Yolngu Boy Film Analysis

Despite living in a time of formal equality respecting all forms of cultures, religions and genders, Indigenous Australian youth are still confronted by multitudinous challenges growing up in contemporary Australian society. This essay explores the film, ‘Yolngu Boy’ to gain an understanding of some of the issues and challenges Indigenous youth face today. The reasons investigated are why the Australian Indigenous youth are continuously being affected, connected and interdependent to both a dominate white culture and Indigenous culture.

Long histories of colonisation and discrimination have resulted in marginalisation of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders from dominant societies (GrantCraft, 2015). Aboriginal communities lost their culture

A large outcome of Indigenous Australians have been associated with deep fundamental causes such as racism, discrimination, having forced removal of their children, losing their identity, language, culture and land (Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2015). One crucial source of being marginalised among the Indigenous communities is un-educated men, women and children. In 2011, only 29% of Indigenous and Torres Straight Islanders completed year 12, compared to 52% of non-Indigenous people (Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2015). Being an un-educated Indigenous Australian, you are seen as a ‘no-hopper’ and ‘useless’. If participating in school but failing to succeed in important subjects such as, literacy and numeracy they can struggle to progress into future jobs and careers (ABC News, 2012). In remote Indigenous communities, 24% of schools offer a year 12 education to their citizens, however, 29% of these schools offer a year 10 education (Jens Korff, 2018). 36% of Indigenous Australians living in remote areas have access to a library (Jens Korff, 2018). In many Indigenous community’s students are eager and enthusiastic to learn, but not all are fortunate enough, due to not having enough opportunities and supplies. For example, in remote regions of Australia there has been a ‘massive shortage of teachers’, and the numbers are expected to decrease as older

Racism impacts on their lives significantly, it can lead to mental health disorders, social anxiety or anxiety, depression (high rates of suicide) and physiological distress (Cara O’Donnell). Suicide in Aboriginal communities are extremely high. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in custody (RCIADIC, 1991) drew the attention to the links between mental health disorders linking months before most deaths that are investigated. It also features the disproportionate number of these deaths, which is over three-quarters where there have been former times of being forcibly separated from their families and children. The interconnected issues of cultural dislocation, personal trauma and the continues pressure of disadvantages, racism, alienation and exclusion were all acknowledge by the Commission as contributing to the heightened risk of mental health problems, substance misuse and suicide (Health.gov.au, 2013). Unfortunately, 95% of Aboriginal people in Australia are affected by suicide, either from their family or friends, or they commit suicide themselves which creates a chain reaction leading to such a great percentage of people affected (Jens Korff, 2018). Between 2007 to 2011, 75% of child suicides where Aboriginal children, and in 2011, 80% of Aboriginal youth aged 10 to 24 were