Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991 and focussed on the improvement of race relations between the Aboriginal and Torres Strat Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. Reconciliation requires the Australian community to recognise and respect the First Peoples of its land, to acknowledge past injustices and the ongoing inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since colonisation, and to commit to working towards a more equal and respectful future. For the past 20 years the Scotch College, Melbourne (an Independent Boys School) Indigenous Scholarship program has offered all Scotch boys the opportunity to experience and understand Australia's Indigenous culture, as part of a contemporary Australian education.

The program has three components: 1. Our commitment to offer Indigenous boys full academic and boarding scholarships; 2. the Indigenous Partnership program, which teaches Scotch boys about Indigenous culture through projects with local communities; and 3. Our longstanding partnership with Tiwi College, a school built on friendship and respect.

This session will provide an overview of these unique programs. It will also provide an overview of the capital campaign to raise the $8m required to endow the Scotch College Indigenous Scholarship program in perpetuity.