Yarning justice, gathering stories
Ngaga-dji is based on listening, valuing and acting on the voices of children in our communities. Born out of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement, Ngaga-dji tells the stories of children that society silences with incarceration and stigma.

Over six months, KYC engaged with four community sites (including rural, regional and metro) and two youth justice custodial centres to meet 42 children and young people who were currently or previously under youth justice supervision. Participants represented a range of ages, from among the youngest to the oldest children in the system. We also spoke to some over-18 participants who reflected on their time as children in youth justice. Participants had experienced a range of contact with the justice system, including:

• police cautioning
• police custody
• courts (mainstream and Children’s Koori Court)
• diversion
• good behaviour bond
• incarceration (youth justice custody) on remand and sentenced
• community-based order.

Engagement took the form of group yarning circles and individual interviews. These yarns enabled participants to lead conversations to ensure their safety and confidentiality. Discussions spanned Aboriginal children’s lives in community before coming into contact with the youth justice system, their experiences in the system and return to community (where applicable). This methodology enabled a deep understanding of the children and young people’s lives, personal experiences and communities that is reflected in these stories and advocacy.

The engagement plan for this project was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services Human Research Ethics Committee, reference number: 19/16.