Cultures Combine: Sudanese student joins indigenous youth work course
A Swinburne student who migrated from Sudan in 2004 will graduate from a youth work course designed for indigenous Australians.
Makur moved to Australia from Sudan in 2004. He has been studying with the indigenous students for the past year with the aim to work with young people in the community.
“I chose to complete the certificate because I have previously worked with young soccer players and thought it would give me more knowledge to improve the way I interact with them.”
Makur said that the course was beneficial as it taught him about himself while also educating him about ways he can help other youths.
“The course has exposed me to many different types of young people and has given me a good idea about youth work in Australia,” said Makur. “It has taught us to have more confidence in ourselves and our abilities and we’ve learnt to use our problems to help others who might be experiencing similar difficulties.”
Makur would like to go on and complete a Diploma of Youth Work at Swinburne.
Swinburne’s Certificate IV in Youth Work addresses many issues that face young people today such as drug and alcohol use, homelessness, legal issues and health.
“This course demonstrates that indigenous students want to engage and succeed in education,” said Program Convenor, Melinda Eason. “The students often report back that this program has been a life changing experience.”
“The students are passionate, smart, committed and dedicated. This course has contributed to developing visible and positive role models in both the indigenous and broader community,” said Eason.
The delivery and assessment of the Certificate IV in Youth Work is made possible through a partnership between Swinburne TAFE and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Service Association Ltd (VACSAL).
The course is run from Bert Williams Aboriginal Youth Service (BWAYS) in Thornbury. BWAYS provides crisis accommodation and outreach support to young aboriginal males and females.
The course has produced a number of successful students including Linda Bamblett, who was awarded 2008 Indigenous Student of the Year at the Victorian Training Awards and Rory Smeton, who was selected to present at a conference in Helsinki about Swinburne's First Stop program.
“My trip to Helsinki was a really great experience. I was able to meet and network with a lot of people and I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to observe a different culture.”
“Often there are tendencies to focus on the stereotype of indigenous people but in this course we focussed on its strengths,” said Smeton. “I’m keen to share my experience in the hope that I will encourage other indigenous Australians to pursue their own educational goals.”
