#1000actionsfortheplanet #lifeonland #peaceandjustice 

A whole lot of excitement in the MK Office this week. Dean from The Law Society Western Australia, rang to say The Lore Law Project been recognised by the State Government with a $200,000 grant, the maximum grant amount, from the Criminal Property Confiscation Grants Program. I had the pleasure of relaying the message to Jaz, our MK Indigenous Co Facilitator in Kalgoorlie. The excitement was palpable.

“This is a dream come true,” she screamed over the phone. “It’s fantastic…at last we can to listen to the kids and use their ideas to make their community better.”

When Jaz was a kid she went to Sevenoaks College in Cannington. She joined The Public Transport Authority’s Right Track program, designed and facilitated in collaboration with Millennium Kids, and helped create a new way of thinking when working with young indigenous people on the local Perth train line. Kids were getting up to mischief, displaying anti social behaviour, not paying their train fares and getting into trouble.

The Sevenoaks kids went on camp with Millennium Kids for a Ningaloo Explore experience in the Cape Range National Park. With five days of leadership training, kayaking, native animal monitoring and meeting with local elders, kids were immersed in the local environment. They came out with a Certificate1 in Leadership, and were prepared to lead their community. They tackled the anti social behaviour on the trains in a youth led, culturally sensitive way.

The Right Track continues  to be an award winning  youth program.

In 2016 Jaz joined the Millennium Kids team again. This time as a leader and co facilitator of the Lore Law Project, a program to address the high rates of indigenous youth incarceration in the state. Along with other Sevenoaks graduates, Jaz helped design the Lore Law Project alongside elders, Millennium Kids, The Law Society, and Kammi from Media on Mars, with input from a range of stakeholders.

How do we tackle the big issues with indigenous kids? How do we skill them up, empower them and keep them out of gaol?

Law Society President Greg McIntyre SC said, “The Law Society is delighted to receive this grant for its Lore Law Project. From its inception, the Project has engaged with Aboriginal communities, young people and Elders, who have been central to its planning, development and implementation.

The Lore Law Project provides an important conduit through which young Aboriginal people can voice matters of interest or concern to them. Stakeholders from the police, judiciary, legal profession and support services also have an opportunity to engage with Aboriginal communities in a two-way process.

The Lore Law Project offers a ‘skills for life’ approach to create self-worth in young people, enabling them to make positive contributions to society, as they grow into adulthood and embark on pathways to employment.”

For more information contact info@millenniumkids.com.au