Gulu Ngayang Bulmba the Views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People on Growing up in Queensland 2018
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Gulu Ngayang Bulmba The views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people on growing up in Queensland 2018 Queensland Family & Child Commission ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) pays its respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples—the Traditional Custodians of the Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their cultural and spiritual connection to the lands, seas and waterways. We also pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging whose ongoing effort to protect and promote their cultures leaves a legacy for future generations. The QFCC recognises the unique and diverse cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and notes, throughout this document, the term Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders has been used to collectively describe two distinct groups of people. The QFCC thanks the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who participated in the Growing up in Queensland project. Your stories, opinions and insights are helping to make Queensland a better place for all children and young people. We also thank the parents, carers and families who gave consent for their children and young people to take part in the project. We warmly thank Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for welcoming the QFCC into their communities and supporting this important work. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are warned that there is information contained in this document which may be confronting. Gulu Ngayang Bulmba is Djabugay Language for ‘This is my home’. Djabugay is the name of the languages spoken in the Cairns region extending along the hinterland and ranges from Mt Molloy towards Atherton and along the Upper Barron River.1 The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) acknowledges and thanks the Djabugay Aboriginal Corporations (on behalf of the Djabugay Traditional Owners) for their approval to use their language in the title of our report. The QFCC recognises that Djabugay language is one of many Aboriginal languages across Queensland. We also acknowledge that language heritage and knowledge remains with the Traditional Owners, language custodians and community members of the respective language nation. 1 State Library of Queensland. (2019). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Wordlists Djabugay Everyday Words. Retrieved from www.slq.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/Djabugay%20Everyday%20Words.pdf 2 Gulu Ngayang Bulmba Queensland Family & Child Commission TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2 HOPES AND DREAMS 9 Education 11 INTRODUCTION 4 Family and healthy relationships 12 Profile of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Travel 12 Torres Strait Islander youth population 5 Caring for others 13 Profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait The future workforce 14 Islander survey and focus group participants 5 THE BIG PICTURE 15 Discrimination 16 MY COMMUNITY 6 Conflict 17 Relationships and connection 7 Physical health 18 How they spend their time 8 Mental health 18 WHERE TO FROM HERE? 19 Notes to the reader The Growing Up in Queensland survey results have been reported as whole numbers. Figures with decimal points of 0.5 and above have been rounded up to the next whole number, and figures with decimal points below 0.5 have been rounded down. The Growing Up in Queensland results have been analysed for five regional areas – South East Queensland, Central Queensland, South West Queensland, North Queensland and Far North Queensland. While there were some differences on certain topics, findings were generally consistent across regions. Children and young people participated in this project voluntarily, including choosing whether to provide demographic information. Therefore, the number of children and young people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may be higher than reported. The views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people on growing up in Queensland 2018 3 INTRODUCTION This report presents the thoughts, views and opinions of approximately 480 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people2 on what it is like growing up in Queensland. In 2018, the Queensland Family and Child Commission The findings in this report capture the views of children (QFCC) delivered the Growing up in Queensland project to and young people who participated in the online survey capture the opinions of Queensland children and young and focus groups. When participating in the written people on the things that matter the most to them. postcard responses and artwork activities children and young people were not asked to identify their culture and The following high-level themes were explored: therefore caution should be taken when reading postcard • My community – how children and young people responses or viewing artwork images in this report as experience life in their community, including assumptions have been made. relationships with friends, family, safety, support and the places they spend their time The overall findings of the consultations • Hopes and dreams – the hopes and dreams, career highlighted two key messages: aspirations, supports and potential barriers affecting children and young people 1. Children and young people are passionate about participating in conversations that • The big picture – issues that worry children and affect on their lives; and young people and their ideas for solutions 2. Children and young people value face-to-face We collected data from children and young people, aged connections with people. between 4 and 18 years, using the following qualitative and quantitative methods: • an online survey (13–18 years) • school-based focus groups (7–18 years) • youth group focus groups (13–18 years) • written postcard responses to individual questions (7–18 years) • a teacher and librarian led artwork activity (4–6 years). 2 The online survey was completed by 189 children and young people who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. This report also presents focus group data from 295 children and young people, where at least 69 per cent of participants identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, however Indigeneity was not a mandatory question and is likely to be underrepresented. 4 Gulu Ngayang Bulmba Queensland21% Family & Child Commission Far North Profile of Queensland’s Aboriginal and QLD 15% Torres Strait Islander youth population North QLD According to the 2016 Census of Population and Housing data, 81,957 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 0–18 years live in Queensland. This 3 represents seven per cent of Queensland’s youth population. 14% In 2016, 51 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in Queensland Central were male and 49 per cent were female. The map (right) breaks down where QLD Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland live.4 32% South East 14% QLD South West QLD Profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survey and focus group participants Online survey Over 4900 children and young people across Queensland participated in an online survey through the Queensland Government’s Youth eHub. 58% female 75% Aboriginal Torres Strait 28% male 11% Islander identified as 6% non-binary both Aboriginal and Torres Strait 14% Islander School-based and youth group focus groups Across Queensland 102 focus groups, involving 1541 children and young people, were conducted to gain insights into how they experience their communities and what they want to help them realise their hopes and dreams. All comments by children and young people in focus groups were made anonymously and therefore it is not possible to attribute individual responses to a participants’ cultural identification. The results presented in this report are from 21 focus groups, conducted in schools and youth groups, involving 295 children and young people, where most participants (69 per cent) identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. These focus groups were conducted in rural and remote locations including Badu Island, Cairns, Cooktown, Hope Vale, Horn Island, Mossman, Mt Isa, Thursday Island, Townsville, Wondai, Woree and Woorabinda. Focus groups focus groups 40% female 21 (n=295) school-based 58% male 15 focus groups (n=230) identified as 2% non-binary youth-group focus 6 groups (n=65) 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/2016 4 Regional breakdown is based on the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships regions, with South East Queensland north and south combined. Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. (2017). Regional centres. Retrieved from https://www.datsip.qld.gov.au/resources/datsima/people- communities/regional-contacts/qld-regional-map.pdf The views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people on growing up in Queensland 2018 5 My Community Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people told us what life is like growing up in their communities. The best things about our We think our community is: community are: • a place which creates a sense of • connection to people, community, togetherness and belonging country and culture • important to our cultural identity • connectedness of family • a place where you can learn to country your language • spending time with family • where everyone can live in safety • being a tribe • people who care for