Creative workshops benefit wellbeing for local Aboriginal youth

Aboriginal high school students in South Eastern NSW took part in powerful two-day workshops focused on wellbeing, mental health, and cultural identity – hosted by COORDINARE.

Led by proud Yuin and Thunghutti rapper Nooky, the workshops offered students hands-on experience in songwriting, beatmaking, and music recording. Nooky, known for hosting Triple J’s Blak Out and founding the Indigenous social enterprise We Are Warriors, shared his personal journey and the impact of mentorship on his life.

The workshops aimed to build cultural pride and resilience while promoting mental health awareness and self-care strategies in a culturally safe space.

Held in high schools in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, and Eurobodalla, the initiative placed a strong emphasis on preventative health and community connection through creativity and culture.

One of the most significant benefits was providing our students with a platform to express themselves with dignity and pride. One student, who faces serious mental health challenges, felt empowered to contribute key lyrics for the song the team created...This experience was transformative for our school, and I cannot thank the entire team enough for their generosity and for making everything run smoothly. I wholeheartedly encourage all schools to engage with this program; it is truly positive and uplifting.

Vanessa Willetts

Relieving Principal, Queanbeyan High School

Cecil McLeod and Richard Scott-Moore taught all the Koori boys at my school how to dance and about our traditions. It instilled pride in us and gave us confidence. I felt angry about racism and injustice experienced by our people. I wanted to be a freedom fighter and realised hip hop is how I’ll do that. Those mentors gave me a sense of leadership that helped me look after some of the younger kids.

Nooky

It’s all about young people feeling empowered, with greater awareness of support services and strategies for self-care and mental health.

Taneka Longbottom

Aboriginal Health Consultant, COORDINARE - South Eastern NSW PHN

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands across which we live and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ continuing connection – both physical and spiritual – to land, sea and sky.

Creative workshops benefit wellbeing for local Aboriginal youth