National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 2020, celebrating elders of tomorrow

The 4th of August marks an important day, it is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. A day that welcomes all Australians to celebrate Indigenous children and provide an opportunity for children to feel included, supported, connected to and proud of their culture. It is a day of great importance for many reasons, a key one being the acknowledgement that Indigenous children do not have the same opportunities as most Australians. An Indigenous child is over 10 times more likely to experience out of home care. It is a time to recognise the hugely important role that family, community, country and culture play in a young one’s development.

National Children’s day was first held in 1988. It was around a very tumultuous time, the year of the Bicentennial celebrations, when celebrations took place from January 26th despite Australia day being declared a national day of mourning 50 years prior. The march and rally were planned after the 1982 Commonwealth Game protests and word was spread far and wide. Over 40,000 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous supporters attended the march in Sydney. In light of these events, National Children’s day began with a mission to support children’s rights, safety and well being.

Since then, the celebration has grown more and more each year. Last year, tens of thousands of people engaged with Children’s Day via social media and over 600 events were held. Children’s Day is promoted by the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) and for 2020 they have chosen the theme “Elders of Tomorrow, hear our voice”. It is a theme that acknowledges the important role elders play with their traditional knowledge, stories and wisdom and how the next generation is going to grow into these roles. Recognising that hearing children’s voices is a critical part of nurturing their development. Due to COVID-19, this year's celebrations will be a bit different, however everyone is encouraged to embrace innovative ways of celebrating at home. Taking the time to really acknowledge the importance of this day and celebrate our truly amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.

To celebrate Children's day we have reduced all of our amazing kids apparel in an up to 25% off sale.