It was a pleasure to attend the second annual Youth Justice Corroboree at the Cobham Youth Justice Centre. The Corrobboree/Gathering event provided Indigenous young people in custody an opportunity to connect with their culture and share Dreaming through dance.

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“To see the joy and pride on the faces of the young people participating in the corroboree spoke volumes about the success of the Cultural Program in place for incarcerated Indigenous youth,” Ms MacDonald said. The program is a collaboration between Youth Justice and the Art Gallery of NSW.

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The Cobham Learning Centre was built in 2018 by the Coalition as part of the Aboriginal Yarning Circle. “Knowing that 53% of young people in custody are Indigenous in all six of the Youth Justice Centres around the state this program provides a vital link to connecting them with their unique culture and offers a sense of purpose,” she said.

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“Ideally, I support any programs which aim to keep youth out of detention in the first instance, but I applaud programs like this which offer positives during their incarceration.”

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Ms MacDonald said she supports all programs of this kind which give Indigenous youth a connection to their heritage while they are away from their families. “I look forward to similar gatherings at the other five detention centres during the course of the year, “Ms MacDonald said.