Pormpuraaw youth enjoyed a week of sports, culture and education at the community’s 2024 Youth Summit last month. Photo: Christine Howes.
After another successful week of youth engagement, the Pormpuraaw community is setting its sights high for next year’s Youth Summit.
Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation (PPAC) brought sports, dancing, mentoring and stakeholders together over the September school holidays, with the aim of empowering youth through reconciliation.
PPAC chief executive officer Ganthi Kuppusamy said the community’s adults banded together annually to make the event a success.
“Every year, they all come together to support, so that’s why it became a very popular event,” she said.
“It was a successful week like always; we got about 65 to 70 youths come out every day for the event.”
After the summit, Ms Kuppusamy said she received suggestions to invite youth from other communities across Cape York.
Pormpuraaw youth worker Jeremiah Gilbo was one of the advocates for outside involvement to engage the young people.
“Even if we just go out and try to get them out of the community to do activities outside, it’ll be something different for them,” he said.
“It was hard to get the youths from the age of probably 16 and up, it was hard to get half of them coming to do activities.
“If we get people from outside, they’ll want to challenge them in sports, because they love basketball and touch footy and all that stuff.”
Mr Gilbo said in a small community, it was difficult for youth to find activities to engage in, which often led them down the wrong path.
“I think the Youth Summit is a big thing – it gets the kids up to do something on the holidays, keeps them active, makes them learn about a healthy lifestyle and how to find a better future,” he said.
“Smoking and drinking is a big problem in the community; every time the youth find nothing to do in the community, they go to that, and they think it’s the only choice for them.
“That’s why I really try to make sure the Youth Summit is fun and get them all out there, to show them that smoking and drinking is not a good thing, and not the only option.”
