Charles Sturt University academic Dr Ryan Al-Natour, who presented on the differences between encouraging students towards anti-racism and simply "not being racist"

"For me, anti-racism teaching should not be about proving we're not all racist when that's the focus it ends up being a feel-good exercise," Dr Al-Natour said.

"How often do you hear someone say 'I'm not a racist' before launching into a racist tirade of some kind."

For the past several years, director of the Junee RSL Memorial Preschool, Rebecca Hart has been implementing strategies to actively increase her students' exposure to Wiradjuri culture.

It is her hope that the preschool can create a generation of culturally aware young people.

Through state government funding of the Ninganah No More program at the school, the young students have even begun learning the language.

"By exposing young kids to other cultures you're opening their minds to inclusion and acceptance," Ms Hart said.

"It's vital all kids learn about the culture of the land they're living on, and for us, that means the Wiradjuri people.

"We want a society of nice humans so we have to shape that in their early experiences. There's a chance at the beginning [of their education] to be influential and create open minds."

The idea that children are taught racism, and are born inherently 'not racist', is something Dr Al-Natour challenges.

Instead of wondering whether children are taught intolerance, Dr Al-Natour argues that children must be taught to identify prejudices so that they may become anti-racist.

"We see differences but it's important to teach children to see racism so that they can challenge it," he said.

An 'anti-racist' attitude, Dr Al-Natour said, will celebrate differences while "striving to be curious and understanding."

"To understand racism, you have to first know what it looks like and what shape it takes in the community," he said.

Through the first-hand experience with children in the classroom, Ms Hart has come to agree with Dr Al-Natour's premise.

"Children are the product of their environment, they do see differences but it doesn't mean anything to them yet," she said.

"They accept it at face value. So if they're given positive knowledge and awareness of how to be sensitive about their differences then they can accept there are differences and there are similarities.

"They are accepting of difference but they have to be encouraged toward understanding."

For the past 15 years, Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler has helped schools and preschools in building cultural awareness in their staff and students.

"We need more Wiradjuri and Aboriginal people to assist teachers with better understanding our history, that is a history that is still continuing," Mr Saddler said.

"We need people to be asking respectful questions and if these students can ask the questions we can share what we know as much as we can."

Acknowledging that any knowledge-base must first come from a culture's elders, Mr Saddler describes himself as a "conduit" between the Wiradjuri elders and the classroom environment.

"One of the areas that Aboriginal people don't engage in much is schools, and it's because we've been hurt there before, but we need to bring together both [cultures] by making it an inviting place," he said.

Communicating face-to-face, Mr Saddler said, is the first step to engaging understanding and is just as important in young people as it is in the adult population.

"The main reason why I believe preschool and primary school children need and understanding of Wiradjuri culture, why I think it should be installed in the curriculum, is because everyone lives on this land which is Wiradjuri land," he said.

"The Wiradjuri don't own the land, we belong to it.

"We're all in this together, so we have to work together to protect this country we live on."