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Aboriginal Practice Officer, Kuyan, shares his story and how his lived experience helps him to support young Aboriginal men in Youth Justice.
Visit the Youth Justice pathway to learn more about the role.
(Video begins with title, uplifting music and footage of Kuyan talking to a group of young Aboriginal men in Youth Justice.)
Kuyan: I'm a Wiradjuri Ngunnawal man on my mother's side, a Bundjai man on my father's side. I grew up in Cowra in Central West New South Wales.
(Cowra signge is shown with text ‘Welcome to town of COWRA’)
I moved up to Sydney my teenaged years. But I've always had a strong connection to where I'm from.
(Aboriginal flag is shown and pans to Aboriginal artwork)
It's really important to me that the boys here that we work with can have that same sense of connection.
(Young Aboriginal men are shown in a yarning circle, with one man hitting two boomerangs against each other)
My cultural identity, my family, where I'm from, is really important, and I try and build that with the boys here as well.
(Cowra corroboree shown with Aboriginal man placing ochre on Aboriginal kids)
There is that focus on the wholistic care of the boys. It's learning about our culture here and where we're from.
(Smoking ceremony and yarning circle shown).
It'll hopefully bring positive change to set themselves up on the outside to be independent Aboriginal men.
(Kuyan and his Aboriginal male colleague smile to camera)
(animated NSW government logo appears and music ends)
Please note that at DCJ we commonly use the word "Aboriginal", recognising that Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants of NSW, the part of Australia we are responsible for. We acknowledge and respect that Torres Strait Islander people are among the First Nations of Australia and that both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are an important part of our staff and the communities we work with.
27 Jul 2023