This project cost will cover:
Workshop materials, staff and travel costs for several activities within the Kunnanurra Youth Health Program for 12 months. These activities include:
- Glam Girls; an educational and recreational group run for female youth focusing on issues of self esteem, positive decision making and health and well-being
- Nylang Kids Media Project; providing media training opportunities for young people to raise awareness of issues facing them in their communities.
- Engaging Young men: music and art workshops for young men in response to the lack of alternatives to sports programs
Why is this project needed?
By comparison to their non-Indigenous counterparts, Indigenous children are almost three times as likely to die before their first birthday, two-thirds will not finish secondary school and on average they will die 20 years earlier than the wider Australian population.
These are the challenges facing young people today in the East Kimberly region, many of whom do not have safe environments in which to live and learn essential life-skills and find meaningful work.
Without education, recreation or employment, many become both economically and socially marginalised, and engage in ‘at risk’ behaviours including substance abuse and violence. Many are at increased risk for negative health outcomes; sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy, renal failure and diabetes.
Education that builds young people’s motivation and the ability to make positive life choices, is seen as a key component in creating a better long term health outcome.
Project aims / objectives
Save the Children’s Youth at Risk Program provides informal mentoring and training activities for young people aged 12-19 in Kununurra and surrounding communities.
The program focuses on three key elements to increase positive health outcomes for local youth through improved self esteem and motivation;
- increasing community engagement and social support,
- developing and delivering a program of youth led activities
- creating opportunities for skills development.
“If the Youth Development Program stopped today the young people of Kununurra wouldn’t have opportunities to be heard” – project participant
