The statistics relating to young Indigenous people and educational retention and attainment as well as employment have been widely stated. However, less clear, is what can be done to support Indigenous youth to achieve their aspirations in these and other areas. Whilst current literature suggests that the aspirations of Indigenous youth vary, there is a consistent theme suggesting that alternative models of engaging young people may provide a different approach for Indigenous youth to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve their aspirations.

The role of out-of-school-hours programs and activities as a tool for developing both academic and personal skills among young people has gained more and more prominence through national policy and funding in many countries as well as in the international development sector.  These activities or programs, which can be any of the following; extra-curricular activities, out-of-school-hours programs, youth programs or youth development programs, have received prominent funding in both the United States and United Kingdom, with Australia recently starting to follow suit.  These programs tend to be broad in scope and objectives and access a variety of mediums such as sport, the arts, media and ICT to engage young people and develop their skills and broaden their experiences. 

The literature evaluating such programs is overwhelmingly positive in describing the impact of such initiatives, and it is accepted by both practitioners and policy makers as a successful venture.  However whilst we know these programs have an impact, there is still not a clear understanding how to measure the nature and extent of these impacts and the factors and variables that determine them.  A clearer understanding and measurement of participation, engagement and outcomes within the social ecology of youth participants and the organisation have been highlighted as key needs to support the further development of this sector.  This seminar will discuss these issues in relation to a new national model aimed at supporting the development and achievement of young Indigenous peoples’ aspirations. The scope of the research project is to understand the aspirations of young Indigenous youth and how a new model focusing on sports, arts and cultural programs supports young Indigenous people to achieve their aspirations.