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Improving wellbeing and development in Mount Druitt.
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
Identify some causes of low levels of well-being and development.
Describe methods of improving well-being and development.
Mount Druitt
The Mount Druitt postcode recorded 3402 serious offences in an area home to 61,494 residents in 2022. The postcode was one of six postcodes that had the highest number of homicides in NSW last year with three homicides recorded. The suburb also had the state’s highest number of recorded incidents of malicious damage to property with 866 incidents in 2022. The postcode also takes in suburbs including Emerton and Lethbridge Park.
Compare the levels and types of crime in the two diagrams to the left - Mona Vale and Mount Druitt.
Western Sydney Hip Hop Group OneFour
Where are they from?
Where are they from?
The members all come from Mount Druitt – hence the frequent references to the 2770 postcode – and the name OneFour is based on the fact they started rapping in 2014. While the group has been described as “Australia’s first and biggest all-Pasifika” rap group, it’s not easy to discern anything specific about the members beyond their rap monikers because they largely appear with their faces covered.
What sort of music do they make?
What sort of music do they make?
Drill – an offshoot of hip hop originating in Chicago in 2012. Think of drill music as hip hop’s more intimidating younger brother. It paints a grim picture of life in impoverished neighbourhoods, like Sydney’s Mount Druitt, that experience high unemployment and even higher crime rates. While much of music – hip hop in particular – reflects money and aspirational lifestyles, drill is a stark reminder that some communities are starved, quite literally, of income and opportunities.
OneFour, like other drill acts to come before them, do not sugar coat their reality. Instead, they depict what they have seen and lived through in all its shocking brutality.
It can prove uncomfortable viewing: young men in balaclavas rapping about stabbings and drug deals with a confronting sense of realism. In fact, it’s proven so uncomfortable for some people that a police taskforce called Strike Force Imbala has been set up specifically to look at “gangs such as OneFour”.
Onefour’s five members are from Mount Druitt in Sydney’s outer western suburbs, part of a Pacific Islander community that offers three choices to its young men: “footy, the factory, or a life of crime,” says Spenny (Spencer Magalogo) one of the members of the group.
There is no dispute that Onefour is controversial. They were involved with a street gang whose violent clashes with rival gangs were numerous, and that’s what they rapped about. However, this was their reality - it could be argued that in some parts of the world, this is simply part of growing up.
Improving Wellbeing and Development through prividing opportunities to improve life chances.
One of the group's earliest supporters is youth worker Ian Escandor, whose music program at Mount Druitt’s Street University introduced Onefour to the recording studio. Their involvement with the Street University opened them up to experiences and opportunities that they arguably would never have otherwise had. The group credits Street University as giving them a way to change their circumstances and credits much of their success to the knowledge and opportunities given to them through the music program they were part of.
The Street University is one example of a program that can change the lives of people from impoverished areas. But how does it work?
You are going to investigate the 'Street University' to discover how programs like these can work to improve wellbeing and development in places where life chances are limited.
What kind of programs does it offer to its community members? How can it provide pathways for people to improve their circumstances?
Task 1
Open a Google Slide and create a title page - The Street University and find an appropriate image.
Task 2
Click on this link.
Read the 'about TSU' information.
Summarise the central mission of TSU in 100 words or less on one Google Slide page. Include some of the key statistics.
Task 3
Choose one program offered by TSU. IIn your books include the following IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
A 50 word description of what the program offers.
An explanation (cause and effect language) of how that program could improve the wellbeing and development of individuals.
E.g. How might the specific program change the life of the individual and provide them with more opportunities and life chances? Come up with an example - almost like a 'before and after' scenario. What could they end up doing with their new skills?
Lesson 2 (optional) - Improving wellbeing and development in Niger.
The Street University is a series of programs designed to improve wellbeing and development in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Therefore it is designed to meet the needs of those particular residents in that paticular area.
What about areas of the world with a different set of problems such as low literacy, lots of babies being born per woman, low life expectancy, limited job opportunities, poor nutrition, poverty, etc.
Watch the video to the right on Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. What kind of programs could be offered to improve wellbeing and development of people in Niger?
Watch the video above on Niger.
Task - Part A
You are going to design a version of The Street University to be operated in the community in Niger.
You need to come up with 4 different programs that could be offered to residents of the community.
Each program MUST provide one way to provide skills, knowledge and/or experiences that can then improve the wellbeing and/or development opportunities of individuals living in this area.
Use the template - complete all the sections.
Example:
Name of Program
Niger Community Playgroup
Program Focus Area
Provision of community run daycare for children.
Description of what Program Offers
The program would be run by the mothers of the pre-school aged children who attend. They would take turns looking after the children in groups so that women could have some time away from their children but not leave them unattended.
Explanation of how this program improves wellbeing and development
Mothers can have some time to themselves or to tend to their older children. They could obtain part time work (if available). They could have time to relax so that they have more energy to handle life without feeling as stressed.
Task - Part B
You will use Minecraft to design a community hub that will house the different programs offered. The hub should have distinct areas for different purposes including:
The four main rooms to run the four programs.
A kitchen.
A communal area (shady/out of the sun).
Any other things you think are essential.
You will need to consider people of all ages and abilities being able to access all areas. Lack of resources and limited finances (need to keep things simple and cost-effective). Climate - hot sun all year round. Sustainability - how can you make the hub as energy efficient and long-lasting as possible?
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