A Mission Australia survey reveals the unique experiences and challenges faced by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Dominic Brookes reports.

Indigenous young people are custodians of one of the oldest living cultures in the world and future leaders of their families, communities and Country. They are strongly connected to family, community and culture, are engaged in education and have high levels of confidence in their ability to achieve their goals.

However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people face unique challenges due to Australia’s history of colonisation and its aftermath, including intergenerational trauma, racism, social exclusion and disconnection from culture and identity. These have a destructive impact on the social and emotional wellbeing and resilience of young people and ultimately can manifest in higher rates of psychological distress, self-harm and mortality.

As a report from Mission Australia shows, young ATSI people face other difficulties such as unacceptably high levels of bullying linked to racial discrimination, as well as poor mental health, homelessness and insecure housing. Far too many young ATSI people experience distress, feelnnegative about their future and are facing barriers to achieving their aspirations.

They also experience a range of personal concerns in much higher proportions than non-Indigenous young people. For example, respondents to Mission Australia’s annual Youth Survey recorded substantially higher levels of concern about domestic/family violence (16.9 percent compared with 8.6 percent), drugs (14.5 percent compared with 7.0 percent), alcohol (11.7 percent compared with 4.9 percent) and suicide (20.5 percent compared with 13.9 percent).

“While there are many positive experiences and hopes voiced by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our report, the concerns expressed really drive home that we must do more to improve the wellbeing and properly support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in need, so they can thrive,” said Mission Australia CEO, James Toomey.

Regarding wellbeing, the report found that while over half (51.4 percent) of ATSI respondents felt happy/very happy overall with their lives (compared with 61.4 percent of nonIndigenous young people), and more than half (52.1 percent) of ATSI respondents felt very positive or positive about the future (compared with 58.7 percent of non-Indigenous respondents), more than three in ten (31.7 percent) ATSI respondents indicated some form of distress (compared with 26.7 percent of nonIndigenous respondents).

Racial discrimination continues to be a source of poor mental health for Indigenous young people. Racial discrimination against young ATSI people in Australia is a complex, intersectional, intergenerational phenomenon that has been supported by a lengthy history of racist policies and practices.

Such policies and practices have resulted in social marginalisation, poverty, lack of fair access to education, employment, healthcare, human rights, housing and food security, and historic and intergenerational trauma for ATSI children and young people. As the report’s authors note: “The experience of racial discrimination is a major life stressor, which is found to have significant mental and physical effects, including intergenerational family impacts.”

Close to three in ten (29.9 percent) ATSI respondents reported that they have been bullied in the past year (compared with 20.3 percent of nonIndigenous respondents). Almost one in seven (16.8 percent) of young ATSI people identified discrimination as a personal concern (compared with 9.9 percent of non-Indigenous young people). Around a quarter also identified equity and discrimination as an important issue for Australia (24.3 percent), similar to the rate of nonIndigenous respondents (24.9 percent).

“Every young ATSI person must be protected from harm caused by bullying and racial discrimination, with a strong focus on supporting schools to enhance student knowledge, understanding and compassion about ATSI languages, cultures and histories,” said Professor Tom Calma, co-chair of the Indigenous Voice to Government advisory group.

The consequences of racial discrimination and bullying on the social determinants of the health, wellbeing and life chances of young ATSI people are serious and ongoing. “Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be protected from racial discrimination and bullying at school, at work and in their community,” write the report’s authors.

Housing and homelessness is another topic highlighted in the Mission Australia report. While the vast majority of young ATSI people who responded to the survey lived with their parents (83.3 percent) and indicated that their housing situation was adequate and stable, nearly three times the proportion of ATSI respondents indicated they have experienced a time when they had no fixed address when compared with non-Indigenous respondents (16.2 percent vs 5.9 percent). Meanwhile, more than double the proportion of young ATSI people reported a couch-surfing experience (28.9 percent compared with 12.0 percent of non-Indigenous young people).

“Our report confirms that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to face unacceptably high levels of housing instability and homelessness, which can be detrimental in a young person’s experiences of life, and their future,” said Toomey.

As the report’s authors note: “A supportive and stable home is important for young people’s physical and psychological wellbeing. When young people have early experiences of homelessness, this has both immediate and long-lasting negative impacts on their education, physical and mental health, employment and housing outcomes.”

The authors call for a range of policy and service responses to homelessness, including the development of a national plan to end homelessness, early intervention and prevention measures, effective and targeted supports for those who do enter homelessness, and an adequate supply of affordable and social housing.

Touching upon education, the report found that a large majority of young ATSI people were engaged in either full-time (83.1 percent) or part-time (5.8 percent) study. A significant minority, however, were not engaged in study at all (11.0 percent compared with 3.5 percent of non-Indigenous respondents).

“Supporting young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to remain engaged with education is a key strategy for improving educational outcomes,” write the report’s authors. “Challenges to attendance and retention can be magnified by schools’ lack of knowledge of local ATSI community cultures and histories, and their failure to develop culturally appropriate relationships with the children, young people and their families.”

As for job opportunities, the employment profile of respondents to the survey indicates that over one third of young ATSI people were employed — the majority in part-time roles. They were, however, more likely than non-Indigenous students to be not in paid employment but looking for work (43.0 percent compared with 33.8 percent).

Whether employment, education, homelessness, mental health or discrimination, “Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be central to the co-design and coimplementation of the services that they need,” said Toomey. “It’s also vital and logical that ATSI people have greater influence over the policies, programs and services that affect them.”

“Every young ATSI person must be protected from harm caused by bullying and racial discrimination, with a strong focus on supporting schools to enhance student knowledge, understanding and compassion about ATSI languages, cultures and histories,” said Professor Tom Calma, co-chair of the Indigenous Voice to Government advisory group.

The consequences of racial discrimination and bullying on the social determinants of the health, wellbeing and life chances of young ATSI people are serious and ongoing. “Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be protected from racial discrimination and bullying at school, at work and in their community,” write the report’s authors.

Recommendations include establishing programs which are driven by demand, flexible in scope, and provide intensive person-centred mentoring, while also being culturally appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Most importantly, conclude the authors: “Young people should have their voices heard and be actively involved in decisions affecting their lives.”

Professor Calma agrees and urges politicians and bureaucrats to listen to young ATSI people so as to understand their needs and concerns. Only by listening, said Calma, can “we build a better future for every young ATSI person, so they have the support, connection, stability and opportunities they need to flourish.”

• Source Mission Australia
• Read ISV magazine in full here