Barang Regional Alliance (Barang) is taking action to invest in the future of Aboriginal Youth through its appointment as a regional alliance delivering the Commonwealth Government Empowered Communities initiative.
The Central Coast Aboriginal community is uniquely placed as it is the fastest growing Aboriginal community in Australia, which makes it overwhelmingly young, with a median age of 20 years compared to the NSW average of 40 years.
Chair of Barang Regional Alliance, Kate Kelleher said, “A recent survey and extensive consultation conducted with our Aboriginal community identified culture, health, well-being and employment as the most important issues for our young people.
“With close to half of the Aboriginal population on the Central Coast being under 18 years of age and with an Aboriginal youth unemployment rate of 31-39%, our community has asked Barang to focus on the empowerment of our youth as our first priority,” she added.
Successful in being selected as one of only eight Aboriginal communities nationwide to participate in the Empowered Communities initiative, Barang Regional Alliance is also trialling Local Decision Making under the NSW OCHRE initiative.
“That puts us in the unique position of being the only region in Australia with both State and Commonwealth Government support for our Regional Alliance, pioneering how Government does business with our community. We understand where we are now and where we want to be, empowering our people through community-led decision making and reform,” Ms Kelleher continued.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with our community and all levels of Government this year to progress these exciting initiatives,” she concluded.
For more information about Barang Regional Alliance, please contact Corinne Hodson, Community Engagement Manager on 02 4351 3225.
