Some Aboriginal high school students in South Eastern NSW have an opportunity to participate in a series of creative workshops to explore wellbeing, mental health and cultural identity. 

COORDINARE - South Eastern NSW PHN has worked in collaboration with proud Yuin and Thunghutti rapper Nooky to organise the two day workshops which have been designed to help put a focus on preventative health.  

Nowra-born Nooky hosts Triple J's Blak Out and is behind the Indigenous social enterprise We Are Warriors. Nooky, along with 3% members, recently won two 2024 ARIA awards. Nooky acknowledges the important role that mentors, including family have played in his life and work. 

COORDINARE's Aboriginal Health Consultant Taneka Longbottom said, “The creative process utilised in the workshops will aim to engage, support and empower youth to identify tools and resources that can better their health and wellbeing.” 

“Nooky will guide participants in creating songs to express their experiences and cultural identity through music,” said Ms Longbottom. 

“They’ll get to record some songs and develop skills in songwriting, beatmaking, and music recording. It’s all about young people feeling empowered, with greater awareness of support services and strategies for self-care and mental health,”  

Nooky recalls learning about Indigenous dance and culture at his primary school from two Yuin men. 

“Cecil McLeod and Richard Scott-Moore taught all the Koori boys at my school how to dance and about our traditions. It instilled pride in us and gave us confidence. I felt angry about racism and injustice experienced by our People. I wanted to be a freedom fighter and realised hip hop is how I’ll do that. Those mentors gave me a sense of leadership that helped me look after some of the younger kids,” Nooky said. 

Nooky explained how he does mentoring and workshops with ‘We Are Warriors’ all over the state. He makes a point of sharing with kids his experience of how teachers told him he wouldn’t amount to anything, but how he has got past that and achieved so much in his life. 

COORDINARE – South Eastern NSW PHN works with Aboriginal communities to address inequalities and improve health and wellbeing for communities in the South Eastern NSW region. Our website outlines some of the initiatives we support.