24 April, 2008 2:48PM AEST

Mackay youth challenge mind-set

In Mackay, there's grave concern that widespread racism and discrimination in schools is holding back young people from their full potential. But some kids are determined to make their dreams come true.

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It's the 21st century. Our quality of life is the best yet, paving the way to national happiness.

But there are children and young adults who wake up every day and face a scary reality. When they go to school, it's likely they'll be picked on, called names, excluded. As they grow up their dreams of being doctors and teachers will be hard to reach, harder than for most.

Why? Because they're black.

And yet young people in Mackay are thinking outside the box, determined to chase their dreams.

What's going on?

Discrimination might sound like a dirty word, but by some accounts, there are plenty more offensive words still passing peoples lips.


Earlier this week, Indigenous elders and a group of students met with a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner to talk about what they experience day-to-day. In a matter of hours they came up with some ideas to alleviate a nationwide, historic and sensitive problem.

With pride on their faces, the elders sat by the poised young adults and listened to stories about unfair treatment and unwarranted attention. It quickly became clear that the young people were working to change a common mind-set the elders recognised from their own youth.

It's a 'mass stereotyping', something Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick (primarily responsible for sex and age discrimination) says she's most concerned about.

"Like all Australian kids, young Indigenous people have dreams," she says.

"But these students feel that because they're Indigenous, the expectation is much lower and so they're not extended the same opportunities.

"We offer mentoring programs to non-Indigenous kids. Why aren't we helping such articulate, thoughtful Indigenous kids?"

As well as mentoring, the group suggests more arts-based instead of sports-based programs be offered to meet the needs of all students, and invite elders into the classroom and ensure an accurate indigenous history is being taught.

Students enthusiastically agree with the idea of an elder taking part in their historical or cultural lessons.

One young contributor says; "a lot of mainstream teachers don't know enough about our culture."

Karen Woodley, a Waka Waka - Arrernte woman who works locally with Mackay's Aboriginal and South Sea Island community and coordinated the meeting, says it's troubling to think that a 'true history' is not being taught at school.

"The lack of Indigenous culture in the curriculum is unacceptable," says Ms Woodley. "It promotes exclusion."

"This inherent racism is still pretty prevalent in our school system. I'm concerned that that behaviour is not accepted, but overlooked.

"You can see on the faces of some of the kids what they deal with and I dealt with it 30 years ago."

Val Wright is about to celebrate 30 years as a community education counsellor. She works at both North Mackay State High School and Mackay State High School and see's both sides of the story involving students and teachers.

"Some people aren't aware what's discrimination and what's not," says Ms Wright. "Or they don't realise what affect it has on the other person. How can we?"

"We need to stand in the other person's shoes for awhile."

What the young people say

Back in the meeting, the young adults talk about a long list of worrying behaviours. From being given harsher punishments than their non-Indigenous peers to having a lesson 'dumbed down' because, they say, 'a teacher might think they don't understand'.

Jackson Young thinks people with authority need to step up and support the rights of young people. In this circle, he's shared some of his harrowing experiences at school, and wonders if teachers know that what they do, or don't do, can make a real difference.

"You're one black dot on a white piece of paper. You don't feel safe," says Jackson.

"We're known to be troublesome but it's because we're standing up for our rights, our land and culture.

"People use offensive words. We get picked on, we're always the first to be noticed, we get blamed when we're not in the wrong.

"It does really hurt us."

Val Wright says she's heard of individual cases of discrimination, such as high marks being questioned, but doesn't see anything negative on a broad scale.

"It's a subtle, cultural thing," she says.

"I think today's teachers are more sensitive, respecting Indigenous students as equal humans, and judging them first on academic merit.

"Not every young person can talk about their hurts. It's important to give teachers an understanding of where a student is coming from, any student."

Ms Wright would like to see the emphasis shift from sport-based programs to including more arts, dance and culture in mainstream activities, as tools to develop recognition and understanding.

Jackson Young agrees. He's in year ten at Mackay State High School. This week he's playing the lead in the school Rock Eisteddfod. After school he wants to be a doctor.

"I want to prove that we can all be anything. It just takes inner strength," he says.

"When I talk about what I want to do, I hear people say; you have to be smart, you have to be rich...and you're black. The stereotype is being black means you're poor."

"It's hard to live a normal life, to get a good education. It's hard to cope with. You haven't got enough trust in society because of your colour."

From one extreme to the other, myths and stereotypes pigeonhole unique human beings, but they also emphasise ways people can be different instead of how similar we are.

Lena Tonga is a little closer to her dream. She's in year twelve at Mackay North SHS, and is persuading her family, friends and teachers that she won't give up, even if it means being away from home.

"I'm determined to go to university," says Lena.

"Mum wanted me to think about being a boiler maker. But I want to study teaching and mainstream anthropology."

Lena wants to study in blocks, so that she doesn't leave her family and responsibilities for too long. Being one in a family of seven, Lena has the added pressure of caring for her younger brothers and sisters and sometimes, nana and grandpa.

"A lot of my indigenous friends are the same, they want to believe they can do it, even though the mind set says they can't.

"We have people to talk to, like Val Wright, but you need your peers to support you.

"I want to come back to teach at my high school, to show the kids what they can do."

Another young local woman, Melanie Kemp had earlier started the day by giving the Welcome to Country on behalf of the Yuibera people and expressing their desire for a fair and equitable society. This, she says, is just one platform to raise sensitive issues, and talk about feeling discriminated at work, at home and through the law.

As Mackay knuckled down to a new working week, little would they know that the modern dance beat floating down the road was the Dreamtime Gundoos, stirring up a crowd of elders and young adults with a modern interpretation of their story.

Then the whole floor trembled as Aice Sambo, a South Sea Islander, struck a deep rhythm into the ground, dancing to the voice of a woman in a yellow dress, Aice's mum, who sung with the force of a sixteen year old. She sang to her totem, Ziai, the westerly wind that blows through their village on Murri Island, at the northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef.

"One more, one more," someone cried out at the end, and the big applause collapsed into laughter.

With that, the rest of the day became a joyous thing, kindled by a resounding affirmation of indigenous culture, to honour the Country, Spirit and Yuibera people: young and old.