Doordarnbee Muggy Jarjums: Growing Up Strong Jarjums

Doordarnbee Muggy Jarjums: Growing Up Strong Jarjums is a book for Aboriginal parents and family workers on the Far North Coast. It gives simple advice about raising children aged 0-5 years to help them have a good start to a healthy life.

The book offers basic child development information in a simple format and incorporates the Bundjalung language and Yaegl dialect, as well as culturally appropriate games .

Aboriginal parents and family workers asked for information about what jarjums (children) did at different ages and the book provides a break down of how children develop from new born to three months, then to nine months, 18 months, two and a half years, three and a half years and five years.

It also provides a vocabulary list of body parts in Bundjalung, Yaegl and English, as well as a series of songs including Burbi (koala) Song, which incorporates tribal language terms. This helps the children maintain an identity with their Aboriginal language and culture.

The NSW Government’s Aboriginal Child, Youth and Family Strategy, which focuses on improving the wellbeing of Aboriginal communities, funded the publication. The NSW Department of Community Services has worked with other government agencies and Aboriginal communities to implement the strategy.

After the success of Growing Up Strong Jarjums two new boks have been published for the New England area and Sydney's Inner West

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For further information

Contact	:	Communities Division
Address	:	DoCS, Locked Bag 28, ASHFIELD NSW 1800
Phone	:	02 9716 2846
Email	:	webkeeper@communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au

WWW

:

http://www.familiesfirst.nsw.gov.au/public/s42_strategy_FF/strategies.aspx?id=3