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On Tuesday 8 March 2016, WIN Foundation organized an International Women’s Day event at the Gleneagles Secondary School, Endeavour Hills.

The event was based on the premise that there is a radical need for Australian schools to make changes not only in the pedagogy to cater for a growing multicultural/multiracial mix of their students but also new ways to reach out to parents, especially mothers, to give the best benefit to students.

Seven staff, fifty-one parents and grandparents and thirteen WIN Foundation members attended.

Lunch was hosted by the WIN Foundation, after which the formal program began with an introduction of International Women’s Day and its significance in promoting cultural education in the context of school environments.

Rachel Shields – song women from the Gamilaroy Country of NSW, performed an ‘acknowledgment to country’ ceremony paying respects to the elders of the Wurundjeri community of the region, past and present.

The multicultural officer at Gleneagles spoke about the struggles of students from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

The founder and president of WIN Jessiee Kaur Singh focused her address on the maxim of Unity in Diversity and the gradual shift in pedagogy from a strictly ‘western’ outlook into one which takes into consideration the diversity of cultures now prevalent at Gleneagles.

Various concepts related to the theme of cultural integration were explored during the discussion time and issues were addressed by all participants.

WIN Elder Junitta Vallak concluded by paying the respects of Win Foundation towards all daughters, all sisters, all mothers, all grandmothers and all women in general to celebrate International Day for Women.

Rachel Shields presented an Aboriginal song from her ‘country’ to close proceedings. (We sing and dance together. If we do not, things will fall apart.)

Report by: Jessie Kaur Singh, WIN Foundation