Coolgardie Safe Hub
We are working with community members, Elders, police and young people to advocate for a Safe Community Hub next door to the Coolgardie Police Station. The hub will provide a place for young people to go when there is trouble at home and will double as a centre for Indigenous programs. See our pitch film for more information.
Indigenous Mental Health First Aid
The Nutha Way team and a number of participants from Coolgardie participated in a 2-day Indigenous Mental Health First Aid training. The course was facilitated by Rosalie Kickett. During the workshop, the girls from Coolgardie worked on a mural that illustrates aspects of mental health. Their artwork depicts their understanding and experiences of anxiety, depression, suicide, psychosis, alcohol and community care.
Learning to Drive
Without support, it is near impossible for young people in Coolgardie to achieve their Drivers’ License because the driver training program is 45km away. A partnership has been developed with local police and community organisation Life Without Barriers to register three girls in a driver training program. This has been facilitated by Indigenous Leadership Coordinator Jazmyn Yavu-Kama who has provided support for collation of ID, completing paperwork and learning the rules of the road.
Stepping Up
‘Stepping up’ is a colloquial term used within the Nutha Way project to describe the incidental leadership opportunities embedded in the program. Stepping up to actively participate in planning the camps, cooking dinner, making films, shopping, talking to the media etc., ensures the program is youth-led and that it facilitates active citizenship. Building in skills-development through every aspect of the program grows self-confidence and self-determination.
Strengthening Relationships with Police and Community
One of the program’s initial objectives was to decrease the incidents of interactions young people had with the police. Through close consultation with kids, we’ve realised that what we actually need is increased constructive interaction with police. Building strong relationships between police and young people facilitates constructive communities. Ultimately, the police are there to help young people, but they can only do this when they have built the social capital to successfully engage with them.
Creative Expression
Creativity is a great vehicle for expression. Some issues can be difficult to talk about but we have learnt from experience that they can be easier to express artistically. Ensuring there are multiple avenues for creative expression.
Making Films
One of the performance indicators for the program is to create a series of short films. We’ve discovered the best way to do this is to hand the camera over to young people. The more we do this, the more comfortable they are to tell their stories. Involving young people at every stage is building skills and confidence, and creating organic and safe spaces for them to open up.
