COVID-19: From Job Upheaval to Opportunity

With most services into the NPY Lands greatly restricted, Anangu staff have found themselves playing a pivotal role in nurturing their communities on the ground.

The Uti Kulintjaku project is a part of the Ngangkari program and grows capacity and mental health literacy in Anangu communities. The project works with key Anangu community members and western health professionals to strengthen understanding between both groups, Anangu members then work within their communities to drive change.

When COVID-19 presented an extra need and fewer services, these leaders stepped up and began their own community initiatives. This is what happened.

Amata Men

Stanley Windy, a long term Uti Kulintjaku Watiku member, led several profound initiatives. The Uti Kulintjaku Watiku program positions Anangu men’s voice within the dialogue and sharing of ideas to prevent family violence and to strengthen young people’s wellbeing. Stanley found activities that would engage young men and used this time to talk intimately with the men. Stanley took young men out to catch and break in wild horses seen around Amata and set up music practice sessions. Stanley was able to talk to these young men through personal and empowering conversations. These conversations between leading community figures such as Stanley and young men are pivotal in creating grass roots community change.

Weekly Mental Health Meetings

A group of senior women and key members of Uti Kulintjaku based in Mutijulu began meeting weekly out bush, with support from the Central Land Council COVID-19 funding. The group is using this quiet time to consider their mental health and wellbeing and ways they can build resilience in their community.

Singing & family bush trips everywhere!
During COVID-19, all Uti Kulintjaku members reported increased singing and family trips to country as key well-being activities that have worked to build unity and alleviate distress.

The Youth Service found themselves navigating an ever changing front of COVID-19 restrictions impacting on their service delivery into remote biosecurity regions. After a week of planning and a deep breath, the Youth Service began to deliver a creative series of COVID safe programming into the NPY Lands.

The programs surprised everyone by finding a deep engagement with communities, families and youth that have not previously been involved with the program.

The new programming has seen families become very involved in supporting the delivery of activities in their homes and young people step up to the challenge of self-driving fun.

New COVID-19 safe programming has seen a more resilient program, reaching new communities, families and youth, including young people with disabilities.

Elements of the COVID programming will be continued into the future to support this engagement.

Competitions get crazy
The Youth Service created a dance and footy trick shot competition aimed at keeping youth active and driving their own activity in a safe way.

One of our Dance Competition entrants received over 56 thousand likes on his Tik Tok dance post!

Click here to see Football Trick Shot winners

Click here to see the Dance Competition winners

Activity packs in high demand

Activity packs were sent out to youth across the NPY Lands. Packs included recipes and food ingredients, art materials and hair colour, resembling some the programs that are usually run.

Due to an overwhelming response for more, the packs have continued to be sent out to NPY communities. Families not usually engaged with the Youth Service began to get involved to support their children with cooking and other activities provided. This element of engagement is what the Youth Service feels strongly about maintaining post COVID-19. The Youth programs are excited, not just to provide activities for youth but work with families to support youth activities.

Guys seek football fitness
Older youth were worried about losing their fitness for the football season. A football exercise program was translated into Pitjantjatjara, turned into a video and shared across the NPY Lands. The video was extremely well received and used.

Boarding school program

As COVID-19 began to transform how schools were conducting operations, safety plans for each boarder were devised between the Youth Boarding school program, families and schools. As boarders began to return back to community, the Boarding School Program working with agencies on the ground to find spaces for boarders to continue to learn remotely. Students were set up with spaces in community schools, art centres and offices. All students were supplied with computers and internet dongles by NPYWC and their schools.

Movie nights went virtual and viral
A Friday movie night is mainstay for many youth programs, bringing people together for an end of week treat. NPYWC Youth program wanted to keep this element of the program running. The first live stream on social media received nearly 2K views. The Youth Service then set up a partnership with ICTV to host the movie nights featuring old NPYWC footage and films from the archive.

In Kiwirrkurra, Youth Development Officers set up 5 projector screens in front of family homes to screen a movie night. Community members came out on their verandas to watch and share socially distanced time with each other.

Click below to watch some of our April live-stream movie nights:

Livestream 1

Livestream 2