Stories

Something special happened out on Yulara Oval during NAIDOC Week this year – over 100 kungkas (young women) from 16 remote communities across the NPY Lands came together for a big, all-girl footy carnival!

It was the third year that the Kungka’s AFL 9’s event took place, a team effort by the NPY Women’s Council Youth Service creating space for confidence, connection, and young women to shine on – and off – the field.

And it wasn’t just all about footy – there was also disco, malu (kangaroo tail) cooked on the fire, crazy hair spray, face paint and all sorts of fun on the side.

For remote communities across the NPY Lands, the vast distances between communities makes the footy carnival a very special chance to come together. Kungkas travelled from right across the central and western desert regions, spanning South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory to be part of the event!

It’s good to get the kungkas out of community and to bring them together to play footy. It’s good they can all come together to play and have fun. I’m happy to see them enjoy each other’s company.

– Shalaylee Coombes, an Anangu Support Worker.

With help from AFLNT and a visit from AFLW Adelaide Crows players, the carnival was full of energy and support.

This event was made possible through collaboration with Ngaanyatjarra Council and Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Education Committee, with sponsorship from Maddocks Foundation and Igniting Change. Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia helped bring the vision to life by hosting the event at Yulara Oval.

Joyleen is the first person to graduate year 12 from Kaltukatjara (Docker River) in 10 years and she is ready to start work.

After spending two years at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth, nearly 2,000 km away from her home, Joyleen has completed her year 12 studies in what is a significant milestone for herself and her community.

Joyleen voted pizza as her favourite boarding school meal, heartfully encourages other young people to try boarding school and talks about how boarding school has opened up a whole new world.

Listen to Joyleen talk boarding school

Communities like Kaltukatjara (Docker River) face big challenges—finding teachers willing to work outbush, some schools so small that kids from Year 7 to 12 share a classroom, and funding models that just don’t fit their needs. NPY Women’s Council Boarding School Program is bridging the gap, offering students and their families the support they need to access education.

Year 12 Formal Snapshot!

Graduates of the boarding school program often flourish afer graduation having gained confidence and learning to navigate both urban environments and the wider non-Aboriginal culture. Although boarding school is sometimes not the first choice for families, for some it is the only path to continue their education and pursue tertiary studies.

Find out more about our Youth Service

In year 8 my family and I made a decision for me to move from Imanpa and stay with family members in Alice Springs to access education. It was hard but it was a good decision for me. A lot of my friends that stayed in Imanpa didn’t finish year 12, so I feel the extra support of larger schools in town really helped me.

When I finished year 12 I started the Iwara traineeship with NPYWC. Lulu took really helped me through the course. Lulu had completed the Iwara program the year before and was now helping new people learn about different work options and get some work experience and confidence.

When a position came up with the NPYWC in boarding school program I was really interested. I went through an application process and now I help other young people from Imanpa, Docker River, Pukatja, Mutitjulu and Amata interested in attending boarding school. I help their families learn about boarding school options across Australia and help them with forms and make sure they are ready and have things they need for school.

My job has allowed me to really grow; I have worked on a evaluation of the boarding school project and have been lucky enough to advocate for young people by attending WIPCE (World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education) in Adelaide and also meet with the Prime Minister on the current Alice Springs Youth issues.

School has helped to give me a really good opportunity in life and now I get to help other people access an education they would like, too.

Read more about Anangu youth and their dreams, hopes and hardships

Read about the Youth Service

Crossing language and cultural barriers can be challenging when you are looking for work.

Meet Keisha, Alicia, Cynthia, Anne-Marie, Delicia and Shalaylee . They are our latest recruits to the NPYWC Iwara Program. Iwara is the Pitjantjatjara word describing pathway, and in this context a pathway to employment. From Kaltukatjara (Docker River) and Imanpa, the girls all went through a formal application process to join the program. This made sure everyone was dedicated, showed initiative and had a heap of determination.

Iwara is an 8 week intensive program based both in Alice Springs and out bush that helps young school leavers from the remote NPY lands get ready for real work in their communities and beyond. The program looks at:Employers expectations

• Administration skills
• Confidence and communication
• Experience in the workplace
• Experience running activities

Its challenging & pushes you out of your comfort zone… Iwara aims to help young people get confident and build skills for jobs that may exist in their home communities.

Iwara is in its second year after a really successful debut seeing all graduates of the program begin work their own communities.

Iwara has a strong sport and recreation focus with young participants running sports activities with young people.

An Iwara guys group will be starting soon!

Find out more about the NPYWC Youth Service

The fight for two-way learning

The world recognises that Anangu have rights to learn in in their first language, and the right to govern the education systems that their children and young people access. Our Directors and Members work tirelessly for a more culturally relevant curriculum, more Anangu teachers and seek input into how schools recruit in their communities.

“Education is the key. Young people can become leaders and teach other people. Young people need to respect the culture and ensure two-way learning. We need to keep two ways culture, don’t let it go because of education, you’ve got to still have your culture."
- Daisy Ward

It is vital that young people learn in their first language and that they can grow strong in both cultures.

Access to education is a human right: It is recognised in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – Article 26 – Everyone has the right to education and parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. It is clear also, in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that Indigenous peoples have the:

• Rights to establish and control their educational systems and institutions
• Right to access an education in their own culture and provided in their own language

^{Director, Maureen Baker, Director, Rene Kulitja & NPYWC Youth Service Manager, Christine Williamson at the AITSL Conference in Canberra}

Anangu understand the importance of this declaration and the benefits it has to children and young people. Most importantly, it recognises the right to education in their own language, a right that was experienced by many senior Anangu in the NPY region during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

We are seeking a just and fair education system that supports their children and young people to grow up strong, to determine for themselves their pathway to a future that is filled with opportunity both in mainstream Australian society, and in Anangu society. We seek choice and support for keeping two-way learning strong.

We need more Anangu qualified teachers and make sure Anangu participate meaningfully in recruitment and appraisals of principals in their own communities.

^{Directors Rene Kulitja & Nyunmiti Burton in Canberra}

We are working hard to actualise these priorities and rights. This includes working with the following partners:

• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to review and recommend standards for ‘Indigenous cultural competency in the teaching workforce: National Dialogue’.
• Department of Education, Skills and Employment to advocate for the above identified priorities and increased resourcing for boarding school support and place based initiatives designed and implemented by Aboriginal organisations and communities.
• Indigenous Education and Boarding Australia – advocating boarding school students needs and provide recommendations on standards for boarding school that support Anangu students while away from their families
• NPY Empowered Communities Secretariat (NPY EC) – working with NPY EC to identify transition from school to work pathways and better data sharing
• Ngaanyatjarra Lands Schools – working with the schools to promote attendance and support student’s well-being.
• Recent submission into the ‘Parliamentary Inquiry into Education in Remote and Complex Environments 2019 – 2020’.
• Partnering with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) to co-design an education and employment strategy for NPY Women’s Council.

Learn more about the NPYWC Youth Service

The words that still ring true for a youth service that emerged to fight to save young people from petrol sniffing

These petrol sniffers are our own flesh and blood, yet we have lost them all to petrol…They will live their lives in wheelchairs with acquired brain injuries. But for the new recruits, we are hoping that with Opal there will be no new recruits to petrol sniffing” Janet Inyika

Petrol sniffing brought a plague of brain injuries, violence and often death to remote NPY communities. Petrol sniffing destroyed families and devastated communities.

Almost from the beginning, NPYWC’s members sought help to combat this insidious and destructive habit, which seemed at the time beyond the control of families.

They became increasingly desperate to stop a practice killing and disabling their children and grandchildren. Government responses were sometimes piecemeal and short-term, seeking solutions from communities that they were incapable of providing.

NPYWC started a Youth Service in Kaltjiti (Fregon), APY lands in 1999 as a response to the petrol sniffing crisis. Members and Directors of NPY Women’s Council stood beside the service and fought tirelessly to have this epidemic dealt with. Leading the fight was NPYWC member Janet Inyika also known as Miss Never Give Up.

_{Janet Inyika– a fierce opponent of petrol sniffing}

NPYWC, alongside CAYLUS and Voyages Resort (Yulara) formed the Opal Alliance in 2005. This lobbying body worked urgently to advocate for the roll out of Opal fuel, a low aromatic substitute with no intoxicating effect.

By the end of 2005 Opal fuel was rolled out in Yulara, some nearby communities and roadhouses (a few of whom were reluctant to take it up). By 2006, the Opal Alliance had lobbied Minister Abbott who agreed to subsidise the roll out of Opal into Alice Springs. By 2009, 120 communities and commercial outlets right across the NPY lands, from Kalgoorlie to Alice Springs had swapped to Opal fuel.

Find out more about the Youth Service

NPYWC Directors Nyunmiti Burton, Rene Kulitja & Maureen Baker have all worked within the education system, Nyunmiti is a qualified teacher. The Directors have a very clear idea on important initiatives to increase Anangu engagement with the school system.

The National Dialogue 21 Conference, presented by the Australian Institute for Teaching & School Leadership (ATSL) – was designed to set out standards to improve Indigenous cultural competency in the Australian teaching workforce. Hear what our Directors had to say:

_{Maureen, Rene, Christine & Nyunmiti at the National Dialogue 21 Conference}

Anangu Teachers

Anangu need to be given the chance to lead the classroom. It is not enough to have Anangu in support roles. Anangu teachers are a vital piece of the puzzle in supporting students across language and cultural barriers, understanding the strengths and capacities of individual children. They stand as respected and known members of the child’s community. They know, and can teach bilingual learning.

Curriculum and learning styles

Curriculum needs to be contextually relevant. Providing opportunity for children and young people to learn on country and in the classroom. “Our kids need to learn in their first language and then in English. Then they will be good in Pitjantjatjara and English. Then they can live well in both worlds”, Nyunmiti Burton.

Community Engagement

Key community members want to influence the recruitment and appraisal of key staff such as principals and teachers. They can also care for and educate teachers in the ways of Anangu culture, history and respectful ways to connect with the community, which have a direct benefit for the children and young people.

“Our old people already paved the way forward. When we support Anangu children and young people, everyone benefits”. Rene Kulitja.

_{Images: courtesy of Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership}

Find out about the NPYWC Youth Service

Youth Camps are in big demand from both young people and adults in remote communities. The camps connect people with land, culture and new skills. Recently, a young mans camp was run at a site near the Umutju road. This road was a major migration track for thousands of years across the Peterman Ranges running near important waterholes and sites.

Ranger Visit

The Mutitjulu Community Rangers are Anangu that work for Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. They carry out seasonal land and fire management activities, patch burning, fauna surveys and park facilities maintenance. The Rangers took the guys out to a special site that needed caring for. A nearby waterhole clogged by years of dirt was causing local animals to perish in great numbers. The guys worked hard at cleaning out the waterhole and were also taught how to burn buffel grass safely.

Dan the Underdog

Musician, Dan the Underdog spent the evenings with the guys working on some tracks– listen here to one of their recorded tracks. A beautiful love song! https://qrco.de/bbrJvb

The camps also included men’s health, AFL clinics with NT AFL & more!

Find out more about the Youth Service

Because of the recent change in travel restrictions in SA, the families of our boarding school students were unable to attend their graduation day. Hearing the sad news, their teachers at Djarragun College, chipped in for a stretch hummer and the students arrived at their senior formal in style!! Students from the NPYWC Youth Boarding School program showed great determination to graduate & flourish in 2020.

_{Evelyn Marshall & Nadia Lewis from Amata graduating from Djarragun College QLD}

Evelyn Marshall and Nadia Lewis were among 12 students from the NPYWC Youth Service’s Boarding School program that worked through a series of challenges to make it through the 2020 school year. Evelyn and Nadia spent the whole of term 2 working from home in Amata.

Whilst 2020 has been a challenging year for many students, the NPYWC Boarding School Program has been supporting boarding school students keep up with studies in their home communities across the NPY lands by providing laptops, finding good working spaces and keeping students connected through WIFI data. (Laptops financed by Uluru Rent funds).

Nadia Lewis

As well as receiving her Certificate of Completion for year 12 at Djarragun College, Nadia received the Principal’s Distinguished Endeavour Achievement Award, acknowledging her achievement in winning the Australian Heart Foundation’s T-shirt Design Competition for NAIDOC week (below).

Nadia says she would like to either work in aged care, child care or possibly study at University.

^{Evelyn Marshall at graduation}

^{Congratulations also to Keith Turner (2nd left) from Pukatja, graduating from Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth}

NPY Women’s Council Youth Service’s Boarding School program is supported by Traditional Owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta Funding.

Find out about the Youth Service

The NPYWC Youth Service is about to embark on a new program, Iwara (path / track) aimed at assisting young people to gain meaningful employment in their community through the love of sport.

Iwara is a partnership with AFL NT, Softball NT, Tafe SA and CDU that will offer qualifications in Community Services and Sport & Recreation at completion.

Iwara participants will be mentored by an Anangu Employment Officer (AEPO) from the NPYWC Youth Service throughout their journey. The AEPO will also work with the trainees at the end of the program to identify ongoing work with youth programs and agencies across Central Australia.

Iwara is a 7 month program that will include three months of immersion into softball and football; trainees will learn foundational work skills related to these sports before heading back to communities and implementing their new abilities and key learnings. .

The program is a part of the NPYWC Youth Service’s broader commitment to Anangu employment and assisting Anangu to live well in both worlds.

If you know of a young person who would be an excellent fit for Iwara or want more information on the project, please contact Brett Toll at youth.asstmgr@npywc.org.au

Find out more about the Youth Service

Jail can cause great harm to children. In Australia 10 yo children can be arrested, charged and jailed. We know incarcerating children does not reduce crime, is extremely costly and increases the chances of children re-offending x3. Is there a better way? Read more about why children are in jail and what alternatives exist. NPYWC Directors ask the Australian Government to #RaiseTheAge of incarcerated children from age 10 to 14 in line with UN recommendations.

Who are the children in jail?
65% of children in jail (aged 10-13) are Aboriginal. Research shows children in jail are already struggling with a range of life situations and health issues, that have not been adequately addressed.
We know that incarcerated children are more likely to have:

• intellectual disabilities
• low levels of education
• poor mental and physical health
• engage in substance abuse
• been exposed to violence and other mistreatment
• been placed in foster care

_{NPYWC Director, Wanatjura Lewis at 10 years old (check dress)}

In Australia it costs $1579 / day per child or $539 million dollars annually to keep in youth detention (2018/19, Productivity Commission). Is there a more effective way of reducing crime and increasing children’s welfare that are cost effective?

When we invest early on in children, families and communities reap the rewards.
Investing in the welfare of children and families is good for everyone. Holistic and community based programs that work with the complex issues causing children to fall through the cracks, can prevent a children heading down the terrifying path of detention and jail.

A good start is growing preventative programs that provide support for:

• families to care for children with intellectual disabilities
• boys/young men to better understand and manage their violent behaviour, and support for families and men to deal with domestic violence
• programs like NPYWC’s Walytjapiti team that work with families to prevent children being removed from their family and culture
• appropriate resourced and culturally relevant mental health and well-being programs.

“It’s not a matter of ignoring that behaviour and doing nothing, it’s a matter of rethinking how we approach those problems in a way that’s more constructive,” University of Technology Sydney criminology professor Chris Cunneen.

NPYWC Chairperson, Yanyi Bandicha at 10 years old

“When they take young people to jail, they think oh well I will just do bad things again, I have been to jail before and I know I can go again. They will keep doing the wrong things and go back to jail then more bad things will grow in them over and over again.” Yanyi Bandicha NPYWC Chairperson.

Read more about NPYWC’s plea to raise the criminal age of children here

You can show your support by:

• signing a petition: https://www.raisetheage.org.au/#petition
• Writing to your local member
• supporting preventative programs and donate to NPYWC Youth Service or Child & Family Wellbeing Service

It is alarming that children as young as 10 can be arrested, charged and imprisoned in Australia. Every year, 600 Australian children between the ages of 10 and 13 are locked up in prison and sadly 65% of these children are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

NPY Women’s Council Directors support the #RaiseTheAge campaign and stand with other Aboriginal leaders to advocate to raise the age. NPY Women’s Council agrees that Australia’s minimum age of criminal responsibility should be raised to at least 14 years to align with the recommendation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

_{NPY Women’s Council Director, Yanyi Bandicha at 10 yo}

“They are learning and they are too young to be locked up, they have a long way to go before they know what is right or wrong and what is good for them,” – NPY Women’s Council Director, Maimie Butler

In July 2020, Australian lawmakers at the Council of Attorneys-General failed to make a decision to raise the age, deferring this to 2021. The ACT government are the first jurisdiction to agree to align its laws with the UN’s recommendation. NPY Women’s Council Directors call on the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to follow the footsteps of the ACT government and protect Australia’s next generation.

Director Yangi Yangi Fox at 10yo (left)

The 2017 Royal Commission into the Detention and Protection of Children in the Northern Territory found that a hard-line approach would not reduce crime, hence one of their key recommendations was to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Research has found that children jailed before the age of 14 are three times more likely to re-offend.

“Governments have been locking kids up for a long time, and yet youth crime is on the rise… There is plenty of evidence that supports a different approach to tackling crime,” – NPYWC Youth Service Manager, Christine Williamson

NPY Women’s Council Youth Service works within research and evidence based frameworks that acknowledge school attendance and reducing family violence are key influencers in reducing youth anti-social and criminal activity. NPY Women’s Council believes that the best place for a child is on country, with family and culture not in jail.

“They shouldn’t be locked up, they need the chance to sit with their family and learn more about what is right or wrong. If they are locked up at that age (10yrs) all they know is how to obey the security guards and live in jail, it is not right,” – NPY Women’s Council Director, Maimie Butler

Christine Williamson, Manager of NPYWC’s Youth Service, calls on Australians to “sign the petition, write to your local member, educate yourself about the issues and what works and share this with others in a way they will understand,”

Actions:

o Show your support and sign the petition: https://www.raisetheage.org.au/#petition

o Write to your local member

o Donate to NPYWC Youth Service

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

From one of Australia’s most remote and isolated communities to the bustling city, Lydia Ward and Tanella West made a brave and giant leap that has inspired them to support youth in their home community of Kiwirrkurra.

Located in the Gibson Desert, Kiwirrikurra is home to Pintubi, including the Pintubi Nine, Australia’s last family of nomadic Aboriginal people who only made contact with white settlement in 1984. Lydia Ward is the daughter of one of the Pintubi Nine.

Both Lydia and Tanella were encouraged by their family to attend boarding school. For some Anangu youth, boarding school is a good education option providing a wide range of learning and social experiences. NPYWC’s Youth Service Boarding School Program supports interested young people and their families to access boarding school programs.

Starting at boarding school was a big adjustment, Lydia’s first day at La Salle in Perth was “the scariest moment of my life”.

“When I got there I was feeling shy around them other whitefella students but then the next day they taught me to be brave and happy.” Lydia said.

Lydia’s favourite school subjects were religion and sports. Tanella loved maths and history. Boarding allowed Lydia & Tanella to explore and understand the city, go to movies, hang out at the beach and meet new people. Favourite boarding house meals were chicken curry and chicken and rice!

Last year, Lydia completed year 12 at La Salle College in Perth. Completing year 12 is a massive achievement for remote community students who may have to overcome significant cultural and language barriers to engage with the school system. The NPYWC Boarding School program supports students in their journey ensuring they are equipped practically and emotionally to engage with their new school setting.

On returning back home to Kiwirrkurra, both Tanella and Lydia approached the NPYWC Youth Service about a job. Both are now employed by NPYWC as Anangu Support Workers helping to run programs that encourage the development of young people in their community.

“Because we are local, we understand our community- our culture and language …. this helps with the kids….we have also been in their shoes and grown up just like them so that is something that makes our relationship with the kids strong already.”

“Working together is really good, we respect each other, we talk to each other if there is a problem and sort it out together….”.

Find out more about the Youth Service

We wish everyone heading back to school in the NPY Lands a good year!

Last week hundreds of young people from the NPY Lands started back at school.

For some, it was a whole new adventure!!

Around 20 students from Pukutja (Ernabella), Amata and Kaltukatjara (Docker River) are travelling to begin boarding school over coming weeks.

NPYWC’s Boarding School Program supports young people in the NPY Lands to access secondary education with the aim of providing diverse educational opportunities and experiences outside a community setting.

In July 2018, NPYWC Youth Service began a pilot project to support young people and their families who were interested in attending school outside their community. So far they have supported 23 young people and have 43 more on the waiting list. The Youth Service has previously supported students as a part of their general activities and this program builds on that work.

Stephanie Burgess from the NPYWC Youth Service Boarding School Program says

there is genuine demand from families to deliver a program that provides an opportunity for young people to have the choice to further their education at a Boarding school.

The program offers people choices around their education. It helps young people and their families think about what kinds of educational experiences they want. It also links families with scholarship providers and schools, and supports the application process.

The students are supported in getting ready for their new experience, learning independent life skills. They may need help with setting up a bank account, accessing Abstudy, money management, clothes shopping and working out travel arrangements.

The program also makes sure the students are well settled in to their new school and have lots of ongoing support from their family and friends.

The Youth Service hopes to be able to offer this program to all NPY communities in the future.

Find out more about the Youth Service

Tax Deductible

See the 2019 summer holiday program.

NPY Women’s Council Youth Service supports the development of young people in the NPY Lands where more than half the population are 24 years or under.

In most remote communities there are no access to services such as libraries, cinemas or extracurricular activities that young people in cities take for granted.

The NPYWC Youth Service offers fun, safe, culturally relevant activities that support the development of young people and their communities.

This summer NPYWC Youth Service has lined up some great holiday programs in 13 remote communities across the NPY Lands.

Activities include: hair styling, cook ups, bike fixing, movie nights and bush trips.

Find out more about the Youth Service.

See the holiday program.

NPYWC Youth Service supported 11 young people from Irruntju, Amata and Pukatja to attend and experience Adelaide University. For some, this was their first time in an aeroplane and a capital city.

The Youth Service acknowledges the value and potential of further education and employment pathways for remote Aboriginal youth and aims to make this an ongoing opportunity.

NPYWC’s Youth Program currently conducts a boarding school program targeting students aged 12- 16 to enrol, participate and complete education in boarding schools. The program provides education and information about secondary school options and support students practical travel needs as well as emotional support during their time at school.

In partnership with the University of Adelaide, the youth were able to see what a University is, what it is like to study there and what learning options you can undertake. The Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education Unit at the University introduced the youth to the different faculties and presented lessons in science, physics, engineering and the arts, encouraging everyone to get involved.

Read more about NPY Women’s Council Youth Service