Our team was in Mparntwe, Alice Springs during November and shared many incredible moments with the young people. Cam has shared a bit about his time facilitating in Alice Springs along with a moment which displayed vulnerability and bravery from everyone in the room. Check out what Cam had to say:

“It was such an honour to be able to go back to Alice Springs. Firstly, we ran workshops at the Centralian Middle School (CMS) with the year 7 and 8 students. There were so many special moments but what was most notable was the bravery we got to witness in the young people. They show this by being open and honest about themselves, their lives and their struggles but also the bravery to want different for their futures. The young people at CMS were so welcoming and we as a team really felt that on our second day when we returned to the school.

Centralian Senior College is where we went next working with the Yr 10s and 11s. We spoke a lot about the judgements people have of Alice Springs and the people in their community. There was a strong sense that they did not want to fall victim to stereotypes and instead hoped to rewrite the script. There was care for one another in these workshops like I haven’t seen before and was blown away by how supportive they were. I learnt so much from these young people and am grateful to have had the opportunity to share a special experience with them.

One of my favourite moments form the week was in a workshop at CSC. A young person spoke about how they’d lost their Nana and how much it had impacted them due to how loving and caring she was to him. The whole room related to losing a loved one but also admitted that they don’t often have spaces to speak about their grief. It was extremely moving but also beautiful that so many in that room finally had a chance to not suffer in silence or alone.”