Address to the 3rd Committee of the United Nations

Orginal speech delivered by Benson Saulo on the 4th Oct 2011.

Mr. Chair and fellow delegates,

I am delighted to address the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly as the Australian Youth Ambassador. As the world’s gaze is fixed on the impact that young people continue to have on societies around the globe, it is a privilege to represent the optimistic views and aspirations of Australian Youth.

My journey from growing up in the country town of Tamworth, New South Wales, attending a government school, to standing before you on the world stage as the first Aboriginal Australian to be appointed as Youth Ambassador is a testament to the opportunities available in Australia, an Australia that invests in human potential, an Australia that supports individual growth and community development.

I represent a generation that strongly believes that our future is not defined by borders or boundaries, race or religion but by our sense of responsibility to each other, an inherent sense of a global community which is premised on relationships and accountability.

Mr. Chair,

In May this year I began my National Engagement Tour, a tour that is undertaken to gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting young people at a local, national and international level. I themed my tour ‘Towards a Unified Australia’. It was inspired by a 2010 speech by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, in which he discussed the steps taken, and journey still to go, for Australia to become a reconciled nation.

I have had the amazing opportunity to travel throughout Australia, over 38,000kms across our diverse and ancient landscape, visiting every State and Territory. I engaged over 10,000 people face-to-face and through social media. This opportunity continues to impact me not only as the Youth Ambassador but as a young Australian.

I have witnessed the challenges that continue to face families and young people living with disabilities, their teachers’ real concern for their student’s transition into further education and supported work, their family’s ongoing struggle for affordable carers. I have felt the weight of hopelessness in our most fragile communities, struggling with the intergenerational impacts of drugs, alcohol and cultural degradation. I have heard the concerns of the widening social gaps between generations and the growing trend of looking inward rather than looking outward.

While these concerns are very real, I am also filled with a sense of hope and optimism in the progress being made to address these issues. Knowledge that our commitment to our community still exists and our commitment to promote an equal and inclusive society is the core aspiration of enthusiastic and audacious young Australians.

Over the past 6 months I have had a particular focus on health, education, human rights and Indigenous affairs. My journey has provided an insight into each of these areas and has also highlighted the underlying common thread binding these areas; Education.

I am proud to say that the youth of Australia and the Australian government share a common vision, which is reflected in the commitments laid out in our National Strategy for Young Australians: “That all young people grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient, and have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work and engage in community life, and influence decisions that affect them.”

In the recent ‘Listen to Children’ report produced by the Australian Child Rights Taskforce, a coalition of 100 organizations, including UNICEF working with over 750 young people, identified that;

“There are specific groups of children who are not always afforded the same educational opportunities as other students, denying capacity to fulfill their potential. These groups include: Aboriginal children, children from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds and children with disabilities.”

Mr. Chair,

Education is the basis for the development of our future leaders, leaders in business, leaders in innovation and ultimately leaders in our society. We as a nation believe to truly build capacity and equip, not only these identified groups but wider society, with the tools to fulfill their potential – we must rethink education; we must rethink its delivery and its role in the development and engagement of young people.

It is with this conviction that we have taken positive steps to support diverse learning styles including formal, informal, alternative and bilingual modes of education because we believe in the vital importance of engaging all of our multicultural, multifaceted communities.

Beyond our shores, Australia is focused on supporting education programs throughout Asia, the pacific and the world. In Indonesia, Australia is helping to build over 4000 schools, enabling 650,000 children from the poorest families to receive a decent education. In Pakistan we are supporting the enrollment of 46,000 girls in rural primary schools. Enabling young people with disabilities to have access to education is a large component of the support Australia provides within the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia provides support for the transition from primary to secondary school for children with hearing impairment and intellectual disabilities in Samoa and we are supporting the Papua New Guinean Department of Education to produce disability inclusive infrastructure guidelines for schools.

Mr. Chair,

I am a firm believer that instilling a sense of social responsibility begins with the individual through exposure to and awareness of social issues. This awareness is also being supported through the rapid expansion of access to the internet and social media – empowering all generations to be connected and engaged in domestic and international dialogue, sharing and change.

My vision for the future of society lies in the fundamental belief that I am my brothers’ keeper; I am my sisters’ keeper. Understanding, that the lack of meaningful consultation at a grass-roots level prior to implementing unprecedented measures affecting these same communities; has an impact on all of our voices, in all of our communities. That 8 million displaced young people due to conflict, famine and environmental emergencies; has an impact on all of our abilities to ensure a secure future for humanity.

These are the impacts that we as a nation, we as a global community, must realize are not diminished by geographical and cultural divide because in a world that is becoming ever more technologically interconnected, as a global citizen, I believe, so to must our way of thinking.

Mr. Chair,

I support the Australian Child Rights Taskforce recommendation to establish an independent National Children’s Commissioner. A Commissioner with the key responsibility of: establishing the strategic direction for youth based policy development and monitoring the extent to which Australian children are realizing their rights under the United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of the Child which Australia ratified in 1991.

The creation of National Children Commissioners, not only in Australia but abroad, would be an important step for youth throughout the world, to ensure that their voices are heard and respected and to ensure that youth services are adequately resourced, implemented and supported through strong governmental frameworks.

Mr. Chair,

While there are many challenges and obstacles that face young people in Australia, and indeed globally, the sense of optimism in the future is evident. It is the young boy in the small town of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, who wants to become a police officer so he can keep his community safe, it is the Noongah language teachers from Bunbury, Western Australia who believe culture is as relevant in our society today as ever, it is the vision shared by the young African refugee in Darwin with her goal to study medicine in Melbourne, Victoria.

These young people bare witness to the hope burning in our nation for a bright future for all, regardless of race, religion or gender. Through a continued focus on education, social responsibility and support for young people’s voices we can and must provide the opportunities that all young people deserve and that their rights specify under the convention. I have great faith that positive change through social development is attainable in our communities, in our institutions and indeed in our generation.

Thank you.

Reflection: A six week whirlwind

I write this from New York, a city with almost as many residents as the population of Australia. A city that anything can be ordered online and delivered to your door, a city where more than 7 different languages can be heard on any street block. This is where I am based for the next 3 months at the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations as the Australian Youth Ambassador. I will be working on the 3rd Committee of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Since May this year I have been working up to this point. It seems that since High School I have been working up to this point – growing up in Tamworth, living, studying and working in Sydney before making a move to Melbourne which changed my perspective, goals and direction in life.

It truly is a once in a life time opportunity. Firstly to travel over 38,000kms from the east to the west coast of Australia meeting some of the most incredible, inspiring young people. Secondly, to address the United Nations General Assembly, representing Australian youth, what we as young people are passionate about and what issues on a local, national and international level impact us.

Over the past 6 weeks there hasn’t been much time for reflection and evaluation but I would like to share some of my thoughts of this whirlwind adventure I have been on, particularly over these past 6 weeks. Quietly listening to Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu I think I also need to digest what these weeks have brought to my life.

To give you a quick overview; since May I have only been in Melbourne for 9 days so I took the opportunity following the National Sister Cities Conference in Toowoomba to head home. I remained living out of my suitcase because it is a lot easier to pick-up and go when you need too. Its not that easy saying goodbye to partner ofcourse, particularly one that you never see but is always so supportive. I left for Sydney where I stayed 6 days, attended various meetings, including attending an Ifta Dinner – it is the feast to break Ramadan. I shared this dinner with a wonderful Turkish family and their friends as part of Affinity Interfaith Dialogue. A wonderful organisation that believe strongly that while we may come from different places and have different beliefs we can still share, learn and inspire each other. A special night that I will remember for a long time.

Before I knew it, I was on a plane ready for a 19hr flight from Sydney, via Dubai to Zurich, Switzerland where I attended One Young World. A conference that attracted over 1300 Delegates from over 150 Nations that supported discussions and debates on Global Business, Sustainable Development, the Environment, Leadership and Health. Out of the 300 applications I was lucky enough to be one of the six speakers chosen to speak on Leadership. It was a great moment but not my highlight. The highlight wasn’t the amazing speaker sessions or celebrities, although Sir Bob Geldof and Mr Desmond Tutu both took my breath away – picture old friends who love what they do, are both very wise and yet love to have a laugh, particularly at each other – this was them in their opening addresses.

My highlight was the conversations between sessions, the discussions over dinner and friendly handshakes followed by debates on global issues which often were followed by another handshake, swapping of business cards, a laugh and another Facebook friend. These moments stood out because you were talking to real people, people from various backgrounds, people driven by their own experiences, by their struggle for change in their nations, driven by a thirst for knowledge, understanding and global friendship.

At this conference, there were tears in the room, there were shouts of ecstatic young people and there were moments of piecing silence. Almost every emotion a person can feel in a lifetime was felt in 4days surrounded by newly found friends.

I returned to Sydney for 5nights – 2 were sleepless due to jet-lag, another was a wedding and dinner with my family, including my mother who made the trip from Dareton, NSW to see me off to New York. I arrived in NYC after another 18hr flight on the 12th Sept. 2011.

Since being in New York, I have had the amazing opportunity to meet our Foreign Minister Mr Rudd, Mr Quinlan the Australian Ambassador the the United Nations, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Tonga as well as Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Tonga, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. Infact, tomorrow morning I have a meeting with Minister Peter Garrett, Australian Minister for Youth (and rock star!).

A journey that began in May has become a lifestyle. A lifestyle of travel, living out of a suitcase and sleeping on couches, but also a lifestyle that inspires me on a daily basis, supports me when I’m jet-lagged or exhausted and a lifestyle that allows me to view the world differently and with greater empathy, understanding and awareness.

I addressed the 3rd Committee on the 3rd October 2011. In my address I had a particular focus on education, social responsibility and young peoples voices. Three vital areas in the ongoing development of society particularly a socially minded society. One that is equipped with the tools to address existing social issues particularly unemployment, food crisis and food security, environmental impacts and the ongoing financial and economic pressures especially in developing nations.

Over the coming weeks I will be working on a number of United Nations Resolutions addressing Financial and Economic crisis impact on youth, youth with disables and Indigenous issues. I will be working with 24 other Youth Representatives from 18 nations and together we continue to have a strong focus on youth inclusive policy and youth supportive frameworks.

Watch my address to the 3rd Committee

Watch my address to the One Young World Conference

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Watch other videos from my journey – here

Statement at the High Level Meeting on Youth

Statement delivered on the 26th July 2011 at the United Nations General Assembly – High Level Meeting on Youth

As the 2011 Australian Youth Representative it gives me great pleasure to represent the views, hopes and optimism of Australian youth in today’s discussion.

I am the first Aboriginal Australian to be appointed to the youth representative position since it began in 1999. It is not only a great honour but a wonderful reflection on the young people of Australia who promote and support an inclusive and equal society.

It has been a privilege meeting with and listening to Australia’s youth share their hopes and aspirations for the future of our nation.

I am proud to say that the youth of Australia and the Australian government share a common vision, which is reflected in the commitments laid out in our National Strategy for Young Australians:

“That all young people grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient, and have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work and engage in community life, and influence decisions that affect them.”

Our National Strategy identifies eight key priorities including Health, Education and empowering young people to have a voice and be active in their communities.

I am a firm believer that access to relevant, formal, informal and alternate education is key to address areas that continue to affect Australian youth in all areas of society from overcoming disadvantage to influencing the current and future direction of our nation.

In the recent ‘Listen to Children’ report produced by UNICEF it noted that;

“There are specific groups of children who are not always afforded the same educational opportunities as other students, denying capacity to fulfill their potential. These groups include: Aboriginal children, children from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds and children with disabilities.”

During my National Tour, I attending a school in a small remote town in Northern Territory, a part of Australia that has had particular focus on ‘Closing the Gap’ between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians within the Key Indicators of Life Expectancy, Employment and Educational outcomes. The Principal walked me around the school advising that no student has graduated high school in this town for the past seven years. As we continued, he then pointed out three young girls and one young boy, only in grade eight. He said ‘these four students have the potential to be the first in their family and community to graduate high school and break the cycle of disadvantage within this town.”

Beyond our shores, Australia is focussed on supporting education programs throughout Asia, the pacific and the world.

In Indonesia, Australia is helping to build over 4000 schools, enabling 650,000 children from the poorest families to receive a decent education. In Pakistan we are supporting the enrollment of 46,000 girls in rural primary schools. The empowerment of young girls in Laos through education is being realised with the increase of primary education completion rates from 60 per cent in 2005 to 72 per cent in 2008, with a ratio of 84 girls enrolled for every 100 boys.

Enabling young people with disabilities to have access to education is a large component of the support Australia provides within the AsiaPacific region. Australia provides support for the transition from primary to secondary school for children with hearing impairment and intellectual disabilities in Samoa. We are supporting the Papua New Guinean Department of Education to produce disability inclusive infrastructure guidelines for schools.

One of the reports key recommendations was for;

Australia to establish an independent National Children’s Commissioner with the specific tasked responsibility of: establishing the strategic direction for youth based policy development.”

This will be the next big step for Australia and will ensure young peoples voices are heard and youth services are adequately resourced and implemented. A national children’s commissioner  will also complement the youth peak bodies and youth forums currently engaging young people and advocating on their behalf.

While there are many challenges and obstacles that face young people in Australia and indeed globally, the sense of optimism in the future is evident throughout communities, thanks to the open and frank dialogue we have been engaged in over the past few days.

Thank you.

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It was a enormous honour to address the general assembly. With time restraints of 3.5mins a lot of the areas I wished to highlight weren’t possible however working with the Australian Permanent Mission the areas of focus within this statement will lead very well into my final statement at the 66th Session of the General Assembly in September.

For all nations that made a statement (over 105 registered speakers) there were only 5 representatives of youth. The other speakers were made up of Heads of State, Ministers, Ambassadors and Representatives of NGO’s.

I feel it was important to highlight the benefits of implementing an Independent National Children and Young Peoples Commission as the commissioner will not only add value to the positive areas within the youth sector and services but will identify areas that need improvement in all areas of the Youth landscape.

Education was a common theme throughout the 2day High Level Meeting. It was very promising to see that governments from around the world understood the challenges they currently face and shared ways to overcome these challenges. It was also very promising to see a large number of young people who are passionate about making positive change in their nations and the world.

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Watch the Webcast of my statement – here

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‘Australia, show leadership on the crisis of Indigenous juvenile detention’

Originally published on the 8th July 2011 on The Punch.

 

‘I’ve been in and out of here since I was 10.’ 

These are the words of a 17-year-old Indigenous boy incarcerated in a juvenile detention centre in Perth Western Australia. He was one of ten boys participating in a 2009 United Nations youth representative consultation. Eight of these ten boys were Indigenous. Sadly this overrepresentation of Indigenous children is reflected in juvenile detention facilities nation-wide.

Herein is Australia’s neglected crisis. Data in recent years shows that the overrepresentation has become so extreme that Indigenous girls and boys are 28 times more likely to be imprisoned than their non-Indigenous counterparts.  

The tragedy in this trend is that the majority of Indigenous children are imprisoned for petty, non-serious crimes. This 17-year-old boy spoke of a childhood of violence, abuse and homelessness. Eventually at age 10 he committed a petty crime out of pure desperation and was imprisoned. Seven years later imprisonment has continued to be viewed as the apparent ‘solution’ to his ongoing deprivation and subsequent repeated offending.

Despite all the adversity he had faced, this boy still had a bright spark about him. However his sense of hope was also marred by his state of limbo: he wanted to change his lifestyle, but lacked any measure of support to be able to do so.

As Australian youth representatives to the United Nations, we have heard all too often stories such as this boy’s in our work across Australia. Yet we have also been inspired by the leadership being shown by young Indigenous Australians in the community.

Given that around 60% of the Indigenous population is under the age of 25, all Indigenous people can enjoy all their rights in our generation’s lifetime, if Australians as a whole show leadership in supporting Indigenous youth.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of Australia’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This treaty sets out the binding obligations Australia has made to ensure the basic human rights of all its children and adolescents. Under articles 37 and 40, Australia has made itself bound to only arrest, detain or imprison a child as a ‘measure of last resort’ and to promote the availability of alternatives to institutional care.

To its detriment, Australia is failing to meet its obligations under these articles. Indigenous children, more than anyone, are suffering the consequences. In October this year the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the body established to monitor the Convention’s implementation, will hear from children and young people directly on how Australia can lift its game.

Child-focused non-government organisations have published a report to take to the Committee entitled ‘Listen to Children.’ This report captures the voices of imprisoned Indigenous children and through them highlights some of the underlying causes and solutions to the crisis of Indigenous juvenile detention.

In the report, an 18-year-old boy refers to the more punitive measures inflicted by police on Indigenous children: ‘they don’t treat us the same as they treat other people and it’s unfair on us.’ This sentiment is shared by many Indigenous youth around the country.

For instance, in UN youth consultations in Brisbane, 2009, Indigenous girls described police as ‘vultures, just waiting for us to do something wrong’. Similarly in Dubbo, Indigenous children spoke of the overt harassment, targeting and violence they had been subjected to by police. One child put it simply, ‘out here the police act like God’.

This ‘over-policing’ is also cited by a recently published House of Representatives’ inquiry entitled ‘Doing Time – Time for Doing’ as an issue affecting ‘the rate at which Indigenous people come into contact with the criminal justice system’. The inquiry notes that while the relations between police and Indigenous youth in some communities is positive, there are many examples where the relationship is spoilt by ‘attitudes of distrust, suspicion and fear’. 

On a fundamental level, Australia must redefine juvenile detention as a ‘last resort’ for children and redirect investment into a child rights-based approach to youth and crime; one which supports early intervention, counselling and mentoring, diversionary strategies and vocational and educational training.

These alternatives to imprisonment must be given serious attention in light of the inherent cracks in Australia’s juvenile justice system. As the Listen to Children and Doing Time reports suggest, nothing highlights these cracks more than the steady increase in the number of children imprisoned and the skyrocketing rates of recidivism, particularly amongst Indigenous youth.

The system is broken. Australia must employ and promote rehabilitative alternatives that enable, not risk the positive and constructive futures of Indigenous children.

Of course Indigenous juvenile crime is symptomatic of the need for more integrated and consultative implementation of funds for Indigenous child health and education. In this implementation, it is critical that Indigenous children themselves are participants in all decisions which affect them.

Our experiences as youth representatives have given us every hope that Australia can be a place fit for all its children. The words of a 17-year-old boy, ‘I’ve been in and out of here since I was 10,’ speak to a national crisis that will take the leadership of all Australians to solve. Together we can end that boy’s state of limbo and help him build a future.

Article by Chris Varney, Samah Hadid and Benson Saulo who have served as Australian youth representatives to the United Nations between the years 2009-2011. The Listen to Children report can be viewed at www.childrights.org.au  

Sparking Change: freedom fighters to fire starters

I have had the amazing pleasure of traveling across Australia, attending schools, youth conferences and universities engaging young people along the way. It has been a great opportunity to meet people that share the same passions, frustrations and drive as me.

On reflection of my past 3months of travel I realised it has also been the unexpected encounters that have made my journey so memorable and special.

It has been in conversations with older generations that have had the most impact on my journey, not only as the Australian Youth Representative but as a young man. Whether it be sitting around a table in Tennant Creek listening to the local police officers share their frustrations with the growing sense of institutional mentality in the communities or their ability to list 6-10 young people who have great potential but lack the direction and drive to break the strong pull of the negative cycles. Or whether it be sitting in a mens talking circle at the Native Title Conference listening to elders discuss the growing concern of the disconnection of young people with culture and feeling at a lose of how to rekindle the spark of pride in the next generations.

These are the moments that I will remember for years after my role is completed. These are the moments I’ve sat quietly listening to the tone of disappointment, waining hope and frustration spoken by people who desperately want this generation to take up the flag and fly it for the future of Australia. This frustration is real, this sense of disappointment is real.

I recently spoke at the closing address of the 2011 National Native Title Conference in Brisbane I spoke on the need for older generations to ignite the fire in young people through history, sharing struggles, victories and loses. If you understand where you come from, who you are, you have a sense of pride and worth. This is where the fire starts.

I’ve listened to old Aboriginal men and women speak of the pride they felt when they cast their vote for the first time, how they dressed up in their best and walked down to the ballot boxes as a family to finally have a say in the direction of their country. Tears surface but the warmth from their smiles express that the tears come from a place of pride and a sense of accomplishment. We marched, we fought, we waited and finally we voted.

These are the stories that offer me strength when faced with challenges and adversity. They provide me with fortitude, knowing that amongst the struggles and disappointments there is hope and the fire that drives this hope is alive and it flickers under the surface, under the social strains, under the layers of age and time.

I’ve seen and felt it time and time again. Walking into a community, a building, a conversation where the air is so thick that you feel pressure on your chest and each step is an effort. It is in these situations that the unexpected happens, you feel the warmth of the fire, see it in the eyes of someone or feel the force of their very words moving through you.

This is where the fire starts and I believe the older generations need to drive this and be that spark in our communities, breathing life into the hearts and minds of our generation, creating the understanding that the job isn’t done, progress has happened but we still have many miles to travel on this journey.

It is true that my generation has not lived through the struggles of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and our living memory is that of the NT Intervention and the 2008 Apology but this does not limit our ability to become the torchbearers for our generation and cause, this does not stop our ability to take up the flag and fly it for an equal, just and unified Australia.

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Generational Change: Overcoming Division

Over the past 10days I have had the honor of traveling the Northern Territory with four inspiring young people from the UN Youth Association of Australia. We began our journey in Alice Springs on the 15th May. All very excited to undertake, what we knew would be an amazing experience and one that would open our understandings to the issues facing young people in remote and regional communities in Northern Territory.

Our journey would take us to a number schools along the road to our final destination; Darwin. We had varying expectations of the key issues affecting youth within the various towns but through our high school consultations we hoped to gain a deeper understanding. The consultations would ultimately assist me in representing the Youth of Australia at the United Nations General Assembly in September but beyond that I hoped it would help me understand the division between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous relations in the specific areas of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Elliot, Katherine and Darwin.

From the outset it was clear that Indigenous and Non-Indigenous relations existed on a fine balance of tokenism, ignorance and out of sight out of mindedness. This became even more prevalent when visiting our first high school in Alice Springs; a private school in which we ran a whole day forum and workshops with a group of 30 students from 2 local schools. Understanding the issues that affected the youth consisted of various small workshops focusing on Local, National and International issues relating to Health, Education, National Security, Indigenous Affairs and Human Rights/Equality. Out of the 30 students there were no Indigenous students included in the groups. Under representation in the education system is a major concern of mine due to the fact that on the other end of the scale there is an over representation in the justice system not only in the NT but across Australia.

What concerned me more throughout the day was hearing the young students views on Indigenous and Non-Indigenous relations and the issues that they felt has consumed their community.

Over the past 5years I have been pushing for an inclusive society and promoting Indigenous relations within the corporate world as a representative from the Indigenous community working in Sydney and Melbourne head offices of a major bank, often as the only Indigenous person and often as the youngest person in the offices. Promoting a young, inspired generation of Indigenous youth who want positive change in attitudes and perceptions of the First Australians. These beliefs of positive change were to be challenged over the 10 days and my message of the exciting change young people can have in Australia’s future has taken a new focus of informing, discussing and biting my tongue on a number of views held by students and young leaders of schools.

Alcohol, violence and discrimination became the key themes across the Northern Territory, whether it was Alice Springs to Katherine, young people identified that these issues affected them directly by not feeling safe in their homes, concerned that friends and family might get caught in the cycle and the idea that the issues were to large to overcome.

Our role as representatives of the UN Youth Association of Australia was to facilitate these conversations and inspire the young groups to identify possible solutions in overcoming these areas of society disfunction. I am proud that we as a group encouraged free speech without limiting views or opinions on the various topics.

It is said that you are not born prejudice, it is a learned behavior. On the reverse of this, understanding, appreciation and empathy must also be learned behaviors. My concern is where are these lessons both positive and negative being taught and whose role is it to teach the socially acceptable lessons of understanding and appreciation?

Unfortunately the views of a large number of students were both ill-informed and socially bias against Indigenous Australians. Is this an individual or student problem? I don’t believe so. This is a short fall in the education of young people on Indigenous culture, history and government policy past and present.

We had a young student say the Stolen Generation would have worked if it was implemented properly, another suggested that black people should have their own school and be moved out of the towns. While these are deeply offensive views and disappointing to be held by 15-17 year olds but I have a hard time being frustrated at these individuals. If these students were informed of the past injustices and degradation of the oldest living culture I do not believe they would share the same view. This is an educational problem, a pit fall in the teachings of Australian history, the result of failed policies and the psychological impact of generational hurt within the Indigenous communities.

If we are to overcome the division in Australian society, my recent experiences suggest it must begin with the individuals understanding of these areas of division and the underlying factors that contribute to these divisions. I believe this should be the role of the teachers, schools and universities. Overcoming division will require a Generational Change through education with a strong emphasis on cultural awareness and social impacts faced by Indigenous Australians over the past 200 years.

 

Here is the 2011 Northern Territory Regional Engagement Road Trip Report: A Road to Change

Watch my recent interview with Roni Forrest in Perth, WA – Gen-Talk Interviews

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Dialogue and Mutual Understanding

The theme of the 2011 International year of Youth is; Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. Two very important components in the discussion of acknowledgement of the contribution young people make to society. Dialogue; relating to open channels of communication, promoting cross-generational, cross-cultural discussion. Mutual Understanding; implies a level of understanding with common frames of reference within the context that is known by two parties.

Over the coming months I will be engaging in dialogue with individuals and organisations working and living in various industries with diverse backgrounds and upbringings. For this particular piece I would like to focus on the ‘Mutual Understanding’ as a component of the International theme as I believe it is a very strong point of discussion when engaging in dialogue.

My question is related to frames of reference and the context of which an understanding can be achieved.

“Some people think intellect counts; knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy.”

Dean Koontz: American novelist and New York Times Best Seller.

I believe Dean Koontz is correct in the idea that intellect has it limitations without the five components being embraced, I also feel that the key to mutual understanding is empathy. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. A powerful concept, and in some cases an unfathomable task when reflecting on experiences individuals endure over the courses of their lives.

How can you truly understand a persons experience without experiencing their life and walking in their shoes? How can we encourage cross-cultural discussion without understanding the culture?

These are very important questions when embarking on a journey of understanding but it is these questions that can become road blocks in the path of compassion and empathy, if you do not posses the courage to seek their answers. Our understanding as human beings and individuals is interrelated with our frames of reference and experience. Therefore no two people can have the exact same understanding or experience in a situation. I find this concept exciting and challenging at the same time.

Plato Quotes:

“Human behavior flows from three main sources; desire, emotion and knowledge”

If Plato is right in assuming human behavior comes from desire, emotion and knowledge then it could be considered that one way to achieve Mutual Understanding is through breaking down experience, culture and frames of reference to their basic forms in relation to desire, emotion and knowledge; both of intellect and knowledge of self.

If all human behaviors come from these three sources than these are the basis for an understanding to be formed before empathy, a key component of Mutual Understanding can truly begin.

In that case, walking a mile in another’s shoes, or understanding a persons culture isn’t imperative to form a Mutual Understanding. It is the journey which is undertaken by you to understand how these experiences and beliefs are formed.

But how do you break down experiences, culture and frames of reference without trivialising and minimising these three areas?

Dialogue. Conversation. Engaging. Listening.

This is where the theme of the International year of Youth becomes fully realised. As Dialogue begins to play the lead role over Mutual Understanding. Courage, Friendship, Love are the key components of Dialogue.

The courage to allow yourself to connect with another, be vulnerable and honest, having the strength to test your own beliefs. Friendship is based on trust and allowing yourself to form an emotional linked through sharing experiences and culture and finally love, not romantic love but rather the love for life, the love of learning, the love that goes beyond race and religion.

I recently met a young mother, aged 19 who has recently undertaken a pre-employment course to enable her the skills to begin working within the hospitality industry. I’ve never met this young woman before but I listened as she shared her story of being a proud young mother who wants to support her child and ensure he is raised knowing the importance of an education and employment.

While I listened it was clear to me that I did not have the same pressures growing up as a 19yr old or even at 23 but I could relate to the pride this young woman has for her baby and the want for him to have a stable and supportive upbringing because that was the environment I grew-up in with my family. I could understand her want to successfully complete her training and attain a job because I’ve trained and I know the feeling of obtaining that job. It was through her ability to be courageous, show that vulnerability and trust me, a stranger with her struggles and aspirations that allowed me to connect and empathise through my own reflections and experiences. This is where a Mutual Understanding is created.

Dialogue and Mutual Understand; the theme for the International Year of Youth, just the beginning of an amazing journey, of which no two are the same, so share yours.

ACTION:

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Existence, Validity, Recognition

Over the past year the term Recognition has undergone close scrutiny with the definition being pulled and prodded, twisted and turned to resemble a definition that both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians are comfortable to discuss in open forums and eventually vote upon in the 2013 proposed Referendum.

Recognising Indigenous Australians as the first Australians is set to become next great debate on the national agenda. Acknowledged as a “Once in 50 year opportunity” by Prime Minister Julia Gilard it is with reserved optimism and nervous anticipation I, like many Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians await the 2011 government proposal and subsequent 2013 Referendum. With only 8 of the past 44 constitutional amendments being successful, it will take a movement at the ballot boxes reminiscent of the 1967 Referendum in which more than 90% of Australians voted in favor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders being recognised as Australian citizens.

I have recently had the great privilege and honor of being appointed the 2011 Australia Youth Representative to the United Nations, a great achievement not only as a representative of the diverse and optimistic youth demographic across our Nation but as the first Indigenous representative to hold this position since it began in 1999. I feel that my appointment as Australian Youth Representative is a reflection on the youth of Australia and their aspiration to promote an inclusive society.

The Youth Representative is a formal position within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I will be a fully accredited member of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly and being based in New York from September-November this year. During this time, I will represent Australian youth and provide them with a voice in presentations to UN forums, such as the General Assembly and in a meeting with senior UN leaders.

I am a strong believer that youth participation and representation in the decision making process, either directly or indirectly affecting the direction of Australia and issues relating to youth, is paramount. Engaging and empowering the voice of the growing youth population will ensure the future leaders of Australia are informed and educated in the importance of an inclusive society with effective decision-making.

Based on the 2006 Census and age population projections identified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the total population of Australia in 2011 is approximately 22,596,500 with 9.65% of the population falling between 18 and 24 years of age. In the years leading towards the 2013 proposed Referendum the Australian population is predicted to increase by 2.35% with the population of first time eligible votes increasing by 1.18%.

Promoting the importance of Recognition means acknowledging the existence and validity of a person or group. If the 2013 proposed Referendum is to have the best chance of success; the existence of the growing youth population and the validity of their input needs to be acknowledged and supported with the understanding of the importance of Recognition of the first Australians.

In today’s society the role of young people has evolved from being a silent by-stander to becoming an influential voice with calculated, articulated conviction. Whether in school, the workforce or in everyday life, young people are encouraged to have an opinion and voice their concerns. This ability to communicate and debate should not be limited to the school yards and street corners of society but encouraged to participate at all levels of public debate. Supporting this public debate will become an instrumental component to the Recognition of the first Australians. Education and awareness will become the tools in building a positive movement.

Empowering the youth of Australia with the knowledge of the past injustices and the movements to build an inclusive society will not only promote the positive contributions Indigenous Australians make in society, it will also promote an educated and informed society on Indigenous issues going forward. Supporting diverse and informed input offers differences of perspective, positive debate and outcomes. Engaging this younger generation is important to the positive growth of society, empowerment through the knowledge of a scarcely taught past.

Over the coming 2 years the understanding of Recognition of the First Australians will be tested and debated, it will lead Australia on a journey of discovery in identity and history. It will be a journey that will look to define the term Recognition and first Australians but it will be the existence and validity of the public debate involving young Australians that will ultimately lead to a successful outcome for Australia’s future.

Check out the Australian Bureau of Statistics - Australian Population Stats

Enrolled to Vote? Do it here - AEC.gov.au

Find out more about the Constitutional Recognition at ANTaR

Quick Survey: What do you consider a long time? Take Survey

Youth Representative: Just the beginning

On the 2nd April 2011, a date I will remember for a very long time, I received a phone call that would ultimately change my life and the life of other around me. For me to capture the significance of this phone call I will need to begin 5 months earlier; the end of October 2010.

Sitting at my desk with my daily coffee flicking through emails that had hit my inbox during the night and ungodly earlier hours of the morning, I came across an email from one of my Sydney networks announcing ‘applications closing soon for a 2011 United Nations Representative’. Comfortable as I was in my current role I simply deleted the email and thought nothing more of it. 20mins later my email alert popped-up on screen, this time from a Koorie network again advising ‘2011 United Nations Representative Applications closing soon’. I had a brief scan of the email ‘Consultation tour’, ‘United Nations’, ‘New York’ were the obvious standouts but again it went into my deleted items. It wasn’t until it came through my email for a freakish third time with a friendly note saying you should check this out. I decided I will apply.

For the next hour short answer drafts filled my desktop before holding my breath as I submitted my expression of interest to be considered for the 1st of three rounds of selection. Nervous but not expecting much I continued to plow through my work. Two weeks without a word, I had convinced myself it wasn’t meant to happen.

My eyes lit up one November morning. In my inbox sat an email, addressed ‘Dear Applicant’ advising my success to proceed to the long written submission component of the application. Four long answers with an in-depth plan to implements my consultation tour if I were successful. The process of addressing each answer was long and hard, I had a clear plan on how I wanted to run an engaging national tour with Australian youth but whether I could articulate the thought, consideration and sleepless hours I poured into the application, I just want sure. Just one day before the long submissions closed I, again nervous but now breathing heavy, shakily emailed my final application.

When you put your thoughts or ideas in the hands of someone else to review and critic you feel so vulnerable, especially when you don’t know who’s hands it may end up in. A number of anxious nights followed and hundreds of re-reads of my submission by this time it had become an obsession. I wanted the position, I wanted it so badly I would wake-up in the middle of the night with ideas for my consultation tour which I would write down in a notepad next to my bed, I bought a new laptop, a video camera and I began reading about building websites, famous speeches and historical events.

I was fortunate enough to have an introduction to the 2009 Australian Youth Representative, Chris Varney. Chris is an amazing person and considered one of most influential Australian Youth Representatives to the United Nations since the program began in 1999. Chris’s passion for global issues in particular the empowerment of young people and the promotion of equality in society was evident in the way he spoke and the pride he displayed when sharing his experience as the 2009 Youth Representative. I walked away from our brief but intense discussion feeling a new sense of purpose, a sense that the email I received three times in one morning was a sign that my journey was only in its early stages.

Christmas passed. No word. I love what I do, I work for a great company and a wonderful supportive team but it is only natural to feel disappointed when you’ve invested yourself into anything and you don’t get the outcome you want, this is what I was feeling, disappointment. January slowly passed.

In early February 2011 sitting with my morning coffee flicking through emails I received what felt like a jump start from a defibrillator to my chest. An email advising I had been successful making it to the Formal Interview and final stage of the application process.

Two weeks later I was sitting in front of an interview panel literally shaking (but trying to conceal it). I had prepared, I had taken all the deep breath I could but the idea that everything I had written and read hinged on the next 20mins of whether it was all worth it, I knew it was all worth it but my success was dependent on the outcome of the interview.

I could not tell you what I said in the interview, not because its top secret, I walked out blank. The questions came, I’m pretty sure I answered them and I shook their hands, smiled and left. Blank. You know when you think of a good comeback or joke but it comes to you when the moment is already passed. This is what haunted me for the next month.

March passed. I sent a follow-up email (maybe more than one…) There is a fine line between eager and annoying, I think I was the balancing act between the two. In my mind I was keen to know either way if I had been successful or not but in the mind of the person reviewing applicants I was sitting in the annoying side of the court.

Saturday, 2nd April 2011. The phone call. “Congratulations you are the 2011 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations”. An amazing wave of happiness swept over me – hard to explain but if you could imagine something that you have wanted so much for nearly half a year, you’re emotionally invested, you have allowed yourself and abilities to be judged and suddenly everything you had dedicated yourself too pays off, it all comes together in a few simple words. That is what I felt and continue to feel.

I am the first Indigenous Australian to become the Youth Representative to the United Nations an amazing honor and something I am proud of. It has now been one week in this position. I know the responsibility and expectations will be great but I also know that wonderful people like Chris, UNYA , Family and Friends will provide me with the support to achieve my goals and outcomes during my consultation tour and time at the United Nations General Assembly.

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Partnerships: not a political quick fix

On the 13th February 2008 former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addressed the Nation in a powerful and emotional acknowledgment and apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations. Apologising for the pain, suffering and the degradation of the longest living Culture through past Government and Parliamentary policies. On this day, which has gone down in the history books and the hearts of many Australians both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous, there was a sense of National pride and the almost unspoken desire to become a reconciled Nation regardless of Race, Religion or Creed.

Kevin Rudd called for a “future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility for all Australians”. Like many young Australians both Indigenous and Non- Indigenous throughout Australia, I viewed this special event with excitement and pride. Watching the events unfold on the giant screen in Martin Place, Sydney, the energy of the crowd was evident though it was silent, hanging on every word.

Whilst standing shoulder to shoulder next to a complete stranger I couldn’t help but reflect on the stories I’d heard about Charles Perkins and the 1965 Freedom Ride. The excitement and unfamiliar sense of accomplishment as they travelled throughout country NSW, exposing on a National level the inequality and divide in Australian society. Building momentum and awareness on the road to the 1967 Referendum, in which more than ninety percent of Australians voted in favor to grant Indigenous Australians the right to be recognised as Australian citizens and for the Government to introduce legislation relating to Indigenous Affairs.

33 years following the Referendum the 2000 Bridge Walk, attracting over 300,000 participants from all ages and backgrounds from politicians, Indigenous leaders, mothers and fathers, marched in the name of National Reconciliation. Another milestone for Australian society, another symbol for social inclusion and progress, yet 12 years after the momentous Bridge Walk and 3 years following the Apology Speech this sense of progress and reform at the highest level of Government is beginning to fade.

The same factors continue to plague the progress of Reconciliation in Australia; Education, Employment and Health, particularly in Remote Communities. These are factors that should not be identifiers for the divide between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians, but rather be a uniting factor in the push for social inclusion regardless of heritage.

But does the ideology of sustainable change and positive outcomes fit within the life cycle of a Government? Or is it something that should be pursued outside of the political point scoring rhetoric of the current and past Governments?

In a recent article featured in The Age, the CEO of Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation, Ms Pat Brahim highlighted this issue when interviewed on the recent article focused on Tennant Creek: Teens roam Territory streets looking for sex, alcohol and trouble as quick fix policy fails by Lindsay Murdoch (28th March 2011)

“the town’s problems a symptom of policy and program failures over many years – programs imposed by often untrained, uninformed bureaucrats living far away who seek quick fixes that suit the electoral cycles of successive territory and federal governments “

The idea of self-determination and self-governance has been marred with Indigenous people being setup to fail, through lack of infrastructure to grow success at the grass roots stage of business and short sighted Parliamentary targets set on monetary injections with no longitudinal view for building a successful community. Followed by intergenerational view of ‘nothing works’ and ‘we’ve done everything for these people’ being the ultimate fall out and hopelessness as the inherent outcome.

It is clear that before we can effectively close the gaps in Education, Employment and Health we need to remove the ability of the Federal Government to use Aboriginal Australia as an election tool and place it into the hands of a bi-partisan task-force with a 7 to 10year life span to include and pro-actively consulate with Indigenous community members to implement effective community strategies. Effective strategies in areas of:

• Alternate learning styles within the public school system
• Cross-Generational Relationships throughout society
• Health and Well-being including traditional medicines and dietary education
• Financial Literacy at school level and beyond
• Drug and Alcohol education and rehabilitation
• Attracting graduating students to remote areas to build on teaching skills
• Governance training and small business management run through Corporate and Organisations
• Land management and tourism opportunities.

These are just some of the basic and broad areas that should not continue to be controlled at a Government Level but rather on the ground with frameworks and resources in place to enable organisations to engage and promote community participation identified and supported by and through the bi-partisan task-force.

You may look at these ‘Effective Strategy Areas’ and think these ‘strategies’ exist already, organisations are out there doing these things everyday. This is true. Alternate learning styles and drug and alcohol education aren’t new ideas, these are areas with proven positive outcomes yet why does a $4 million drug centre in the APY Lands of SA go under-utilised in a community that has been identified as a community ‘at risk’ by the Federal Government.

Jonathon Nicholls from Uniting Care Wesley, in response to a SA State Government report to the Federal Government on the utilisation of the Facility, said;

“The report un-categorically says that those services don’t need a $4 million facility to operate”.

“It doesn’t need a collection of six buildings to meet the needs in remote Aboriginal communities”.

An un-targeted, short sighted, large financial injection political nightmare. A plain example of the lack of community and community based organisation consultation on the part of Government. SA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Grace Portolesi advised the decision on the centres future will be made shortly and that:

“I’d be more concerned about throwing good money after bad money in, insisting for the sake of pride that we maintain the service that does no longer resonate with community it’s seeking to service.”

Yet another service or facility wound back to save face with voters and the public, yet another Indigenous community falling into the “nothing works” category of Indigenous affairs.

It is time to move away from government controlled initiatives relating to the serious issues in Indigenous Affairs and our put faith back into our community through the long term support from a bi-partisan task-force working independently from the Government electoral cycles and working inclusive with Indigenous communities and organisations to develop and implement sustainable outcomes for Indigenous people right across Australia. This is the “future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility for all Australians” that Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke of.

• Check out the GenerationOne Website to see some positive partnerships in action!
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And like always I encourage you to reply if you agree or disagree with any of my thoughts, debates on these kinds of topics are important and I am always very open to others opinions and feed back!