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Insight: April 16

In a special episode, Jenny Brockie heads to Alice Springs for one on one interviews with Aboriginal teenagers.

2013-04-13_2229This week on Insight Jenny Brockie travels to Alice Springs for one on one interviews talking to Aboriginal teenagers, talking about family life, alcohol and shame and their dreams for the future.

“I read one page and then she just looked at me. She put her hands over her mouth and she started crying because my average reading level went from a six year old to a year 10.”

“People, drunks everywhere, people pissing on the street and everything. It’s stupid.”

“If I keep running amuck and, like, if I keep being naughty, if I keep going down this road, I might end up like my brothers.”

No studio. No audience. No adults. In this special episode, Insight heads to Alice Springs for a rare chance to hear directly from Aboriginal teenagers.

In a series of one-on-one interviews with Jenny Brockie, the teens open up about family life, alcohol and shame. They reveal their dreams for the future and what might be standing in the way.

It’s a rare glimpse into the lives of young Australians who are seldom heard from.

Terazita, 16, saw plenty of violence while living on an Aboriginal town camp. She has completed an anger management class to help her control her emotional impulses. She hopes to eventually join the Navy to do her family proud.

Noel, 17, dreams of being an architect one day. He’s been in trouble with the law and is serving 10 months home detention for a serious assault. He is still allowed to go to school so is treating it as an opportunity to turn his life around.

Kyle, 15, says he finds sport a good way to express his pent up frustration. Kyle’s older brother was assaulted and is now a paraplegic. Kyle witnessed the attack and he says it still haunts him. Kyle dreams of being a truck driver or joining the defence force.

Rhiannon, 14, is Kyle’s younger sister. Rhiannon says life can be tough for a lot of kids because many face problems with violence and alcohol at home. She says school yard fights are common with girls and boys.

Trevor, 16, admits he’s probably going down the wrong track in life. He’s been doing community service for stealing. He says he dreams of one day becoming a mechanic and moving away from Alice to a place where people are happy and there’s less fighting.

Jesse, 16, says he’s frustrated by the racism around town. He gets called a “coconut” and a “white mutt” because of his skin colour. He’d like to be a physical education teacher one day.

Tuesday 16 April 8.30pm on SBS ONE

One Response

  1. I will try and watch this on Tuesday. Its an important issue which people in this nation need to be informed about. Hopefully this episode will do that.

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