WA’s Commissioner for Children and Young People training young Aboriginal women to investigate peer wellbeing

A group of young Goldfields Aboriginal women are being trained by WA’s Commissioner for Children and Young People to investigate how young women in the region feel about their wellbeing and that of their peers. Jacqueline McGowan-Jones is delivering community research training this week in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to a group of young Aboriginal women aged 12-18 to support them to plan a peer-research project. It comes after female high school students rated their wellbeing below male students in recent Speaking Out Surveys, with the commissioner’s team training the group to support them to ask their peers about girls’ wellbeing and report their views. The Young Aboriginal Researchers in Community project is designed to provide culturally safe research training and experience in community research for young people who participate in project planning, peer-consultation, data analysis and reporting. YARiC builds on past research training projects and further investigates the outcomes identified in WA’s inaugural Speaking Out Survey of 2019 that female young people consistently rated their wellbeing below that of their male peers, reporting higher rates of stress, low life satisfaction and not feeling happy about themselves. Last year’s survey results confirmed the findings of a significant gender wellbeing gap for children and young people in WA. Ms McGowan-Jones said YARiC offered opportunities for young Aboriginal women in the Goldfields to develop leadership skills, knowledge and experience in community research. “It provides opportunities for Aboriginal young people to express their views about topics related to the gender wellbeing gap,” she said. “Through the project’s success we hope to encourage other organisations to meaningfully partner with Aboriginal children and young people in community research and take their views into account. “As Commissioner for Children and Young People I am committed to improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal young people and ensure that they are healthy and feel empowered and capable in their chosen endeavours.”