Giving troubled youth fresh start in life
INDIGENOUS elders believe a cultural camp being piloted just outside Townsville could not only guide youth criminals on to a better life path but solve Queensland’s remand issue.
The Yinda program received $ 500,000 in funding from the State Government last year with a vision of taking youth back to country.
Six boys are on the pilot camp at Braden Downs in Woodstock, to get away from the trouble of the streets, be put to work, learn life skills and their history.
Elder Wayne Parker came up with the idea 11 years ago and never gave up on making it a reality.
With his son Joshua, nephew Nigel and fellow elder Rusty Baker, Wayne mentors the youth, all of whom have a criminal background, for six weeks.
“We are giving the young people some opportunities in life,” Mr Parker said. “There’s just not enough engagement and activities around culture for the youth involved in crime.
“It goes back a long, long way with young people getting in trouble … today there’s a lot of wrong things for them to do instead of right things, positive things for them in life and the reason why a lot of them haven’t got support is because their homes are broken.”
Mr Parker said if the camp proved successful he would like to see similar programs across the state.
He said if such a camp was embraced by the justice system it could provide an alternative for youth criminals in custody on remand.
“As far as I’m concerned, as an elder from this community, it’s a need and a want and a must for every community,” he said. “If we had a camp like this everywhere the amount of kids in our Cleveland Youth Detention Centre would be halved.”
Queensland has the worst remand rate in the country and 81 per cent of the inmates in Cleveland last year were held while awaiting court proceedings.
Forty- three per cent of those youth were released immediately after sentencing.
Earlier this year Youth, Child Safety and Women Min- ister Di Farmer said there were young people on remand in detention centres who should be released on bail but they had nowhere suitable to go.
Mr Parker believes these camps could fill that gap.
Joshua Parker is a mentor who works with the youth. He camps alongside them, relates to the boys and shows them there are better things in life than crime.
“The boys are mustering,
WE ARE GIVING THE YOUNG PEOPLE SOME OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE. WAYNE PARKER
they have been working with cattle, loading road trains,” he said. “Out here they away from the big city lights.
“They are out here in the country getting the attention they need and getting them back to their grassroots.
“They get into a routine and structure while still we instil life skills and culture.”
Mr Baker said his role was to talk to the boys about indigenous history and ways to live off the land. The camp is voluntary and within the first week almost half the participants throw in the towel, but the remaining boys say they see the value in what they are doing and are keen to stick it out.
“I’ve found it interesting and it’s something new for me,” participant Jason said.
“It’s something positive and we’ve learned about culture and nature.”