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Yarning with the Aunties

An Elders Program

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Overview

• Sunning Hill School is located inside Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre

• Traditional owners are Durag People • Only centre for young female offenders in

NSW• Maximum enrolment is 36

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Cohort overview

• 100% female• History of fractured school attendance• Difficulty with formal education• High levels of suspension• Lack of appropriate educational options• Low socio-economic circumstances• Mental health issues• 40%-60% Aboriginal Students

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Cohort overview (cont)

• Age range 12-18 years( committing the crime)• Average age is 16 years• Centre capacity is 46• Stays vary according to the offence• Education ability varies – average reading age

10.0 and mathematics ability is stage 3

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Aboriginal Representation

• Aboriginal juvenile incarceration continues to rise

• Nationally Aboriginal young people = 54% of young people incarcerated

• On an average night 1 in every 217 Aboriginal young people would be in detention

• 91% of young people in detention are Aboriginal males

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Mission

• Increase the potential of students to return to the community

• Create positive learning experiences• Cater for the diverse needs of students• Rigorous and varied curriculum• Quality education outcomes within a secure and

safe learning environment• Recognition of efforts and celebration of

achievements

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Courses available

• BOS• VET• OTEN• TAFE• TVET• Australian Children’s Music Foundation• Aboriginal mentoring • Pacific Island mentoring

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Why did we develop the program?

• 40%- 60% Indigenous cohort• Disconnect from the community

• Disconnect from culture and histories• Disconnect from education

• Society has low expectations of their capacity to contribute to the community

• Disempowerment

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Aunty Carol

• Play Video

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What was the aim of the program?

• Cultural expression• Mentoring• Reconnection • Engagement

• Write a children’s book

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Who was the target group?

• Initially all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students

• All students enrolled in Sunning Hill School

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Links to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Education Action Plan

2010-2014• Affirmation of the right to sustain ATSI

Languages and Cultures• To accelerate improvements in educational

outcomes of ATSI children and young people• To work in partnership with families and

communities to support the education of ATSI children

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Links to the School Plan

• “To enhance the capacity of Aboriginal parents, families and community members to actively engage and participate in the education and training process and to close the achievement gap in education and training for Aboriginal students”.

• Reconnection and engagement

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Training

• All teaching staff trained in the “8 Ways of Aboriginal Learning”(story telling,community links, land links, symbols and images) • Professional Development of the Elders

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Implementation

• Introduced the Aunties to the morning literacy/numeracy session

• Monthly hairdressing program• Monthly lunch for the students and the

Aunties

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Review

• What worked ?• What didn’t work?

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New Direction

• Review the timetable• Introduce Aboriginal Studies for all students• Continue the Hairdressing opportunities• Move the location of the lunch

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Aboriginal Studies

• Speak, listen, read, write, view and represent the Aunties own stories

• Use language and communicate appropriately and effectively

• Think in ways that are imaginative and creative• Express themselves and their relationships with

others and the world• Learn and reflect on their learning through

building a rapport with the Aunties

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Lesson Plans

• Photography(digital and hard copy)

• Develop timelines• Yarn about factors that

contribute to identity• Create “Close the Gap-

Aboriginal Health Day” event• Create a map of the Aunties’

environments• Draw detailed aspects of

daily life using

• Create a jewellery memory

• Yarn about totems and images to be used in the children’s book

• Use the Aunties photos to develop collages

• Write the stories• Work with TAFE IT Teacher

to put all completed images in a digital format

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Yarning with The Aunties

• Book finally arrives back from the printers• We Celebrate • But

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The book is not a children’s book!!!We have more to do

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The Journey Continues

• Consolidation of all the information and stories

• The layout of the children’s book developed by the students

• Drawing of the Aunties’ memories• Finally the book is off to the printers!!• Now we are finished

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Outcomes

• “The Aunties Remember” a children’s book• “Yarning with the Aunties” a story of the

journey• A strong sense of pride in Identity for all

students• Engagement in school and the programs

offered

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Reflection of the Aunties

• Play Video