions for their Australia.


Teachers

To help you hold these discussions, refer to the key considerations to delivering The Australian Dream education resources.

We encourage you to give students a platform to share their own Australian dream and get behind The Australian Dream campaign by encouraging your students to express their thoughts, feelings, emotions and visions for their Australia.


Acknowledgements

These discussion notes have been written in consultation with Culture Is Life.


Date of broadcast: 29 Dec 2020


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2020 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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