24 February 2021

You’re lifting up the next generation through Nykocha

Posted in SU QLD


Did you know that your support for school chaplaincy continues to multiply?

It’s like a ripple in the water that continues to spread from one generation to the next. Nykocha and David’s stories are just two examples of how the impact from your support continues to grow.

When Chappy Joey first met Nykocha in 2012, she was a shy young girl, lacking in confidence. But Chappy Joey and the teaching staff could see great potential in her.

“I could see that [Nykocha] needed someone to believe in her, and as a chappy, I could be that person.”

From Grade 7-10, Nykocha joined many chaplaincy programs that helped her grow in confidence and resilience. By Year 10, she became school captain and proudly represented her school.

Fast forward to 2020, and Joey was sitting at her desk at Tannum Sands State School, where she is now school chaplain.

She got the surprise of her life when the door opened and Nykocha was standing there!

Nykocha was now an accomplished young woman, a graduate from the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, who had represented her culture and country by dancing at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in 2018.

And now Nykocha was running the Deadly Choices program at Tannum Sands State School to help inspire young Indigenous students.

“I sat in on one of her lessons, and could see the confidence with which she delivered the material and the rapport she had with the young students,” says Chappy Joey. “I was overcome with pride to see her teaching others.”

Nykocha’s story wouldn’t be possible without your support.

Chappy Joey’s husband, Geoff (also a chaplain) worked at a nearby school and saw great leadership potential in a charismatic young Indigenous man named David.

David had faced a lot of injustice in his young life. He battled with anger management as he tried to make sense of the world around him. In 2010, he joined Chappy Geoff’s ‘Rock n Water’ program.

David soon became a role model for other students, and helped Chappy Geoff manage unruly students on the school bus route between Woorabinda and Baralaba.

“I can still remember Chappy Geoff making everyone laugh with funny voices like Scooby Doo and Shaggy,” says David.

David now also works for Deadly Choices running programs for Indigenous youth in Central QLD.

Thanks to you, Nykocha and David had someone who believed in them, and influenced the legacy they will leave behind for others.

Your support today could change not just one young life, but a generation.

Visit suqld.org.au/donate



Sarah Moore

Media and Communications Administrator

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