Across the East Kimberley, many of the people best placed to support vulnerable young people are local Aboriginal workers who bring lived experience, cultural knowledge, strong community connections and a deep understanding of local realities.
These strengths are critical in building trust, creating meaningful relationships and supporting young people during some of the most challenging periods of their lives. Yet many lived experience workers have limited access to structured youth work training, supervision and practical resources tailored to the unique challenges of working in remote communities.
Through the delivery of the Youth Circuit Breaker (YCB) program, KWAC identified an opportunity to strengthen and support this emerging workforce.
The Remote Lived Experience Youth Work Framework is a community-led initiative designed to capture the knowledge, wisdom and experience of Aboriginal youth workers and translate it into practical guidance, tools and resources for those working with young people in remote settings.
Developed in partnership with lived experience youth workers, community members, First Nations consultants and trauma-informed practice specialists, the framework will explore the realities of youth work in remote communities, including cultural responsibilities, professional boundaries, trauma-informed practice, community relationships and ethical decision-making.
More than a framework, the project aims to strengthen workforce capability, support Aboriginal people into youth work pathways, and build a regional community of practice where practitioners can learn from one another and share knowledge.
The framework will be supported by practical training resources, videos and workforce development tools, and will be shared through a regional Youth Worker Forum to help strengthen youth engagement practice across the East Kimberley and beyond.
Grounded in real-world practice and informed by the experiences of local workers, the framework represents an important step towards building a stronger, more culturally responsive and sustainable youth workforce in remote Australia.
This Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – CDC Support Services project received grant funding from the Australian Government.
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A powerful end to Day One of KWAC’s Lived Experience Youth Worker Gathering.
Today brought together local Aboriginal youth workers, people with lived experience and sector leaders to share knowledge, reflect on challenges and explore what is needed to strengthen and sustain the remote youth work workforce.
The conversations were honest, practical and grounded in the realities of working alongside vulnerable young people in remote communities. Participants spoke about the strengths that lived experience workers bring, the importance of cultural authority and community connection, and the support needed to ensure this workforce can thrive.
The insights shared today will help shape KWAC’s Remote Lived Experience Youth Work Framework — a practical, culturally grounded resource designed to recognise, support and strengthen lived experience youth workers across remote communities.
Thank you to everyone who contributed their wisdom, experience and leadership. We look forward to continuing the conversation.
June 17 & 18 we will host the first Local Lived Experience Youth Work Gathering in Kununurra.
The gathering will bring together Aboriginal youth workers, people with lived experience, community leaders and practitioners to explore an important question: how do we better support and strengthen the people who are often best placed to work with vulnerable young people in remote communities?
Across the East Kimberley, many of our most effective youth workers draw on lived experience, cultural authority, community relationships and a deep understanding of local realities. These strengths help build trust, create connection and support young people during some of the most challenging periods of their lives.
At the same time, youth work in remote communities is complex. Workers are often navigating kinship obligations, community relationships, trauma, crisis situations and their own lived experiences while supporting others. This gathering will create space to explore these challenges and identify the support, training, supervision and resources needed to strengthen and sustain the workforce.
The gathering forms part of the development of KWAC’s Remote Lived Experience Youth Work Framework — a practical, culturally grounded resource that will capture the knowledge, wisdom and experience of local practitioners and translate it into guidance, tools, training resources and workforce development pathways for the sector.
Our goal is simple: to recognise lived experience as a strength, support Aboriginal people into youth work pathways, develop a regional community of practice, and build a stronger, more capable and culturally grounded youth workforce across remote communities.
We look forward to working alongside practitioners, leaders and community members to help shape a framework grounded in local knowledge, culture and lived experience, and to strengthen outcomes for young people across the East Kimberley.
