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Hi. I'm Roxanne McDonald,
and I'm descended from the Central Queensland mob.
You know, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents often experience
more stressful life events, such as serious health disability
or the death of family members, than mainstream teenagers.
They're also more likely to experience poverty and homelessness.
This makes them particularly vulnerable during the difficult and confusing years
of adolescence.
They need to be nurtured and encouraged, and in this program,
we'll be looking at three inspiring examples of projects
that have been designed to do just that,
including a football academy in Western Australia,
a drop-in centre in the Northern Territory...
..and an early intervention centre in New South Wales.
(Didgeridoos) MAN: Sounding good, boys.
In WA, Aussie Rules is having an amazing impact on the health, self-esteem
and school-retention rates of young men in Kununurra.
(Chatter)
(Whistle blows) The East Kimberley Footy Academy
is an educational, life skills program - it's not just a football program -
that operates under the umbrella of Kununurra District High School.
Let's go, boys.
Football for Indigenous boys, is almost like a religion.
There's just a really strong passion,
and these boys' self-esteem is often very low
because in the education system,
because they're so far behind, they haven't attended school,
they are consistently getting very negative messages.
Most of the guys are very skilled at football,
so all of a sudden, their self-esteem improves
because they're being told they're fantastic players,
they watch themselves on videos, they see their photos in the paper,
so that's a very important part of the program.
(Cheering) MAN: He got it.
(Wolf-whistling)
The program at Kununurra District High School
works in sort of almost two sections.
What we have is a number of what we call mainstream boys
whose attendance before Clontarf arrived was reasonable,
behaviour standards are reasonable,
there's a reasonable amount of family support.
Those guys are all members of the East Kimberley Footy Academy,
however they stay in normal mainstream classes for their education.
We also have a second section called our CALS class,
which is the Clontarf Academy Life Skills class.
This class is run for boys with less family support,
at-risk students, very low literacy and numeracy levels.
We do a lot of work-readiness, a lot of diet, healthy living
and just a whole series of life skills that we're trying to put into the boys.
When they're ready... What's it like?
Have a look at the vegies. Lift 'em off. Beautiful!
Fridays we work on cooking a meal. We all cook a meal up.
So, they're cooking a roast dinner.
We had 'em peeling the spuds and all the basic sort of stuff,
washing their hands, learning the basic skills of hygiene,
the whole idea of preparation, the whole idea of then serving it
and serving it in a systematic way, then the clean-up, the wash-up.
So, the modelling overall... the approach I've taken for many years
is trying to use ordinary activities and to make them a vehicle
for that broader educational journey.
So, whether it be playing a game of footy -
and you gotta learn to turn up, to train, to work as a team -
and that applies if you're running a house.
What are we gonna eat Monday night, guys? What food? Someone said chops.
You know, what is your personal responsibility in the house?
What's the collective responsibility of the members of a home?
And what are the skills you need to be an effective father?
The Clontarf program's had a huge impact on the school.
One of its most noticeable impacts has been the return of students
to school who've had a history of either non-attendance or very poor attendance.
One case in particular, a student last year with an attendance profile of 37%
attendance across the year, to date this year,
that child's attendance is in the vicinity of between 85 and 90%.
Retaining the male Indigenous students within the school is significant
in that it provides us with an opportunity to sustain their attendance
and to actually get them to complete school with some prospect
of completing Year 12 at a vocational or at a university-type level.
If you're just gonna, you know, let it roll over the line,
it's gonna happen in a game, and that's what we don't want, guys.
DAVID FRANCIS: The program is run by a number of male mentors.
Now, in most of these boys' lives, there are no significant males -
they're just non-existent -
and it's probably one of the things that they lack the most,
so they're being surrounded by males
from the time they get to school to the time they leave.
There's a lot of my staff on weekends actually take kids out fishing
and, um... completely separate to the program.
Another one here, Alan. Need barking again.
My job is giving support to the kids that we work with -
the Indigenous kids in the community -
to get 'em back at school and to give 'em that support
when they do come to school as well.
You guys all going to Halls Creek next week?
With the artefacts program, I do three periods
where we come out and make boomerangs, shields, spears, coolamons,
and once we've finished with 'em, we go into town
and sell 'em to the local artefact shops.
So, you don't have to be a good footballer.
There's a lot of other things we do besides football.
Once they're at school, they find out that it is a good place to be,
and using football to get 'em here seems to be working at the moment.
(Chatter)
DAVID FRANCIS: You finish off that cereal, boys, in those boxes,
then we can open some more new ones.
A really important part of the Clontarf program is breakfast.
The majority of the boys that come in, especially the CALS boys,
have no breakfast and many of those guys would have had no dinner as well.
Fresh peaches this morning.
So, they really come to rely on the food that we do provide.
We use fruit and cereal, and it helps
with concentration for the boys throughout the day.
It's all part of the healthy-living story that we spread.
(Chatter, whistle blows)
The impact of the program, um... has been significant,
so there's been massive improvement in behaviour standards
and significant improvements in attendance.
The full impact of the program won't be seen for probably another three years,
because the graduation rates of Indigenous boys
at Kununurra District High School had been very low. Um...
One and zero are the normal sort of numbers.
MAN: Into your threes now. Go and grab a footy each.
We would like in four, five years time to have to be finding every year
jobs for maybe 15-20-25 Indigenous graduates from school.
One of the best ways to support adolescents is to encourage them
to communicate, to talk not only with their peer group,
but also with people they respect in their community.
And we need to learn to listen to them when they talk about themselves,
their hopes and their worries.
In Palmerston near Darwin,
there's a deadly example of the benefits of peer support
and having a special place to hang out together.
We try and cater to needs of youth aged between 10 and 20 -
Indigenous youth.
I see a lot of boredom around Palmerston, and from that boredom,
issues like drug and alcohol abuse, violence.
I reckon that all of the issues are mainly caused by boredom
and other family issues as well.
(Chatter)
I think that because of the input that we've had from youth around Palmerston,
that we've made it a safe place that they can just come and not feel shame,
and this is their zone - it's not about adults telling 'em what to do.
They gotta know, 'Ah, yeah, we're gonna look after this stuff
'cause it's here for us.'
We're developing relationships with those young people
in a positive environment and leading by example,
which is what we want of our youth workers.
So, the people in this area relate to them very well.
Kerrina is a strong young female and Peter is a strong young male.
We do drop-in, so that's Kerrina and I - we both run that.
Available in here is the counselling service to Indigenous young people only.
Most of the kids that we target are disengaged young people,
but we get various from schools, kids that work
and that's just part of the job, I suppose -
going out and picking up the kids, and making sure they all get here safely
and that we can just have 'em all there ready to go.
Yeah, this is a great school. This is where a lot of our kids come from.
I used to run around with all the rough heads,
and a lot of the boys that I come in contact with,
are all little brothers of the bigger brothers that I used to run with,
so they all know us and, yeah, the respect's there
and you gotta give it first, you know?
I used to run amok. I used to do the same things that they do
and I understand, but a lot of them have a reason why they do it.
We had somebody come in and talk about our rights - a lawyer.
They're crying out for help
and we're just trying to help 'em as much as we can.
Well, first of all, I would like to say welcome to you all.
Thanks heaps for comin'.
We hope that you'll stay with the program.
Today is the first session of our Sisters - Young Women's program.
A lot of the things that we do are based on what young people want in this area.
What do we want? (Laughter)
The first session, we'll be sitting down with those young women
and looking at the sorts of things that they're interested in
and trying to structure the rest of the program around that.
- Hair and beauty, hair and beauty. - Yeah.
(Girls laugh)
(Indistinct chatter)
We'll be looking at health, we'll be looking at legal stuff,
topics around domestic violence,
education and training opportunities,
confidence and self-esteem.
First aid - you need that some places in case you want to get a job
and it's always handy.
Our rights - so we know in case we get pulled over by police or something
and they ask you questions, you know what to say.
Financial advice - so you know how to budget, how to save
and teach you how to apply for a loan.
(Laughs) That's awesome, I love it!
- Is that it? - Yeah, that's it.
Awesome. Thanks very much, Joelene. Well done.
(Clapping)
And we'll also do some fun activities as well.
Anyone seen how pandanus mats and baskets were made before?
Anyone seen the process? Alright.
So what normally happens is that it's stripped in half
and then you use this part to make the basket.
But at the start, we'll just start making bracelets, eh?
If you don't want to do it now, you can take some home,
take a pack and then practise.
GIRL: The reason why we came, because it was boring at home
and we came here to check it out and have fun, yeah.
And it is pretty good, so we'll probably come back, yeah.
I enjoyed it today.
♪ TECHNO
A lot of things revolve around music -
DJing, rapping, dancing at discos.
They want to organise discos so that
there's something to do on a Friday night or on the weekend.
We had a group that we took to Croc Fest three years in a row
and just the process of getting the young people involved to begin with,
starting rehearsals about six weeks before
and then working them through that until the night of the performance,
you just see a huge change, a transformation.
And just seeing them go from being a little bit shy, a little bit shame job,
to actually getting on stage and performing in front of 1,000 people -
there were audiences with about 1,000 people -
was pretty amazing stuff to see.
♪ Eight, nine, 89
♪ A baby was born, a baby so fine
♪ That baby was me but now I've grown
♪ I've already learned to provide my own
♪ So now I'll be living in Maldon
♪ With my parents that drive a Holden
♪ And that ain't that mad
♪ I'm so glad
♪ No, I ain't tryin' to be bad
♪ I don't wanna be on the run from the gun
♪ Yeah, that's right, son
♪ We're going to Palmerston
♪ With the rest, you know we is the best
♪ Yes, we're smart and we're taking part
♪ Know that's from my heart
♪ Hey, well, that's all I'm a-say
♪ Catch you later, eh. ♪
(Clapping)
Young girls often find it easier to express themselves
but of course we all react differently to stressful events
and young boys often respond aggressively
and get into trouble that way.
Near Griffith in New South Wales,
there's a unique early intervention program
aimed at Indigenous boys aged 12 to 15.
Tirkandi Inaburra is an early intervention centre
and it's hoping to keep Aboriginal boys out of the criminal justice system.
Tirkandi Inaburra means 'to learn to dream'
and the vision of this place is 'Boys to Men: Learning to Live their Dream.'
And, guys, we've got some really good awards from last week -
Creative Writing went to Dallas Murray.
Whoo-hoo! Well done, Dallas.
Not every boy that comes in here
has had contact with the criminal justice system but some have.
Some have been charged with minor offences
and they're not classified as repeat offenders.
But approximately 50% of children
incarcerated in juvenile justice facilities
are Aboriginal boys.
And of that 50%, 85% of those boys
go on to life in the criminal justice system as an adult.
So the main aim is to teach these boys
that there is an alternate pathway in life
because a lot of these boys have no expectations of themselves
and the ability to achieve.
We've had a very positive impact on their life.
Quite a few that have come in with a very, very low self-esteem,
probably more like an identity type problem,
you know, 'Who am I? I don't really belong here or there or...'
But after being here for a term,
a lot of them have realised who they are, I guess.
- Where's the other two? - Over there...
- Come over here now, cuz! Quick!
There's choices to be made in life, is that right?
These boys are choosing not to come over,
so are they helping themselves
in becoming boys to become men?
No, they're staying as boys.
You blokes have made a choice to come over here and do the right thing
so I give each of youse a pat in the back
that you're halfway at least there to becoming men
'cause that's what this place is about.
I told you these dances we do are important
because they're as close as what we can get back to our tribal times
for initiation. OK?
This identifies you as Aboriginal fellas,
so you need to take the opportunity now and to take it serious.
Alright, spread yourselves around and get ready for the first dance.
♪ DIDGERIDOO
(Sticks banging rhythmically)
Some of these boys, they don't really tend to abide by a lot of the rules
and I put this down to actually having no identity
and being lost to their tradition and their culture.
Now it's getting them to realise that they are of an age
where they know right from wrong
and also how important it is for them to move on
to become the men that they richly deserve to be
and they want to be.
Some come from perfectly well-balanced homes
where they might be just truanting from school.
Others come from really dysfunctional households
where they've seen and been the victim of a lot of abuse.
So they're wandering the streets, starting to get into trouble,
hanging out with older people and coming to the notice of police.
- Oh! Tell him, Uncle Dave. - You'll get it back, don't panic.
He's gonna put it on...
- No, he's not. - No, I'm not.
Some of the fellas who come here,
their literacy and numeracy levels are way down,
sometimes at stage one or two,
which is kindy up to Year 3 level.
You tell me which one is right -
'Which way will you go home?'
or 'The wicked witch cast a spell.'
ANNE-MARIEE: So what we're trying to do here
is keep them safe, for one thing,
and keep them going with programs
so they understand then that it's a better option than truanting.
Yeah, he missed a bit in there. (Speaks indistinctly)
The boys come here on a voluntary basis
and they're here from three to six months.
They engage in a program that works from seven o'clock in the morning
till ten o'clock at night
and that keeps them active and focused
and it's a whole incremental learning program
but the boys respond really well to that rigour.
It gives them trust,
trust that something is certain in their day
and they know what time they've got to get up,
they know what time they've got to go to school,
they know what time they've got to go to bed
because after all, they're boys.
These are children and they respond really well to rigour and rules.
With some of the boys here, they have no idea
of even simple things like keeping themselves clean
or doing their own washing or doing their own meals
and it's all taught to them
so by the end of the time they leave here,
they can survive.
WOMAN: We're not allowed to take the lucky drink bottle, OK?
- What don't you get about rules? - I want to put it away!
No, you're not, you're gonna put that in...
On arrival, there's a lot of bullying and there's a lot of arguing,
shoving and all the rest of it while they sort out their own pecking order.
There's a lot of boys who think the only way to be top dog
is to be the baddest, meanest person here
and that's a very difficult time for us
because there's a lot of poor behaviour.
- I hope we'll be... - No.
- You're joking me, Dora. - No.
Don't you be talking to me like that, I don't talk to you like that.
The vast majority of boys who come here have unacceptable behaviour.
BOY: Can you please give me a knife so I can...
They don't know how to respond to anger,
they don't know how to respond to being challenged
or in fact, even if they don't know how to do something,
they respond inappropriately.
TEACHER: You have a little bit of respect, Adrian...
I said, please.
Well, don't talk to me like that in the first place. OK?
Oh, open me door.
Righto, so when you flip it up and catch it, then flip it down,
let's see if you can hit it.
What Tirkandi does here is to build their self-confidence
and let them know that it's OK not to know how to do something
and everybody's got to learn.
TEACHER: OK. - Can you lead me around for a sec?
TEACHER: I'll give you a lead around.
DORA: And over the course of time,
that self-esteem and self-confidence grows
and with that, comes a behavioural change.
TEACHER: Yay. - Oh...
Very good!
If they're behaving badly but they're stopped
when they're challenged about that behaviour
and they start to modify their behaviour,
then we say they're 'deadly', we celebrate that.
If they're behaving well, then we say they're a warrior
and they get a reward for that.
Well done, Billy. Great effort, mate.
(Clapping)
And they get a prize, like a pair of jeans or a good shirt
or they get to go out to a dinner of their choice
at a place of their choice.
And if they choose to go out to a dinner 60km away, we honour that.
We build trust with them.
And once you build the trust, then they'll start changing.
Adrian, let him go, please!
Hurry, Adrian, hurry up!
We opened the doors late January 2006
and since then, we've had approximately 130 boys go through here
and we've only had 57 out of that 130 that have graduated,
so it's an honour to graduate here.
45 of those 57 are still engaged in full-time study.
And it needs to be said that these boys were chronic truants
when they came here.
We have three boys that are actually full-time employed -
we've got an apprentice carpenter,
an apprentice butcher and a shearer.
There's eight other boys who have left school and who are looking for work
and/or thinking of returning to TAFE,
so they haven't made a decision yet.
And we've got one little boy that's incarcerated and is on remand out of 57,
so I think that's a pretty significant outcome.
Whilst it might be expensive to put a child through Tirkandi Inaburra,
for a child to be incarcerated in the criminal justice system
is costing anywhere from $250,000 to $290,000 per annum
and Tirkandi Inaburra is breaking a cycle
of unemployment, incarceration, poor health -
all the things that come with being a disadvantaged Aboriginal person
in Australia today.
If they can look after themselves, if they can make better decisions,
if they can do things and behave well
that keep them out of the criminal justice system,
the likelihood of them having a better life
is significantly improved.
Oi, mine's that one there.
If we spend the money upfront on these boys,
you'll get a greater everlasting change,
a transgenerational change, in fact.
♪ My name's Jerome Doolan and I'm here to say
♪ I'm a Koori man from Miranda way
♪ I'm here at Tirkandi way out West
♪ Showing my folks that I'm the best
♪ Been here now for a while
♪ Showing my brothers all my stuff
♪ 'Cause that's the way I do it and that's the way I roll
♪ Little Doolan's gonna kick down your door
♪ Hooley dooley, hooley dooley Hooley dooley
♪ My name is John Binyear, that's my name
♪ I come from Wake and I know my game
♪ Listen everybody, it's time to get down
♪ I'm the one and only Ethan Simpson in town
♪ I walk for my squad and I'm pretty deadly
♪ So don't ever think that you'll beat me. ♪
ALL: Yah! TEACHER: Well done, boys, well done.
These are just a few examples
of programs having a positive impact on our Indigenous adolescents.
Education, culture and community support
are all key factors in helping our youth develop pride and resilience,
so they can be really strong and deadly.
Now if you'd like more information, please visit our website.
♪ Strong and deadly, you ain't gonna stop me
♪ Strong and deadly, you ain't gonna beat me
♪ Strong and deadly, you ain't gonna stop me
♪ Strong and deadly, you ain't gonna beat me
♪ Deadly
♪ Dead-deadly
♪ Deadly
♪ Dead-deadly
♪ One beat here, another beat there
♪ Real cool beats, we don't swear
♪ One beat here, another beat there
♪ Real cool beats, we don't swear
♪ We are deadly, real proud men
♪ We are deadly, real proud men
♪ Deadly
♪ Deadly
♪ Dead-deadly. ♪
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