FIRE Carrier Program
Friends Igniting Reconciliation in Education
The dream of the FIRE Carrier program is to promote respect, fairness, and inclusion for First Nations People in Education. The FIRE Carrier promotes enculturation and reconciliation by the sharing of culture and spirituality in Victorian Catholic primary and secondary school.
History of the FIRE Carrier Program
The FIRE Carrier program began in 2009 as an initiative of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry to support reconciliation in Victorian Catholic Schools. The FIRE Carrier Program was officially launched in the Melbourne Diocese and in the Sandhurst Diocese 2010. The program moved across to the Opening the Doors Foundation in 2022.
What is a FIRE Carrier?
FIRE Carriers are students and staff who share a passion for learning about First Nations culture and history and are committed to sharing this knowledge, promoting Reconciliation within and beyond the school community. A FIRE Carrier promotes respect, fairness and inclusion for First Nations Peoples.
Why become a FIRE Carrier School?
Being a FIRE Carrier School means that you are committing to embedding reconciliation and enculturation at your school. The sharing of First Nations culture and spirituality is celebrated across all aspects of the school and reaches out into the school community.
Being a FIRE Carrier School means you will be part of a network of over 100 schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne that are already committed to furthering reconciliation at their school and supporting self-determination in education for First Nations families. The program is in all schools in the Diocese of Sandhurst and is moving into the Diocese of Sale and Diocese of Ballarat in 2024.
FIRE Carrier Program and Compliance
Becoming a FIRE Carrier School assists schools to meet compliance for Child Safe Standards, the CECV Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan, AISTSL Standards and the Cross-curriculum Priority – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.
What will the FIRE Carrier Program look like at my school?
Each school is different and you have the flexibility to structure the program to suit your school. This will depend on your current leadership structures for staff and students and the size of your school. FIRE Carrier leaders are commissioned and have the responsibility of leading the FIRE Carrier Program and inspiring others to support the program. They also work towards completing the goals and actions in the Covenant and reviewing the Covenant every year. This has a focus on First Nations voice and student voice. All staff and students in your school will be FIRE Carriers in action and be committed to reconciliation across all areas of the school even if they are not commissioned.
What is a School Covenant?
Each school is different and you have the flexibility to structure the program to suit your school. This will depend on your current leadership structures for staff and students and the size of your school. FIRE Carrier leaders are commissioned and have the responsibility of leading the FIRE Carrier Program and inspiring others to support the program. They also work towards completing the goals and actions in the Covenant and reviewing the Covenant every year. This has a focus on First Nations voice and student voice. All staff and students in your school will be FIRE Carriers in action and be committed to reconciliation across all areas of the school even if they are not commissioned.
We want to become a FIRE Carrier School. What’s next?
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Email the Opening the Doors Foundation your interest at firecarrier@openingthedoors.org.au
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You can also download the FIRE Carrier Information Booklet
“Each Fire Carrier participant has committed his/her selves to bring true peace, justice, and reconciliation not only to their schools, but to their families and their communities. The project started as a dream and has evolved into something so much greater.”-Vicki Clark Mutthi Mutthi
