Sharing Web Resources

Changing Demographics and Diversity

If people can count on change as one constant in life, they can also count on people’s migrations to find better places to prosper with their families. Being a hybrid first generation product of a Spanish mother and a French father, my sensitivity and insights on the topic have developed over the years in search of a better understanding of people’s relationships with each other. This week I chose to focus on Australia and learn about their struggles with demographics and diversity.

First, I consulted the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) website to see what they had to offer regarding diversity. I scrolled down to Position Statements and clicked on “A statement of regret and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families”. This is an ECA remarkable acknowledgement that, prior to invasion by ‘peoples from other places’, Australia was inhabited by native people, “Early Childhood Australia (ECA) acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original inhabitants of Australia and recognizes their culture as part of the cultural heritage of all Australians”. I also appreciate ECA’s reference to the UN Human Rights and the Australian “Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act” signed in 1986 and laying the ground work for upcoming issues.

So far, Australia shared similar history traits with the USA, namely invading an already occupied space. Wondering if this twin country/continent also shared immigration concerns and following this week’s assignment guidelines, I scrolled farther down and clicked on “Voice Newsletter”, the ECA newsletter. To my surprise, the president’s message in the last quarterly issue of 2001 addressed the need for the EC field to take good care of young children from asylum seekers families. This headline took me aback since I was not aware of peoples’ movements from Asia to Australia and Malaysia. According to the Guardian (2011) “More than 6,200 asylum seekers arrived in Australia by boat last year. Most were from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and Iraq, and used Malaysia or Indonesia as a transit point.” Although circumstances may differ, Australia has to reflect on how to manage such an influx of people which brought unrest on Christmas Island where asylum seekers are being processed.

What surprises me about Australia is their apparent readiness to take a position in favor of children from refugees, children with differences, and working toward inclusion and every child’s well-being and the well-being of their families because the former is intricately meshed with the latter.
In 2012, the quarterly ECA Voice Newsletters continued to update the field on the progress made on behalf of “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children” and asylum seekers. In the last 2012 quarterly, the ECA re-emphasized their groundwork:
• Implement national standards and programs serving each child and recognizing that each child has their particular needs
• Collegiality
• Vision and Commitment
o A vision to energize professionals in the field and give them perspective
o A commitment to make it right by Aboriginal and Strait Islander children

In the end, Australia’s history differs greatly from the United States’ own history and comparing both countries would be ludicrous. On the other hand, one could see a comparative point in their sizes and see that the country in the southern hemisphere makes a considerable effort to provide quality early education to each child regardless of their families’ circumstances.

Resources
Early Childhood Australia (ECA)
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

ECA - Position Statements
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/position_statements/a_statement_of_regret_and_commitment_to_aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_children_and_families.html

The Guardian. News/World News/Australia. (Monday 25 July 2011 05.15 EDT).
Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/25/australia-malaysia-immigration-swap-deal