Believe in the magic of dreams

The stark reality is that many Indigenous students are leaving the school system with the English literacy and numeracy ability of a six to seven-year-old mainstream child. They are almost unemployable outside their own communities. Aspirations for “self determination” or “self empowerment” ring very hollow indeed.

A Mining Industry submission said “… most potential employees from communities could not read occupational health and safety documents, or even signs around the mine-site. They cannot fill in application forms, write their date of birth or tally numbers as is required for many jobs”.

I don’t know if child safety issues, education or simply boredom attributed to the wayward lifestyle that resulted in Indigenous children in my region being incarcerated at such a tender age.

The dichotomy of lifestyles of my children and of those mentioned is astounding. Could I have done more for these children and their families or have I been too selfish in thinking only of my immediate family and our successful progression through life?

I encourage Indigenous people who have done well in their chosen community, sporting or professional endeavours to take time out for troubled youth in their communities who are in need of a role model’s guiding hand or simply a shoulder to cry on.

I would also like to think that it is possible for all Indigenous youth, like my daughter Jayde, to be able to enjoy the highs of being associated with a role model like Bianca and to be able to “Believe in the magic of their dreams”.