Indigenous Literacy Day: what is it and how can you get involved?

On September 6, over 500 Australian schools and organisations will host Great Book Swaps as part of Indigenous Literacy Day, with donations going to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). Check out this article to find out about the ILF’s important initiatives and get involved in Indigenous Literacy Day. (Image supplied: Wayne Quilliam)

For those of us that speak English as a first language, literacy and its celebration is something we often take for granted.

However, for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, who have limited access to books in their First Languages, initiatives to support literacy are all the more important.

The primary supporter of Indigenous Literacy in Australia, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF), says remote Communities often have “no infrastructure such as libraries or bookstores”.

“Access to reading material is extremely limited and this impacts the achievements of Indigenous children,” the ILF says.

The ILF is a national charity of the book industry that aims to combat this access barrier by providing and creating books in language for remote Indigenous Communities across Australia.

Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD), which falls on September 6 this year, is an ILF-founded event that fundraises for these initiatives and celebrates Indigenous literacy.

“ILD celebrates the rich Stories, Cultures, and Languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities,” the ILF says.

Funds raised for ILD will go towards the ILF’s Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Publishing programs.

The ILF says these programs aim “to provide remote Indigenous Communities with access to culturally relevant books and resources, and to create and publish their own relevant stories in their own languages”.

These endeavours have been successful over the past year, with 116,488 books having been supplied to 404 Communities.

The ILF says it has also “published 26 books in 13 languages, translated popular children’s stories … into eight languages … and supported 90 playgroups with Book Buzz early learning books and resources”.

Throughout its year-round initiatives, the ILF says it places great importance on supporting Communities in achieving their unique literacy goals, rather than seeking to “educate”.

ILF CEO Ben Bowen says the foundation’s focus is “not around deficit and disadvantage” but rather on “celebration of the rich and diverse First Nations culture and knowledges”.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities have the wisdom, knowledge, skills and traditional literacy, beyond a western framework,” he says.

“ILF supports Communities with the tools and resources they request, to lead their own authentic literacy journeys.”

Fittingly, the theme for this year’s ILD is “Celebrating Stories, Cultures and Languages”.

On the day, the ILF says three bilingual books in three different languages will be showcased in a 15-minute film.

“Audiences will join a virtual flight to Barunga in the Northern Territory, Rubibi (Broome) in north Western Australia and Weipa on the Cape Yorke Peninsula in Queensland to hear three joyful stories and learn some new words in Kriol, Yawuru and Thaynakwith,” the ILF says.

The film, which will be followed by a 45-minute livestream, is available for free to schools, organisations and the general public upon registration.

The ILF says 410 Australian schools and 110 Australian organisations are also participating in ILD by registering to host a Great Book Swap.

You can get involved by donating to a Great Book Swap in-person or online.

In our state, one of the most notable Great Book Swaps is being hosted by the State Library of South Australia (SLSA) from 10am to 4pm on September 6.

You can visit the Glass Foyer in the Spence Wing and exchange a book for a note or gold coin donation.

Acting Director for the SLSA, Hanlie Erasmus, says the books “have kindly been donated by the staff and volunteers of Adelaide’s cultural institutions”.

“Available books cover a wide range of subjects, so there is something for everyone,” Erasmus says.

A number of library staff are also participating in the Busking for Change fundraiser during their book swap.

“The group will perform the song ‘Words make the world go round’ and sing at various times during the day in the State Library foyer, where the book swap event is being held,” Erasmus says.

The SLSA is supporting ILD because it recognises that “to begin your literacy journey with tools in a foreign language is unfair,” Erasmus says.

“We understand the importance of the work the ILF carries out in publishing books in Indigenous languages and encouraging parents to read with their children.”

The SLSA has privately supported ILD in previous years but Erasmus says they chose a public event this year “to assist in increasing the profile of the day and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation”.

“We believe the day will be successful through not only raising funds but also by raising awareness of the foundation and cause.”

Erasmus says the SLSA is “very pleased to have already exceeded [the] original fundraising goal of $300 via online donations”.

“We look forward to adding to that total with the upcoming book event.”

The funds will go directly to the ILF, who says it aims to raise $100,000 this year.

For those who are looking to support Indigenous literacy but aren’t able to participate in ILD, you can donate to the ILF at any time throughout the year or support Indigenous authors by purchasing their books through the ILF shop.