Australian Human Rights Commission

2. Personal stories

Aim

To introduce students to the history of separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families through storytelling. One key theme here is the function of oral history and how personal histories can inform social histories.

The comparison activity uses storytelling to help students develop an understanding of the differences and similarities of the experiences of Indigenous children who were separated from their families.

Resources

• 
  Us Taken-Away Kids – experiences and artwork from the Indigenous Community available at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/publications/index.html
  
• 
  Personal stories resource sheet
  
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  Personal stories comparison activity
  
• 
  Also required: butchers paper or cardboard for group activity