A PARTNERSHIP between St Joseph’s School, Murgon, and the police drew praise at the 2015 Queensland Reconciliation Awards.
The Cherbourg Junior Police Rangers is an early-intervention program for Indigenous youth aged nine to 13.
The program was designed to provide practical life skills, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and enhance cultural awareness that minimises the risk of participants resorting to the misuse of alcohol, volatile substances and illicit drugs.
It also provides a sense of pride and purpose, encouraging participants to respect themselves, their culture and the wider community.
St Joseph’s Principal Greg Cran and Cherbourg police Officer-in-Charge Sergeant Scott Prendergast introduced the program to the school in June 2011.
The aim was to build resilience through creating positive role models within the Cherbourg community and create a sense of community spirit and pride in the students.
The junior rangers meet on a weekly basis and take part in a number of activities that directly relate to the core values of the program, which are “community”, “education”, “culture” and “police”.
They learn valuable new skills and gain new experiences not normally available to them.
The program provides the participants with the opportunity to interact with police in a “fun” and positive environment.
The young rangers learn basic drill, leadership activities, and community service as well as basic life and social skills, first aid, public speaking, learning about policing and making their communities safer.
These activities give the participants the skills and knowledge to deal well in today’s society.
The program involves up to nine staff, including three Police Liaison Officers, who have a strong understanding of Indigenous culture in the local community.
Cherbourg Community Elders have commented about the change in attitude in participants, in particular the increase in the level of respect shown to the Elders and the increase in community spirit and pride.
The program also has allowed for cross-cultural understanding by giving police in the community an opportunity to learn more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and the issues and challenges they faced.
