A partnership with Tirkandi Inaburra demonstrates your compassion and commitment to your community and reconciliation programs by supporting and giving back to the Aboriginal community.
Change lives and realise dreams
Our program is the only one of its kind in Australia and we’ve got big dreams and enormous potential to transform the lives of thousands more young Aboriginal people. But we need your support.
Each year, the Tirkandi Inaburra Program receives funding from the Department of Communities & Justice to support 56 young Aboriginal males (14 at a time, over a 10-week program). That funding finishes as soon as the boys leave the program, which means at present there’s no aftercare service, no school holiday programs, and no support for Aboriginal girls or older boys in need. Your generous support will change that and make a real difference.
The cost of detaining one young person for one year in an Australian youth detention centre can be as much as $490,000 – enough to fund the complete Tirkandi aftercare program for 56-boys, for a period of 18-months.
Extend a guiding hand with aftercare
We are seeking funding for the full-time employment of two support officers to run a new evidence-based aftercare program that helps participants make the transition back into community life, stay out of the criminal justice system, remain engaged with their education and thrive. The new aftercare program will provide nine months of personalised follow-up care and support to all participants who complete a ten-week term in residence at our centre.
Fewer than 5 out of 10 Aboriginal students attend school 90% of the time. And only 10% of Aboriginal students graduate from Year 12. Help engage them in learning.
Create opportunities outside the classroom
Our team is committed to putting in the extra hours to do as much as we can to engage, support and enrich the lives of young Aboriginal people. With your support to launch a Tirkandi School Holiday Program, we can dedicate our downtime to providing day camps and short cultural programs for Aboriginal boys and girls, as an extension of our existing service.
73% of Aboriginal people will have been warned or charged by police by the age of 23. Young Aboriginal males are 28 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Aboriginal young males.
Provide the best support in a crisis
For boys at high risk, who would greatly benefit from more intensive social and emotional wellbeing support, we are seeking funding for the full-time employment of a qualified mental health clinician or psychologist to deliver one-on-one counselling, group sessions and crisis support.
40% of Aboriginal males in the state of NSW will have been charged with an offence before they reach the age of 25. Together, we can change that.
Realise the ultimate dream for Aboriginal youth
There are thousands more young Aboriginal boys and girls, and older kids too, who are in desperate need of our support. Our big dream is to partner with an agency or organisation to expand Tirkandi state-wide and Australia-wide, establishing new centres and new programs to support a whole new cohort of young Aboriginal people and change their lives.
83% of Tirkandi graduates are actively participating in education or work. And 92% have zero convictions since graduation. Together, we can create positive outcomes for more young Aboriginals.
Give in-kind support
We are also extremely interested in hearing from organisations who are able to offer in-kind support with the provision of ongoing staff training, IT development or policy and procedure development.
Get in touch and start a conversation
Contact the Tirkandi team today to discuss how we can work together to minimise the risk of Aboriginal boys becoming involved in the criminal justice system, and help them develop the cultural pride, identity, self-confidence and resilience they need to thrive.
Phone: 02 6954 4800
Email: admin@tirkandi.org.au