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Speaker 1: But look, we you speak a lot, I suppose about

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Speaker 1: some of the issues that we've got around the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: When it comes to youth crime, we speak about don

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Speaker 1: Dale and there is actually a good news story at

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Speaker 1: the moment a new vocational education and training program which

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Speaker 1: is developing skills and creating job opportunities for young people

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Speaker 1: who are at don Dale Youth Detention Center. Now joining

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Speaker 1: me on the line to tell us a little bit

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Speaker 1: more about the program and what it means for some

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Speaker 1: of those kids is Jess McIvor. And we've also got

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Speaker 1: Matt Watson, who's the principal of the Top End at

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Speaker 1: School of Flexible Learning. Good morning to you both. Good

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Speaker 1: morning Katie, thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, Jess,

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Speaker 1: I might go to you first, tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about what this program is.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, So currently at the moment, we are running

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Speaker 2: a Certificate one in agrifood operations. So this qualification is

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Speaker 2: sort of like an entry level qualification aimed at young

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Speaker 2: people wanting to enter into the agriculture sectors horticulture, conservational

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Speaker 2: land management even can move into other trade based vocations

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Speaker 2: such as construction, landscaping. So the program really focuses on

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Speaker 2: giving young people those space skills that are needed to

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Speaker 2: go out and get employment. So they learn about what

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Speaker 2: the workplace is like, and how to maintain the workplace

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Speaker 2: and how to operate safely in the workplace. And then

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Speaker 2: we give them basic skills in around agriculture, so learning

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Speaker 2: how to use and maintain small machinery, support gardening works

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Speaker 2: for establishing in landscaping gardens, and also the other basic

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Speaker 2: skills you need at work, so teamwork, communication, work readiness,

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Speaker 2: and also look at other things that you might need

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Speaker 2: at the workplace as well.

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Speaker 1: And Jess, how are you finding You know that the

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Speaker 1: young people are out that are out there at don Dale,

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Speaker 1: how are they receiving this program? Are they going and

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Speaker 1: finding it useful?

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Speaker 2: Yes, So the young people at the center, there is

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Speaker 2: an extensive waylist to get into the program. The boys

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Speaker 2: and girls really enjoy the program because it's outside and

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Speaker 2: it hands on learning. And when we focus the program

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Speaker 2: around the strength and the ability that the young people

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Speaker 2: already have in the program, and working outside and connecting

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Speaker 2: to country and land is also really important for our

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Speaker 2: young people while they're in detention. So when they're outside

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Speaker 2: working with each other as teams doing some positive building things,

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Speaker 2: so they actually get to see their finished products and

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Speaker 2: the pride that they take with that is amazing.

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Speaker 1: You know, we sort of talk a lot about, you know,

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Speaker 1: about the negatives I guess when it comes to youth

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Speaker 1: crime and some of the young people that would be

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Speaker 1: out there at don Dale. But how beneficial is it

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Speaker 1: as well then when it comes to rehabilitating kids for

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Speaker 1: them to be able to do a program like this, Yeah.

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Speaker 2: It's really important that young people in tanking have opportunities

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Speaker 2: upskills themselves while they're intertention so that when they're released

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Speaker 2: they have the opportunity to move into employment and put

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Speaker 2: them on a level playing field with other people out

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Speaker 2: there who are applying for jobs when they go back

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Speaker 2: to the community. And a big thing around our vocational

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Speaker 2: education in John Dale is the self esteem, so knowing

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Speaker 2: that they're worthy and that they're capable of getting jobs

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Speaker 2: and that they do have the skills and the abilities

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Speaker 2: to work.

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Speaker 1: And as I understand it, there is it's being delivered

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Speaker 1: as well by well who's actually delivering it. I know

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Speaker 1: that you're the coordinator, Jess, the pathways coordinator, but I

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Speaker 1: understand that there is an Indigenous leader that's delivering the

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Speaker 1: program as well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so the certificate one in adur Food Operations is

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Speaker 2: delivered by the Department of Education through their registered training

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Speaker 2: organization and the trainer delivering at John is a local

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Speaker 2: Indigenous man who's been around in Dahwin for many years

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Speaker 2: working with at risk Youse in many different capacities, and

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Speaker 2: he's really made program what it is because he's able

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Speaker 2: to identify the cultural backgrounds of the young people and

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Speaker 2: really build on those relationships with them and build their

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Speaker 2: confidence in their skills through a culturally appropriate way.

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Speaker 1: And Matt, obviously you are the principle of the top

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Speaker 1: end school of flexible Learning. I guess it doesn't get

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Speaker 1: much more flexible than you know. They're making sure that

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Speaker 1: young people who are in detention are still able to learn.

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Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, Yeah. You know, the team have educators out

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Speaker 3: there are you know, nothing short of inspiring the work

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Speaker 3: that they do, their creativity and their passion around engaging

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Speaker 3: these these young people. You know, they understand the importance

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Speaker 3: of what they're doing and it's and it tells you know,

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Speaker 3: just being able to I'm quite new to the position,

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Speaker 3: but being able to be out there and see the

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Speaker 3: way these students are responding to Don and Jess and

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Speaker 3: the relationships. You know, the therapeutic benefits of this course. Yes,

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Speaker 3: the work skills are there, but the relational skills that

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Speaker 3: the students are developing is just you know, it really

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Speaker 3: helps to set them up for that transition out out

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Speaker 3: of attention and into society or whether they're going back

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Speaker 3: out into their communities or staying here in Darwin. They

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Speaker 3: can be linked in to services, including our other campuses

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Speaker 3: at Milac or Palmerston, you know, to continue in an

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Speaker 3: education pathway.

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Speaker 1: And I'm not sure whether this is a question for

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Speaker 1: Jess or for you, Matt, but I know that since

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Speaker 1: the program began earlier this year, thirteen young people have

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Speaker 1: completed the course, three are enrolled and two had just

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Speaker 1: got jobs as a result of having that certificate. When

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Speaker 1: you talk about rehabilitating kids for when they do leave

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Speaker 1: don Dale, you know how not only how important is

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Speaker 1: a program like this, but you know, I suppose what's

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Speaker 1: the success rate or have you seen yourselves that there's

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Speaker 1: been a real impact for those kids in terms of

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Speaker 1: not getting out and reoffending.

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Speaker 2: Well, I guess, Katie. With the program, so when young

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Speaker 2: people have done the program and they leave attention. Not

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Speaker 2: everybody immediately gets a job, but the things that they

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Speaker 2: learn in the program benefit them in their personal life,

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Speaker 2: such as you know, improved self esteem, which is a

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Speaker 2: really big thing for our young people, and also just

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Speaker 2: the basic other skills that they might transition into just

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Speaker 2: being able to look after themselves or give back to

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Speaker 2: the community. So while it's not everyone directly gets into

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Speaker 2: employment straight away, going back to community or going back

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Speaker 2: home with some extra skills, so even just being able

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Speaker 2: to look after themselves as they went through the program

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Speaker 2: with super beneficial Yeah, what just.

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Speaker 3: Mentioned earlier about level playing to paty is important and

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Speaker 3: a lot of our students, you know, through through different circumstances,

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Speaker 3: don't necessarily have things like you know, photo identification or

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Speaker 3: verse certificates and things like that. So a big part

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Speaker 3: of what they're doing with these guys is putting together

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Speaker 3: a portfolio so that you know, they have these things

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Speaker 3: that a lot of us suppose with our own children

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Speaker 3: take for granted it when they leave school and head

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Speaker 3: out into the world, they have this, They have the

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Speaker 3: important documents that allow them to engage with a lot

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Speaker 3: of these programs. So there's there's a lot of work

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Speaker 3: that goes on in getting these guys ready to transition.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, look, I really appreciate both of you coming

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Speaker 1: on the show this morning and telling us more about this.

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Speaker 1: Matt Watson obviously the principle of the Top End School

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Speaker 1: of Flexible Learning, and Jess mcgivor, we're really the Pathways coordinator.

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Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so

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Speaker 1: very much much for joining us on the show.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, thank you.

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Speaker 1: It is just on ten thirty and well, we have

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Speaker 1: got an incredibly busy morning this morning on the show.

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Speaker 1: Coming your way in just a little while, we are

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Speaker 1: going to find out a bit more about an event

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Speaker 1: which is coming up well tomorrow. In fact, it is

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Speaker 1: Suicide Prevention Day Forum, and we are going to be

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Speaker 1: joined on the show by founding director of Sabrina's Reach

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Speaker 1: for Life, Lydia Dilembo and also miss trans Global Australia

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty one Addison Joy Harper. They're going to be

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Speaker 1: joining me in the studio to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about the Suicide Prevention Day Forum, and plenty

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Speaker 1: more coming your way this morning. But if you've got

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Speaker 1: something on your mind. You can send me a message

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Speaker 1: if you'd like to that number if you'd like to

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Speaker 1: send us a text, it is zero four, double nine seven,

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Speaker 1: double one three six zero