Following more than 12 months of community-led co-design, consultation and planning, the Kununurra Youth Night Space (KYNS) model has been presented back to community, with the service officially named the Coolamon Centre.
Importantly, the work has already begun. While preparations for the Coolamon Centre’s permanent home continue, the service is operating from a temporary location, enabling young people to access a safe place, trusted workers and after-hours support now.
The announcement brought together Aboriginal organisations and local services who contributed to the co-design process, providing an opportunity to share how their knowledge, ideas and feedback have shaped the final model.
The Coolamon Centre is a community-led, culturally safe after-hours space for young people in Kununurra, developed by KWAC, MG Corporation and Wunan Foundation, in partnership with Kimberley Juvenile Justice Services (KJJS) and the Department of Justice.
At the heart of the model is A Bridge to Safety – providing young people with a safe place and trusted support after dark, while creating a bridge back to family, culture, community and the services that can support them beyond the night.
Young people, families, Elders, Aboriginal organisations, local services, government agencies and the broader Kununurra community have helped shape this approach around what our young people need – a safe place, trusted people, practical support and stronger connections.
More than a night space:
The Coolamon Centre responds to a gap our community has identified for a long time: young people need support at the times they are actually out and about.
The Centre provides a voluntary and welcoming place where young people can access:
– a safe, culturally secure environment
– food and practical support
– activities and opportunities to connect
– trusted local Aboriginal workers and other youth staff
– safe transport
– connections to family and other supports.
Importantly, support does not end when a young person leaves the Centre.
Our Bridge to Safety connects what happens at night with what happens next. Outreach and follow-up support are provided following attendance, with young people and their families connected to local services and further support where needed.
The model brings together youth services, family support, education, health and justice partners to strengthen pathways and provide more coordinated support.
This night-to-day approach means the Coolamon Centre is not another standalone service. It is part of a broader community response designed to strengthen the support surrounding Kununurra’s young people and families.
Why Coolamon?:
The name Coolamon Centre was chosen following consultation with local Miriwoong cultural knowledge holders and carries important meaning for the way we support our young people.
A coolamon is a vessel for carrying and protecting what is precious. Traditionally used to carry babies, food and water, it represents care and responsibility – holding and carrying what matters.
Here on Miriwoong Country, coolamons were made from local trees including paperbark and corkwood. Paperbark could be bent and folded to carry water, and its presence often helped inform where people would camp.
The Coolamon Centre carries this meaning forward – carrying and caring for our young people and families, supporting them on their journey.
Designed by community:
The Coolamon Centre has been shaped through extensive consultation and co-design.
Rather than beginning with a predetermined service model, the process asked young people, families, community members and organisations what would make an after-hours space safe, useful and culturally appropriate.
This included conversations about cultural and physical safety, girls’ and boys’ spaces and facilities, staffing, transport, entry and exit, activities, family engagement, referrals and how the Centre should connect with services operating during the day.
The result is a model designed specifically for Kununurra and grounded in local knowledge, relationships and Aboriginal leadership.
Working together for our young people:
No single organisation can provide everything a young person or family may need.
The Coolamon Centre is built around collaboration – connecting Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, youth and family services, education providers, health services, justice partners and other local organisations.
The presentation of the final model reinforced the continued commitment across local organisations to work together, supporting young people and families both after hours and through outreach, follow-up and referrals during the day.
By working together, Our Bridge to Safety connects young people from the immediate safety and support they need at night to the relationships, family and services that can support them longer term.
At its heart is a simple principle: local people shaping local solutions for Kununurra’s young people.
