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Larissa Granites' story
In 1994 I started sniffing petrol, then I went to Mt Theo. I stayed at Mt Theo for 3 months and I was so bored to live there it teach me not to sniff. Then I came back to Yuendumu. I had good time in Yuendumu and I used to go to disco. I went back to sniffing petrol in Yuendumu and after one week I went to Mala Bore Outstation. I stayed there with my friend and we were walking down the road to get the lift back to Yuendumu. We had those radio things in Mala, so an old lady rang to Yuendumu to police and night patrol to come bring us back to Mala. We came back to Yuendumu after while and I stopped sniffing again, then I went to Lajamanu to stay with my family. I came back to Yuendumu to get work with Jaru Pirrjirdi and I was strong with the young people. Having that Jaru Pirrjirdi gave me something to do looking after all those young people and putting lots of different activities. I haven’t sniffed petrol now for long time and I still work for Jaru Pirrjirdi. When I work for Jaru Pirrjirdi I go around to other stations and government mob with the girls (other Jaru workers) and talk story about how we used to sniff petrol in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and how we stopped and how Jaru Pirrjirdi helped make us strong.
Youth Workers
Tali Low (Jaru Pirrjirdi & Youth Program Co-ordinator)
Amelia Watson (Youth Worker)
Jaru Pirrjirdi Workers 2005/06
Michael Wayne, Dennis Nelson, Ritasha Watson, Davis Nelson, Jamie Nelson, Sebastian Watson, Shaun Wilson, Horton Wilson, Larissa Granites, Shauni Quinn, Ricky Wilson, Jason Woods, Clayton Sampson, Rochelle Spencer, Liam Jurrah, Charro Watson, Clayton Watson, Gisella Brown, Geoffrey Wilson, Warwick Wilson. Rosena Dickson, Narelle Brown, Willow Langdon, Randall Brown, Samara Brown, Danielle Egan, Alvin Williams, Francis Forrest, Azaria Robertson, Alistair Morton, Pauline Singleton, Dion Brown, Gideon Granites, Louis Watson.
The most powerful element of the youth community development undertaken by the Mt Theo Program is the Jaru Pirrjirdi Project. The Jaru project serves as a significant mechanism for the empowerment of young adults aged 17-25 within Yuendumu community and aims to develop them as young community leaders. There are currently 34 young people who are members of or work for the Jaru Pirrjirdi program. The program has proved a significant success in offering meaningful activities and futures for young adults as well as providing numerous community services. Jaru Pirrjirdi generally pass through a number of informal stages as they develop their confidence, experience and capacity. This process also variously allows the individual to move away from issues such as substance abuse (where relevant), keep their culture strong and to develop specific skills in potential career pathways.
The Jaru Pirrjirdi Project involves a wide range of activities including:
Jaru Pirrjirdi workers begin working within the youth program and attending Night School and over several years gradually pass through all the elements of the project. Subsequent participation in cultural bush trips or constant daily project work such as film making, painting projects, health workshops etc will further develop the capacity of Jaru Pirrjirdi members. Senior Jaru Pirrjirdi members participate in these activities as well as adopting a mentoring role or move on to employment within other community organizations.
This process aims to strengthen the confidence of young people to help become the future leaders of Yuendumu. The Jaru Pirrjirdi Project allows young adults to control and direct the type of youth activities that exist within Yuendumu, to reengage with their education, to continue to develop and maintain their cultural knowledge, to work on projects with specific community benefits (eg: films regarding domestic violence) and to identify young people in Yuendumu who are in need of support. Ultimately this process has seen many young people emerge as strong and proud Warlpiri people working hard to make Yuendumu a great place to live.
The success of the Jaru Pirrjirdi Project has been especially evident as the Jaru Pirrjirdi workers have emerged as significant community leaders whose strength and leadership the community has been keen to employ. The importance of this process is that it validates their own leadership and personal capacity for them as individuals and the community at large. In particular many senior Jaru Pirrjirdi workers have now emerged as mentors for the youth of Yuendumu and/or have gained employment at other community organizations.
The clear structure and process of the Jaru Pirrjirdi project enables young adults to work with the Jaru Pirrjirdi project for several years in developing their own capacity and realising their strength. The wide range of activities available for them to engage in provides them not only with meaning and challenges, but enables them to identify areas of particular interest to them as potential career or life pathways. This process also enables the ‘growing up’ of new Jaru Pirrjirdi members. In turn senior Jaru Pirrjirdi members can increasingly exercise strategic control over Jaru Pirrjirdi activities or indeed the future of their community. Ultimately this process should, and has, manifested a meaningful identify and future for the Jaru Pirrjirdi members and their community.