Yuuingan Yari Young Mens Program
by Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Support Officer, Mr Kelsey Doyle
Yuuingan Yari, meaning Friends talk in Yuggera Language is what was decided would be the name of our student collective in 2022 as that’s what we strived to create. A community where the boys can connect with each other and share their experience of being a young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander man. Fast forward to 2024 and we decided that we needed to expand our offerings of support to ensure that students were leaving the College with a plan and the skills to be successful in their endeavours.
With that in mind, we reached out to the following community partners:
- SCIPS – Ms Christine Rynne
- CareerTrackers staff Ms Ann-Maree Long and Ms Jorja Bell
- College staff Ms Megan Huber, Mr Danny O’Sullivan and Ms Amy Dyer
- Community elder Aunty Ravina Waldren
The day, facilitated by Mr Michael Kearney, was spent dreaming about the ideal program and after these consultations, we sought feedback from parents to ensure we were meeting their expectations in forming the Yuuingan Yari Young Mens Program.
This program isn’t just a program that looks at forming pathways for students into the workforce, it is a program that looks to support their social and emotional wellbeing. Australian Human Rights Commission (2024) tells us that First Nations students often face systemic barriers that hinder their academic achievement, such as underfunded schools, a lack of culturally relevant curriculum and experiences of racism and discrimination within the school environment. These educational challenges contribute to lower retention and graduation rates among First Nations students which leads to flow on effects including workforce equity, socio-economic disadvantage and housing.
As a College, we recognise that for First Nations students and their families, their cultural identities are often challenged by western ideologies and they have either lost contact or have limited access to their ancestral lands. We are working to create an environment with a wholistic and strength based approach to education that promotes strong social, emotional and cultural wellbeing for First Nations students. Through forming stronger connections to culture and community, we are building individual and collective identities that promote empowerment, pride and strong identities. This leads to our commitment and goal of forming a strong sense of self that students will carry through their education and post-schooling life. In order to form a sense of whole, we must ensure that students are connected to body, mind, family, community, culture, country and spirit.
The College takes great pride in being able to support not only the students within the College, but also their families. We also acknowledge the diversity within our First Nations students and that we, as an institution, have the ability and the responsibility as a community to continue the support as a part of the College’s reconciliation journey.
When looking specifically at the Pathways component to the program, we aim to highlight to students a clear journey from their school education into higher education and/or meaningful employment. Each student from Years 9 - 12 will receive additional targeted mentoring that will look to highlight areas for improvement through goal setting as well as highlighting areas within their cultural journey that they would like to explore.
Through support of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Officer, students will engage with community organisations and educational institutions, both vocational and tertiary, to commence early conversations and allow students to understand the educational requirements for their chosen career pathways, inclusive of work experience in their field.
Above all else, the goal has always been to create a safe space for First Nations students to be confident and engaged learners who are engaged with their culture; to create a space for them to share their stories, to learn from each other through their shared experiences of being Lauries men.
As we implement this program, continual reflection on where we have been and where we are going will occur, ensuring that the student’s voices and needs remain at the forefront of what we do.