Tereesa, a young single mum of four, found her life transformed after visiting the centre through the Young Mums and Bubs program.
This group supports young mothers to learn skills such as arts and craft, collective income-generation projects, parenting, budgeting, financial literacy and provides links to psychological and government support services.
The centre focusses on helping people heal from past traumas, find their feet, and pave a brighter future for themselves and their children. Uniting visitors through culture imparts a sense of belonging that allows them to make meaningful, long-term change in their own lives, families, and communities.
Your donation today can help organisations like Baabayn to share their wealth of knowledge with more First Nations Australians, and carry on a rich cultural legacy to future generations.
“It feels great to give back to community because the community always has your back.”
Connection to culture: a role for healing
There is strong evidence that culture is a protective factor in the welfare of Indigenous families, children, and communities (Australian Insititute of Family Studies, 2014). Caritas Australia works in partnership with First Nations Australians, to support programs such as Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation in Western Sydney. Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation links visitors up to services, support, and contacts in a culturally appropriate way.
Tereesa chatting with elders at Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
“My children will constantly ask me what’s my next painting? And I will sit there and explain to them what I’ll be doing, what story I’m telling. My children have then since produced their own artworks. My son was asked to produce an Indigenous artwork to be put on assembly. It’s little things like that that make me proud.”
It’s time to close the unemployment gap
The unemployment rate for Indigenous Australians is four times higher than it is for non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW and ABS analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19 and ABS National Health Survey 2017–18).
Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation helps visitors by linking them up to support services of use to individuals, as well as confidence building activities in a non-judgemental, low stress environment.
Baabayn linked Tereesa with psychological and housing support and driving lessons. As well as this, Tereesa was offered paid employment with the Mums and Bubs Youth Group, her first job since becoming a mum.
