Twenty young people aged 12-24 took part in the week-long program based at Taree Community Garden, aimed at connecting them with culture and purpose.
Guided by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, the young people shared Dreamtime stories, while also painting murals of the stories on the garden beds. They also participated in other cultural activities such as yarning circles and dancing.
“Through collaboration, the activities provided opportunities for young people to engage in pro-social behaviour, giving them a sense of empowerment and established a foundation that supports them to branch out into other meaningful community opportunities,” says Stacey Northam, Team Leader of CatholicCare’s Brighter Futures Program.
By providing an inclusive community space accessible to young people the program promoted healthy youth socialisation in the community, whilst connecting with culture. The programalso provided a safe soft-entry point for further links to networking, mentoring and further community engagement opportunities.
The holiday program was funded by the Office for Regional Youth Holiday Break program and NSW Government.
You can see more of the cultural activities the young people took part in by viewing PRIME7’s story: www.prime7.com.au/news/7472294-cultural-painting