Resources

Content components

Preventing racism

Understand racism and its impacts

Anti-racism eLearning course, Australian Human Rights Commission – the course increases participants’ understanding of race in the Australian context and teaches skills to address and respond to racism. Schools can promote this course to staff using these resources: flyer, poster and promotional video
Key terms, Australian Human Rights Commission – understanding key terms can help schools have conversations about racism and strengthen their understanding of how racism shapes society.
An Anti-Racism Framework: Voices of First Nations Peoples
National Anti-Racism Framework
Victoria’s anti-racism strategy 2024 – 2029

Building school capability

Multicultural education programs and resources – resources and information to help schools build intercultural capability and strengthen inclusion
Schools Standing Up to Racism, Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) – a suite of resources to support schools to address racism and discrimination
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), Core Cultural Learning – an online course developed to strengthen an organisation’s cultural capability
Student Leaders for Multicultural Inclusion (PDF) – a resource intended for staff and students to use together as a collaboration tool to discuss and improve multicultural awareness and inclusion in their schools through student voice, agency and leadership
Preventing racist bullying – planning tool for schools, Bully Stoppers – the checklist outlines the key steps for schools in preventing and responding to racist bullying
Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity School based audit tool, VicHealth – for use in assessing current school policies, procedures and practices that support diversity and address race-based discrimination
Inclusive language and practice in schools (PDF), Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission – a professional learning resource that aims to develop knowledge and application of inclusive language and practice for school staff
Let’s talk race: A guide on how to conduct conversations about racism, Australian Human Rights Commission – a guide to assist schools and other organisations in conducting meaningful and productive conversations about racism

Creating a culturally safe and inclusive environment

Providing cultural safety for First Nations students

The following resources will help build school leader and staff capacity to provide culturally safe and inclusive school environments, while promoting self-determination for First Nations students, families, carers and communities:

Indigenous cultural responsiveness self-reflection tool, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) – provides a guided process of critical reflection on assumptions, attitudes, beliefs and biases in relation to First Nations peoples, histories, languages and cultures. It develops awareness and understanding of how these may impact on teaching practice and learner outcomes
Koorie teaching resources – these resources include the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country guide, protocols for teaching First Nations cultures, resources for holding events on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, and resources on teaching Aboriginal languages
Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) – a guide for schools with information about choosing appropriate resources for teaching First Nations histories, cultures, and languages respectfully and effectively
Building Aboriginal cultural competency and safety training for organisations, Koorie Heritage Trust – professional learning workshops to enhance understanding of Victoria’s Aboriginal peoples and cultures and strengthen workplace cultural safety.

For advice to schools about how to establish and maintain culturally inclusive learning environments, see Koorie Education Workforce (KEW), the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI) and the PROTECT guidance on Child Safe Standard 1: Establish a culturally safe environment and Child Safe Standard 5: Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.

Providing cultural safety for students from African backgrounds

Victorian African Communities Action Plan – initiatives to empower African young people to have a strong sense of belonging, connection and inclusion. The plan includes funding for School Community Liaison Officers, who act as a positive conduit between schools, families, carers and students; and Homework Club Grants, which fund African-Australian-led community organisations to deliver culturally appropriate homework support and after-school activities

Providing cultural safety for students from Pasifika backgrounds

Case study: Cranbourne West Secondary College (DOCX) – best practice example of a school implementing cultural safety initiatives for Pasifika students

Providing cultural safety for students from refugee backgrounds

Supporting students from refugee backgrounds – information for schools about how to support students from refugee backgrounds
School’s In for Refugees, Foundation House – guidance, professional learning resources and workshops for school staff, including Multicultural Education Aides, to support refugee students to thrive at school
Refugee Education Support Program, co-delivered by Foundation House and the Centre for Multicultural Youth – a 2-year intensive capacity-building program aimed at assisting schools to identify and implement strategies which have a positive impact on the achievement, engagement and wellbeing outcomes of students from refugee backgrounds and their families

Providing cultural safety for students of Jewish, Islamic or other faiths

Learning and Responding to Antisemitism videos – a series of video resources for teachers developed in collaboration with the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Ark Centre
A discussion with Adel Salman – President of Islamic Council of Victoria – a video introducing Islamic Faith for use as part of General Religious Education
What is Islamophobia – a video teaching resource to support teachers in addressing the Christchurch attacks safely and with educational value

Promoting cultural diversity and inclusion in teaching and learning

Cultural diversity and inclusion

The following teaching and learning resources support teachers to build students’ capacity to strengthen cultural inclusion.

Intercultural Capability, Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 – this capability enables students to explore their own and others’ cultural practices and cultural diversity in Australian society. Resources to support teachers are also available
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 – this cross-curriculum priority deepens students’ knowledge and understanding of Australia by learning about the histories and cultures of strong, resilient, rich and diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia, Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 – this cross-curriculum priority enables students to learn about societies, beliefs, histories, cultures, languages and environments of Asian nations, and develop knowledge, skills, capabilities and attitudes to effectively navigate and contribute to our regional neighbourhood and to emerge as active and informed global citizens
Culturally responsive pedagogies and high-ability – an instructional video outlining the clash between some of the pedagogies considered appropriate for high ability students and the cultural backgrounds of some of the students in schools
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy – a web-based resource for school leaders and educators who are interested in becoming culturally responsive
Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) – a specialised library providing resources and advice to support the fields of Languages, EAL, Multicultural Education and the cross-curriculum priority areas and capabilities. Their catalogue includes curated lists for culturally diverse text selection and to support the intercultural capability
Learning about world views and religions (PDF), Victorian Curriculum F–10 – guide to teachers and schools to provide opportunities for learning about world views and religions across the curriculum, to enable students to be informed and engaged at both a local and global level, supporting an understanding of the perspectives of diverse local communities and the beliefs and practices of diverse traditions
Holocaust Education – Delivery Requirements – all Victorian government school students must be taught about the Holocaust as part of the school’s Level 9 and 10 World War II History curriculum program
Understanding the Holocaust, Melbourne Holocaust Museum – experiential programs for students to better understand the events and significance of the Holocaust
Islamic Museum of Australia – based in Coburg and including an online education portal (curriculum aligned), SBS Learn (classroom resources about Ramadan and Eid) and Winds of Change (a resource exploring Muslim Australian History), the Islamic Museum features a range of resources and professional learning to help build an understanding of Islamic faith in Australian schools, Islamophobia and misconceptions and facilitate meaningful discussions to achieve greater social cohesion
Jewish Museum of Australia – based in St Kilda, the Jewish Museum develops and presents a range of innovative education programs for primary and secondary school students, for both Jewish and non-Jewish, that respond to the Victorian Curriculum and Jewish Studies curricula from Prep to Year 12
Melbourne Immigration Museum – the museum also offers school visits and many online tools and resources for teachers and students
Global Learning and Engagement initiatives – a suite of programs that foster curiosity and understanding about the world and contribute to the development of knowledge and skills for living and working in an interconnected global community
Respectful Relationships resources – to support the implementation of the Respectful Relationships initiative, including the delivery of respectful relationships education
Safe Schools – this program helps schools foster a safe environment that is supportive and inclusive of LGBTIQA+ students, including LGBTIQA+ First Nations students and LGBTIQA+ students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. See also the LGBTIQA+ Koorie Resource Guide, from Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)

Anti-racism

The following teaching and learning resources support teachers to build students’ capacity to prevent and respond to racism and discrimination.

Upstander Programs, Courage to Care – workshops for students that offer practical tools to stand up against racism, bullying and prejudice, and empower participants to take positive action – in the schoolyard, workplace, and our communities
Racism. No Way – a national anti-racism education website with resources developed to support the delivery of anti-racism education in the classroom
Click Against Hate – online platform offering ready-to-teach modules under four key topics: stereotypes and prejudice, media misrepresentation, discrimination, and online hate
Let’s Talk About Racism, Australian Human Rights Commission – mini clip accompanied by teacher lesson plans and classroom resources
Education, Action and Change, Reconciliation South Australia – a resource for preschools, primary and secondary schools to support teaching and learning about racism and its impacts
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, Anti-racism Work – a website including information of anti-racism work underway across Australia

Responding to and reporting racism

Building staff capability

Schools Standing Up to Racism workshops, Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) – professional learning workshops to support implementation of the Schools Standing Up to Racism resources
Community Understanding and Safety Training (CUST) – professional learning to empower school staff to foster culturally inclusive environments that enhance Koorie students' wellbeing
Strengthening Professional Capability of Principals in Koorie Education (SPPIKE) – an intensive professional learning program that fosters greater cultural awareness and develops the skills of school leaders to promote positive, whole-school narratives for and about First Nations learners through understanding deficit discourse, unconscious bias and white privilege. Contact sppike@education.vic.gov.au for more information
Yan Ngitj Champions program, which supports participants to promote Aboriginal cultural safety amongst their workplaces. Contact marrung@education.vic.gov.au for more information
Workforce diversity and inclusion training (staff login required) includes Active Bystander Training, Anti-Racism Empowerment for corporate and school staff, and Inclusive Leadership
Schools Step-by-Step Guide: Responding to bullying (PDF), Bully Stoppers – schools can use this guide to respond to racist bullying and incidents of interpersonal racism between students
Bullying behaviour response template, Bully Stoppers – schools can use this template to document their responses to incidents of racism

Reporting racism

To report racism, students, families and carers can contact their school or the:

For additional support following an incident of racism:

First Nations students, staff or families can contact Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)
Jewish students, staff or families can contact the Jewish Community Council of Victoria
Muslim students, staff or families can contact the Islamic Council of Victoria

For schools:

eduSafe Plus

Communicating with your school community

Schools must share a link to the Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools policy on their website and promote the reporting of racism. When appropriate, schools may also need to inform their communities about incidents. The following resources support culturally safe and inclusive communication with staff, students, families and carers, including suggested newsletter and school website content, as well as translated versions of the policy:

Case studies

There is excellent anti-racism work taking place in schools across Victoria, including:

Braybrook College – an example of a whole-school approach to anti-racism, including building staff capability and student voice, and development of strong reporting and response mechanisms
- Braybrook College (DOCX)
- Braybrook College (PDF)
- Watch Braybrook College and the Power Collective on Vimeo – a student led anti-racism program that promotes student empowerment and agency
Cardinia Network Marrung Steering Committee (CNMSC) – made up of school leaders from 26 schools, the CNMSC has significantly improved inclusive teaching and wellbeing outcomes for First Nations students by implementing the Marrung Aboriginal Education Plan 2016–2026. Through strong partnerships with Koorie communities and integration of First Nations cultures and voices, the CNMSC has led to increased student attendance, achievement, and engagement across the region
- Watch Highlights of the 2023 'Deadly Day' on Vimeo
- Watch Marrung in Practice 2024, highlights of the work and outcomes of the initiatives on Vimeo
Coburg High School – an example of building staff capability, partnering with families, carers and communities, and using data-driven approaches to inform first steps of anti-racism work
- Coburg High School (DOCX)
- Coburg High School (PDF)
Cranbourne West Secondary College – an example of creating culturally safe environments and boosting engagement of Pasifika students through cultural initiatives led by bicultural education support staff
- Cranbourne West Secondary College (DOCX)
- Cranbourne West Secondary College (PDF)
Horsham West and Haven Primary School – an example of addressing racism through a whole-school approach and improving reporting processes working with students, families, carers, staff and communities, which has led to a safer, more respectful environment where diversity is valued
- Horsham West and Haven Primary School (DOCX)
- Horsham West and Haven Primary School (PDF)
Northern Bay P–12 College – an example of a school that supports a dedicated team of Multicultural Education Aides and a School Community Liaison Officer to foster culturally safe, inclusive learning environments by supporting culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse students, families and carers, challenging racism, and strengthening engagement across the school community
- Northern Bay P–12 College (DOCX)
- Northern Bay P–12 College (PDF)
Sydney Road Community School – an example of a school responding to the needs of their community by developing an integrated, culturally responsive curriculum focusing on First Peoples' perspectives, which has fostered greater cultural safety, reduced racism, and increased engagement from First Peoples students, families, carers and the broader community
- Sydney Road Community School (DOCX)
- Sydney Road Community School (PDF)