Western Australian PCYC sees significant rise in Aboriginal employment

Callan Morse Published October 11, 2023 at 2.00pm (AWST)

news

A range of activities engage young Aboriginal people at Kununurra PCYC. (Image: supplied, Newton Ganska Communications)

Police and Citizens Youth Centres across Western Australia have experienced a significant rise in Aboriginal employment throughout 2023.

The organisation, which is directly involved with 29 Aboriginal corporations and organisations across the state, has seen a nine 5.6 per cent increase to 14.6 per cent Indigenous employment in 2023, up nine per cent the from the previous year.

PCYC chief executive Peter Tranter attributed some of the rise in Indigenous employment growth to the confidence Aboriginal people had in the organisation's first Reconciliation Action Plan published last year.

"So much of what we do revolves around young Indigenous people, so having a culturally aware staff is crucial to us, and the RAP helps our staff to know we are walking with them," Mr Tranter said.

The rise in Indigenous employment sees PCYC now employ 45 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people are part of a 332-person workforce.

*SafeSPACE provides a range of activities for young Indigenous people at Kununurra PCYC. (Image: supplied, Newton Ganska Communications)*

The figure exceeds the Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy for WA Public Sector from 2020 to 2025, which aims to increase the representation of Aboriginal people employed in the public sector to 3.7 per cent

A key component of PCYC's work in WA includes collaboration with Aboriginal and organisations, 12 of which provide direct referrals into PCYC's SafeSPACE programs.

The program provides almost 3000 healthy meals and take-home food packs per month to at-risk and vulnerable young people, with young Aboriginal people in Broome, Carnarvon and Geraldton make up 98 per cent of the program's attendance.

Aboriginal attendance at PCYC's safeSPACE programs across all five northern locations sits at 89.91 per cent, which represents 23,873 of 26,551 total attendances.

Programs are run before school, after school and into the evening giving young people a break from challenging home environments, while allowing them to build relationships with qualified youth workers and cultural leaders.

*Kununurra PCYC offers a safe space for Indigenous youth. (Image: supplied, Newton Ganska Communications)*

PCYC says the programs enable young people to participate in recreation, diversionary, and educational activities that they would not otherwise experience.

In addition to the safeSPACE program, an increasing number of young Indigenous people participate in the organisations Blue Light programs, which mainly run in regional and remote locations delivered by Western Australian Police Force officers across the state.

Activities included in at Blue Light events are broad, including police engaging with children and young people by hosting events including discos, pool parties, sports games, movie nights and family events.

In 2022/23 there were 60 Blue Light Units across WA, creating 211 Blue Light events with 12,382 youth attendances, an increase of 70 per cent compared to the previous year.

PCYC has been operational in Western Australia for more than 80 years.