NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.  This year, OTEN celebrated NAIDOC week by holding the ACEP award ceremony at OTEN located in Strathfield NSW. Staff members from TAFE who had successfully completed the Aboriginal Cultural Education Program (ACEP) were invited to attend and receive a certificate of achievement for their participation and successful completion of this professional development program.  At the ceremony, members of staff, award recipients and visitors were entertained by  the very talented and internationally acclaimed traditional Aboriginal dancer Darren Compton.

Each year, NAIDOC introduces a poster that represents a new theme. This year’s theme was
“Unsung Heroes - Leading Through Example”. 

The artwork depicts an Aboriginal mother who is an 'unsung hero' leading her children through example, showing that actions can speak louder than words. The dot work illustrates nurturing and teaching from birth, always guiding our children towards 'closing the gap', moving towards 'success' for those who choose to stay on the path.

An art exhibition by Aboriginal young mothers of the La Perouse Parent Program was also displayed at OTEN as a part of the 2010 NAIDOC celebrations. Nine paintings were displayed in the OTEN foyer for staff & visitors to view.

The Parent Program is a community based program which started in June 2009, for young Aboriginal parents in the La Perouse Aboriginal Community. The program aims to improve the health of young Aboriginal parents and  their children by providing a supportive educational environment, practical health and parenting skills, access to transport and childcare and an innovative art making program. The program uses art to engage with young parents to promote self awareness and confidence through creative expression. Participants and their children attend weekly art sessions at the Aboriginal Community Health Centre in La Perouse. At these sessions, participants are encouraged to explore their ideas and to share knowledge and understanding with each other. The art works on display in this exhibition were created during these sessions. The La Perouse Parent Program is a prime example of the 2010 NAIDOC theme – these parents are, Unsung Heroes – Leading Through Example. The majority of the parent program participants are also currently enrolled in a variety of OTEN courses. The OTEN AETU supports several of these young mothers via the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme  (ITAS ) program,  that provides a teacher who visits the La Perouse centre weekly to conduct tutorial sessions with students enrolled in the Certificate IV in Community Services Work.