DVDsets out to

By Kath Gannaway
A JOINT project by indigenous and non-indigenous Healesville High School students will conclude this week.
A DVD made by the students will be released during NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week – 5 to 12 July.
The DVD was produced as part of the 2009 Youth Reconciliation Project, a partnership between the school and the Shire of Yarra Ranges Youth Services supported by The Foundation for Young Australians, Indigital Centre and the Indigenous Advisory Committee.
The project aimed to develop a resource that demonstrated young people’s understanding of and contribution to reconciliation.
All students from the school took part in a Koori Cultural Awareness Workshop which included songs and stories promoting recognition of cultural differences and common ties.
Music was common ground. Using hip hop, rock and acoustic styles, the performers adopt contemporary music to continue the ancient practice of indigen-ous people of using song to capture and express their deepest knowledge.
Ten of the students – Nicole Moate, Sara Moate, Blaize Daykin, Robert Hunter, Jessica Pitto, Tayle Pinkster, Aaron Wilkes, Kate D’arcy, Elisha Dryden, Harley Taylor and Keeden Blow – took part in a two-day workshop at Healesville Memorial Hall in June
The second part of the project is a two day workshop with Indigital Centre which introduced a number of skills including Garage Band music writing software, music writing and song recording
Footage filmed during the workshops, performances and interviews are included in the DVD.
The DVD will be launched during NAIDOC Week and distributed to participants, schools and other agencies throughout the Shire.