This school, we're proud of our Aboriginal heritage, and if they remember three or four words
but they have a cultural understanding of Aboriginal people and Aboriginal culture,
I think that's one of the greatest benefits.
There's something been missing but now, teaching the language is closing the gap, it's uniting
both Indigenous and non-Indigenous because they're living in Wiradjuri country.
Across New South Wales, high school students have to learn 100 hours of a different language.
In Young, the mandatory language across Year 7, isn't Mandarin or French,
it's a language that has been spoken on that land for tens of thousands of years...
Wiradjuri.
For students at Young High School that language is Wiradjuri, the language of country.
To begin, I'll get everyone to introduce themself.
Whether Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, they're still on this land,
so it's really important they can connect to that in some way.
In Year 7 we've got 120 students, we've got about 30 of those students that identify as being Aboriginal
And I think in terms of identifying with being Aboriginal and what being Aboriginal is,
it gives them something concrete. It gives them something to hold onto.
I learnt about the Stolen Generation and all the animals and the family terms.
I didn't know anything about it 'til I came to this school, I just started this term.
My nan is Aunty Enid and she is an Aboriginal elder for Young High School.
Though at home we just sort of talk Wiradjuri sometimes, like just little words.
It's good because my friends get to do it as well and experience what I get to experience.
I don't know of any other schools doing the 100 hour Wiradjuri course.
There's a lack of teachers. You need someone to teach the program
and then also the school willing to have the program involved.
The best person to teach languages, Aboriginal languages is a person from that country
I'm a Wiradjuri man. I grew up on the New South Wales Central Coast, so off country.
For Mr Ellis, he's learning Wiradjuri as much as he's teaching it.
What brought me to Young was the opportunity to speak my own language,
to learn my own language and to be part of something that we can grow.
I'm still learning Wiradjuri. I'm ahead of the students.
They probably think I know everything, which I absolutely don't but if I can continue them believing that, I'm okay.
Our Indigenous population has increased significantly, and it promotes a pride and recognises not just
the language of the Wiradjuri people but the rich culture and history of the Wiradjuri people and of our town.
In the past 3 years, students identifying as aboriginal has more than doubled at Young High.
We only found out this year, it just was like "You're Aboriginal" and we said ok.
Well, I sort of wanted to be Aboriginal and just learn about Aboriginal.
And I actually was Aboriginal.
What's that bula bula one?
Bula is two.
- And then bula bula is four. - Oh, so it's counting?
- Yes - Oh
He showed me the language and how a lot of it was repetitive
and then he was trying to get me to say it properly. I was having a little bit of trouble but I got here in the end.
For Letisha, Curtis's learning Wiradjuri has helped shed light on a secret from her family's past.
What I know for the moment is that my grandmother's side, that's where our Aboriginal heritage comes from.
You look at my dad, he has dark skin, dark features you know that we're Aboriginal
but we were just never allowed to say.
People didn't see Aboriginals as other people, I guess, here back then.
So he'd sort of explain to me that if anyone knew that we were Aboriginal, that we wouldn't have what we have.
Curtis is in Year 8 at Young High. Last year, the family decided to identify as Indigenous for the first time.
I said it's totally up to you, if you want to classify as being Aboriginal at school,
then I can write the school a letter and we can go from there, so that’s what we did .
And I'm like 'Yes!!!'
When Curtis comes home from school and shows me the Wiradjuri language,
I just beam with pride at how passionate he is about it.
I really feel extremely, extremely proud of him and of myself as well as a parent
because I feel that I'm doing something right there because he's proud of his heritage where I had to hide it.
The scar on the tree is around about 300 years old,
so visually it's still evidence that my ancestors lived and roamed this land.
Connection to our Wiradjuri elders is crucial for success.
Aunty Enid is a role model for the students across the school
and she works as part of our Aboriginal education team.
She's one of our elders and she's a wonderful lady.
My role at the school is, I'm an in class tutor so I go into the mainly Year 7 and Year 8 classes.
I just love teaching my culture.
Culture comes naturally to Enid, but when she was growing up, language was forbidden.
The old people used to tell us, you know, you're not allowed to say those,
'No you're not to know, you're not to know' 'You speak English'.
Language sure was a secret, but culture wasn't.
I've always wanted to learn my language,
I'm picking up, yes, a lot actually. Not a little bit, a lot and I'm loving it.
I'm not confident enough yet to speak, you know, fluently with the sentences, I'm still at the learning stage.
Today, Aunty Enid is taking one of the Year 7 classes on an excursion, to see Wiradjuri culture up close.
Very important ceremonies were held up here, so it is a sacred site.
Aboriginal education is a priority and supporting Aboriginal students to succeed
and supporting our non-Aboriginal students to understand.
This wasn't our land until our ancestors moved here and called it their land,
so I think it's important to learn about the people that were here before us.
It's in our heart. Our language is part of us. Something's been missing for the last probably hundred years,
maybe more and now it's like I said, awoken, it's just beautiful.