Kids, skidoos and carribou: the junior Canadian ranger program as a model for re-engaging Indigenous Australian youth in remote areas

Abstract

The social and educational disengagement of Indigenous youth, who see education and training as irrelevant to their lives and experiences,is a looming crisis for many Indigenous communities in remote Australia. This paper is an exploration of a youth program in Canada, the Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs), that addresses a similar crisis in that country. The Canadian program is of national importance to Canada in the context of not only community stability and capacity development but also border security, marine management in coastal areas and in search and rescue services. While Australia has an Defence Force Cadel program that operates in a limited number of Indigenous communities, it is a more traditional and much smaller cadel program. This paper suggests there is a value in adapting some of the components of the Canadian program in Australia.