A group of talented young Indigenous people from remote and regional Australia is defying stereotypes under an innovative programme now being run in South Australia.

The Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme (IYMP), funded by the Australian Government and run in SA by leading community services group Mission Australia, works with targeted remote communities to address cultural and social issues that may prevent young people from moving to the city for training or work.

Among the 26 young Indigenous people currently working or training under the IYMP programme in South Australia are:

• Amanda Richards, 18, from Berri in South Australia’s Riverland who is studying to be a doctor at the University of Adelaide’s School of Medicine
• Dallas Osborne, 17, from Cunnamulla, Queensland – a flautist who is studying the Diploma of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, and
• Simon Munkara, 23, a leading footballer from Bathurst Island, north of Darwin, who has been recruited to play in the SANFL with South Adelaide and is set to start the Certificate 2 in Sport and Recreation at the ParaWest Adult Campus.

“These are young Indigenous people who are seeking to raise the bar, for themselves and their communities,” said Mission Australia’s IYMP Service Manager Leanne Smith.

Ms Smith said that making the move to leave home to undertake study or training can be very stressful for young Indigenous people from rural or remote communities.

“They face all sorts of cultural and education issues, and many suffer extreme homesickness,” she said. “Without support, many can give up and either head back home disappointed or become dislocated from their communities as well.”

Through a strong cultural base, the programme also assists the participants to develop a firm sense of belonging and pride in their culture and identity. 
“By bringing Indigenous participants from all over the country, they also get to understand how unique their own communities are, which enhances their knowledge of their own culture,” she said.

With fewer than 100 qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors operating in Australia, Amanda Richards wants to train as a paediatrician and work in an Indigenous community once she’s completed her training and studies.

“I’ve seen the effects of poor health on my family and community and I believe that good health is vital to improving the status of Indigenous people across the board,” she says.

A former Glossop High student, Amanda welcomes being involved in a programme like IYMP, to help her realise her full potential.
 
“It helps knowing that people care about what you’re doing, that you’re not getting lost in the crowd,” she said. “And they support us culturally – although we don’t want to be stereotyped, we also don’t want to be treated as though Aboriginal people don’t exist.”

Aimed both at helping young Indigenous Australians fulfil their own ambitions and at boosting critical skills in remote communities, the four year IYMP is part of a special $23.1 million training and employment programme funded by the Australian Government.

Participants aged 16-24 years are selected after extensive consultation with their families and communities and based in Adelaide for Pre-Vocational Training, New Apprenticeships, or tertiary pathways.

In association with Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) which provides shared living quarters, Mission Australia’s role is to help the participants with:

• career planning
• co-ordinating their education, training and employment opportunities
• mentoring
• tutoring support
• living skills
• language issues
• cultural activities, and
• building a community of support

“Many young Indigenous people can be very isolated in rural or remote communities and rarely get to meet up with others who have experienced academic or other success,” Ms Smith said. “So it’s fantastic for them to join a community of peers in Adelaide, where they can inspire and counsel each other, and go through the highs and lows together.”

www.missionaustralia.com.au