16 July 2018

You’re breaking the cycle for at-risk Queenslanders

Posted in At-Risk / Indigenous youth / Youth issues


The A2B program is held on the land of the Darumbal, Wadja Wadja and Gungulu people.

Indigenous students at Woorabinda State School in Central Queensland have been negotiating a “Bro Code” as part of SU QLD’s A2B program, supported by TEAR Australia.

The 16-week A2B program for at-risk youth aims to break negative habits and behavioural cycles by helping young people critically evaluate their experiences in school and in the community.

The action-based learning program is delivered by school chaplains with support from SU QLD staff, and involves “peak experiences” like caving, fishing, and camping.

The A2B program, which ran earlier this year, hosted approximately 80 students from up to eight schools in Central Queensland.

A critical element of the group formation process is the development of a ‘group deal’ – a code of conduct developed by the students themselves, which sets out how the group will treat others and how they will be rewarded and challenged throughout the 16 weeks.

At Woorabinda State School, the students who joined the program refer to their ‘group deal’ as the ‘Bro Code’.

It’s a concept the students have bought into with great passion. “Through the program Chappy [Rachel] has encouraged us to go to school and be respectful. We’ve learned how respectful men work out their problems without fighting. We stick to our Bro Code and keep each other accountable because we are a team,” one participant said.

Acting SU QLD Regional Manager, Ian Cumming, said the program equips young people with the tools they need to achieve their life goals.

“Through the A2B program participants learn aspects of leadership – of self and others – by learning about responsibility, self-control, respect, forgiveness, teamwork and commitment,” he said.

Thanks to your support and partnerships with other passionate organisations like TEAR Australia, children in remote and regional communities like Woorabinda can change their trajectory in life.

Please keep supporting this vital work.

Visit suqld.org.au/donate.



Jennifer Kerr

Media and Communications Administrator

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