Opportunities and hope
‘Opportunities and hope’ relate to the futures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. It is the hope for all our children and young people to realise their full potential and create their own futures. It is the various programs, supports, traineeships and other post-schooling programs that provide opportunities for our children to realise their potential.
Available Programs
There are many programs that are available, both those supported by communities and by the government.
These cover a wide range of areas including issues like social and emotional well-being, healing and leadership that are discussed in other sections of this resource.
These programs also cover more practical life skills, education and career paths. These programs could include school supports throughout the young one’s ‘academic’ life, as well as scholarships for university or TAFE.
There are also several programs that exist for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who would rather not go to university or TAFE, preferring to do something else, such as a traineeship.
This section seeks to link you to some of these opportunities to support the child or young person in your care to access supports available to help them to set and to realise their own goals.
We encourage carers to support young people to speak to their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career advisor or local contact or services.
NATIONAL BASED SCHOLARSHIPS AND PROGRAMS
View All
STATE BASED SCHOLARSHIPS & OPPORTUNITIES
NSW
VIC
TAS
QLD
WA
Do you know of some more programs that we could share here? Please let us know!
What is leadership?
“In almost all areas of Indigenous affairs, leadership has been identified as a priority. Leadership projects and activities encourage personal growth, enhance self-confidence and build self-esteem in individuals, which in turn enhances mental health and wellbeing and strengthens communities. Well-designed leadership initiatives can also provide hope for Indigenous peoples to work towards fulfilling dreams and aspirations, particularly so among Indigenous youth.”
(VicHealth, Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2005)
Leadership is a really important aspect for the development of our young people. Leadership can be harnessed in many different ways.
One major way to support leadership development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people is through mentoring.
Mentoring for leadership
Mentoring can assist and support youth to develop their leadership skills and other areas of their life.
The young person is ‘mentored’ by someone who offers advice, companionship and support to them. This also can foster deeper sense of culture, with Elders passing on important learnings to become strong and proud Aboriginal men and women.Mentoring programs can focus on a range of things such as, crime prevention, education, employment, social and emotional wellbeing and culture.
National and state based Leadership or Mentoring Programs
There are many leadership development programs. Here are a few for you to explore.
National
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
New South Wales
Tasmania
Queensland