Aboriginal youth programs that help young people stay safe, connected and learning
Across Australia, First Nations children and young people deserve to grow up safe, supported and connected to culture and community. Save the Children delivers practical Indigenous youth support designed to help young people navigate tough circumstances, stay engaged with education, and build pride and purpose through culture and connection.
Why Indigenous youth support matters
Many young people living in marginalised communities, particularly in Aboriginal communities, can face unsafe home environments and limited access to support. This can contribute to antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol misuse, unsafe practices and homelessness.
That’s why early intervention matters. Supporting young people early, and in ways that make sense in their lives, can help them respond to adversity, strengthen resilience and stay connected to school, culture and community.
Preventing homelessness through early intervention
Save the Children’s homelessness prevention programs are designed to help keep young people off the streets and give them the tools and skills to overcome challenges and develop into healthy and happy adults.
The approach is built around what young people say they need most: safe places to go, trusted adults to talk to, and activities that help them build skills and connection. The programs provide access to experienced youth workers and safe spaces where young people can play sports, express themselves creatively and participate in cultural activities with friends.
These programs aim to help young people to:
- respond to adversity in a positive way
- have fun with other young people
- learn essential life skills
- increase self-esteem
- stay in school
- develop safe practices
- build resilience
- understand the consequences of negative behaviour
- increase connection to culture and community
- engage with education, training and employment.
This is what practical Aboriginal youth programs look like in action: consistent support that helps young people keep moving forward.
Safe spaces and trusted adults in Western Australia
In Western Australia (WA), Save the Children supports young people (in Kununurra and Perth), including those from Aboriginal communities as well as migrant and refugee backgrounds, to stay in school, develop safe practices and build resilience to the challenges in their lives.
Life can be difficult for young people living in many marginalised communities in WA. Some experience family violence, which can lead to homelessness, antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol misuse and unsafe practices.
Kununurra: Night Patrol and youth programs
Save the Children’s Night Patrol and youth programs in Kununurra support young people on the streets, in contact with the juvenile justice system, or at risk of abuse, neglect, and physical and psychological harm. The focus is simple and practical: helping young people find a safe place to spend time, connect with friends, and access support when they need it.
Youth workers provide advice and guidance on the consequences of negative behaviour and how to make positive life choices. Programs run recreational activities after school and at night, and provide transport so young people can get to a safe place to sleep.
Perth: Reconnect
Reconnect is a homelessness prevention program that targets at-risk Aboriginal youth in Perth. The program works to improve living situations and strengthen engagement with family, work, education, training and local community.
There are also Back to Country youth leadership camps, which help empower young people to connect with their cultural identity and community. Learn more about Early Intervention and Prevention programs in Australia.
Cultural empowerment and youth leadership on the Dampier Peninsula
Another part of supporting young people is backing the leadership and strengths already in communities, especially when communities are working hard to shape their own priorities and solutions.
In the Dampier Peninsula, Community Navigators from WAAPI (the Woombooriny Amboon Angarriiya Partnership Initiative) – Rosana, Janella and Josh – are of the community and for the community. They help communities collaborate, mobilise and have a real say in creating a shared vision and strategy for moving forward together, including co-designing culturally appropriate projects with local services that target community priorities.
One example is the inaugural Youth Empowerment Camp, which brought together more than 60 young people from across the region. The camp includes activities that build connection and wellbeing in practical ways: cultural cook-offs, learning about healthy eating, even creating a hip-hop video to promote healthy skin and prevention of skin sores. There’s also a marine tour at a pearl farm and learning from elders about Country.
Josh explains the purpose:
“We’re here to empower young and up-and-coming leaders within our communities. To engage them in culture and the history of our communities. But a lot of the communities are working in silos, you could say, and bringing youth together breaks that in a way where they can connect and then share that with the communities they go back to.”
Janella describes what success looks like at the end of the week:
“We want to build their capacity to be leaders so they can speak up for what they want. We need more young voices in the community speaking up for activities programs and activities that matter to them, like sports or more camps.”
Education and wellbeing: skills for today and tomorrow
Education is also an important part of the Youth Empowerment Camp, with talks from organisations focusing on bullying, cyber safety, driver safety and being work ready for the future.
Save the Children’s role in this work is to build local capability and support community-led leadership. The program has supported the capacity of Community Navigators through coaching, mentoring and technical expertise to enable local leadership and help develop a strong, coordinated community voice for Indigenous-led, family-focused social planning.
As Dr Jess Bunning, our Senior Project Officer explains:
“Enabling local leadership on the Dampier Peninsula is empowering communities to co-design and drive culturally informed, sustainable solutions for improving children and young peoples’ outcomes.”
How you can support Aboriginal youth programs
Save the Children’s homelessness prevention programs are designed to keep young people off the streets through early intervention, diversionary activities, safe spaces and support from experienced youth workers.
Making a donation helps Save the Children continue providing homelessness prevention support for young people.
Indigenous youth support means backing the practical, local work that helps young people stay connected to culture and community, stay engaged with learning, and build the confidence and skills to shape their own futures.