Detention Is Not My Home

"Detention. That's not my home." Jackquann, 14, on what detention interrupts and what he actually wants.

He Trusts Us. We Earned That Trust.

"He trusts us. We earned that trust." Fred Campbell on Xavier — what happens when services don't give up.

Programs and Looking After My Family

Two young people on what matters: "Programs." "Look after my family." "Go to school every day."

Court Is Scary Because You Don't Know Whether You're Getting Out

"Court is scary because you don't know whether you're getting out or not." Laquisha, 16, sent to Darwin 1,500km from home.

Our Young People Are Just Collateral in a Bigger Issue

"Our young people, unfortunately, are just collateral in a bigger issue. The issue doesn't sit with them." - Tanya Turner

Going Away From My Family

"Bad. Like, going away from my family and stuff." Nigel, 14, on what detention takes away.

Codex Public Flow 1775939754316

A compact draft used to verify the newsletter derivative flow end to end.

Snow Foundation Year In Review 2025

Celebrity Gambling Influence: How Gambling Is Normalised for Youth

Explore how celebrity influence is shaping young people’s attitudes to gambling, and learn how families and communities can respond with support.

Parliamentary Friends for ending Rheumatic Heart Disease at Parliament House

2025 Deadly Heart Trek Report

The Reintegration Puzzle Story Portal

This remodelled pay phone, debuting at the Reintegration Puzzle Conference in Sydney, is designed to reshape narratives around reintegration and foster meaningful connections between conference participants, organisers and the community.

Seeds of Change: Walking with Elders and Youth on Kalkadoon Country

Returning to Kalkadoon Country (Mount Isa) became a profound lesson in community-led change. Supporting Brodie's evolution as a youth mentor, I witnessed wisdom flowing from two key elders: Uncle George, whose decades as a Police Liaison Officer taught him that real youth work happens through consistent presence, and Gary at the Men's Shed, whose practical approach shows how healing happens through doing. A simple create bed project wove through these conversations, transforming from initial setbacks into moments of dignity and connection - particularly when building with community members like Mark. Aunty Joan's careful preservation of cultural knowledge through her self-taught writing grounded these experiences in deeper tradition, reminding us that Indigenous wisdom offers pathways through modern challenges. As Uncle George said, "If you speak from the heart and you tell, and you say the right things and you speak the truth, people listen" - a guidance that proved true throughout this journey of learning and connection on Kalkadoon Country.

The Spirit Must Be Strong

Through his work with Palm Island's rangers, Richard Cassidy shows how meaningful change happens when young people find their identity through both cultural connection and purposeful action - creating transformation that moves at the speed of ceremony rather than commerce.

Wilya Janta: A Paradigm Shift in Housing for Remote Aboriginal Communities

Tonight reminded us that the solutions we seek already exist in Aboriginal wisdom and ways of doing - we just need to listen, learn, and follow proper protocols in bringing them into the present.

History's wounds and tomorrow's possibilities

In these margins where official histories fail, the Bloomfield family writes their own story - one nail, one beam, one shared meal at a time. This is sovereignty. This is self-determination. This is the future, being built with hands that know both the weight of history and the lightness of hope.

Oonchiumpa: What Happens When Community Leads

Bringing Kids Back to Country

The Cure Already Exists

There is a room I want you to sit in. It is small. The light is fluorescent. We spend $1.3 million a year per child to put them there. And 85 percent go straight back in. The cure already exists — in communities already doing the work.

Why Australia's Youth Justice System Is Failing — And What Community-Led Solutions Are Already Proving Works

It costs AUD 2,355 per day to detain a child in Brisbane Youth Detention — AUD 859,575 per year — for an 84% reoffending rate. Meanwhile, community-led programs achieve 88% success at AUD 75/day. The evidence is not missing. The political will to act on it is.

Intimate Relationships in Australia

Growing Women’s Giving in Australia Report

February 2026 Newsletter

Hello everyone, welcome to the February 2026 edition of our June Canavan Foundation newsletter. For those of you on the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane, we would love to see you at our gathering of June’s community on Saturday 28th March.   Please come along to help us shape the fi...

After the Flood

How the 2022 floods devastated the oyster leases and how the farming community pulled together to rebuild.

Grading Day

The art and labour of grading Sydney Rock oysters — teaching the next generation about quality and pride in craft.

Just Be There for Them

Henry Doyle, a young Aboriginal man born and raised on Palm Island, works in youth services helping kids who've fallen through the cracks. From organising footy teams to converting a bakery into a youth hub.

When You're at Bush, You Can Be Yourself

Brodie Germaine, a young Pita Pita Wayaka man from Mount Isa, reflects on taking young people out to the Junction on Kalkadoon country through his BG Fit program.

Creating Our Own History

Kylie Bloomfield speaks powerfully about creating new history on ancestral land. Welcoming school groups, building intergenerational enterprise, and watching her father see the family homestead restored.

Coming Home to Love's Creek

Henry Bloomfield, a 67-year-old Elder, shares the multi-generational story of the Bloomfield family's deep connection to Love's Creek station in Central Australia.

Finding a Reason to Get Out of Bed

In a raw men's group session on Palm Island, an Elder facilitator challenges the men to examine what gets them out of bed each morning. confronting the cycle of addiction, dependency, and self-punishment.

Speak From the Heart and They Will Listen

Uncle George Leon, a Kalkadoon Elder in Mount Isa, spent decades as a Police Liaison Officer engaging four to five hundred kids a week in schools, building trust through tough love.

Where the Country Calls Me Home

Dianne Stokes, a traditional owner in Tennant Creek, has spent twenty-four years transforming bare country into a home, starting with nothing but her car for shelter.

The Little Boat Called Ivy May

Iris, a sixty-five-year-old Elder on Palm Island, tells the story of her father building a small boat called the Ivy May to row to Possum Island and feed the family on turtle, fish, and damper.

The Morning Tide

Three generations of oyster farming on the river — reading the tides, the seasons, and the signs that nature provides.

Pakkimjalki Kari: Beds, Washing Machines, and the Blessings We Share

When a brand-new washing machine arrives at Alba Camp in Tennant Creek, Dianne Stokes can't contain her joy. This is the story of beds, washing machines, and what happens when a community decides that the most basic goods — the ones most Australians take for granted — are blessings worth sharing.

The Last of the Timber Men

Barry Rodgerig grew up in the Sunshine Coast hinterland when timber was king. His mother made it to ninety-one and chose her own exit. This is the story of a man shaped by sawmills, sovereignty, and the quiet authority of knowing when enough is enough.

Orange Sky Laundromats

Find out how Orange Sky Laundromats positively connect communities through collaboration and free services.

Canberra Foundations Collaborative opens grant round with $1 million for local community organisations

Supporting Frontline Responses to Homelessness in Queensland

Orange Sky shares insights from creating homelessness education for frontline responders in Queensland, supporting respectful interactions.

Snow Entrepreneurs Fellowships for Social Change Evaluation Report

Digital Addiction in Young Australians: Signs, Support & Recovery

Explore Digital Addiction in young Australians – signs, stats and smart recovery tools to help reclaim balance in screen-driven lives.

Confit Pathways

Confit Pathways: Empowering young people through fitness, mentorship, and community to break the cycle of recidivism.

A Comparative Analysis of Youth Justice Systems in Spain and Australia

This comparative analysis delves into the distinct approaches taken by Spain and Australia in addressing youth crime, examining their models, practices, and underlying principles.

The Courage to Connect: How Authentic Relationships Transform Youth in Detention

This scene, repeated countless times across Diagrama's centres, illuminates what might be the most revolutionary aspect of their approach: the primacy of relationship in the work of transformation.

Rethinking Youth Justice Funding in Queensland: Prioritising Grassroots Solutions Over Bureaucracy

Queensland’s Staying on Track and Regional Reset programs represent a $225 million investment in youth justice rehabilitation and early intervention. While these initiatives have the potential to reduce youth reoffending and support at-risk youth, their success depends on who receives the funding. If large organizations dominate the grants, a significant portion could be absorbed by administrative costs and bureaucracy, rather than directly reaching young people and community-based solutions.

Walking New Paths: Reflections from Bimberi

Through patient observation and deep listening at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, young people's connection to sneaker culture sparked a journey of creative possibility, where their designs now carry stories of hope beyond institutional walls - reminding us that transformation begins when we honor young people's vision for their own futures.

Where Fire Meets Country: A Journey Through Mount Isa's NAIDOC week

The red dust of Mount Isa carries stories. In every particle that rises with the morning wind, there are memories of connection, rupture, and the profound work of mending.

The Diagrama Model: A Transformative Approach to Youth Justice

The Diagrama Model transforms youth justice by shifting from punishment to rehabilitation. It operates education-driven, therapy-supported re-education centers where young offenders receive individualized care, vocational training, and strong mentorship to break cycles of reoffending. Unlike traditional detention, Diagrama fosters positive relationships, autonomy-building, and community integration, leading to lower recidivism rates and better long-term outcomes. The model is cost-effective, humane, and adaptable, making it a promising alternative for youth justice reform in Australia and beyond.

Inquiry into the Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024 - Submission

This submission addresses the urgent need for a transformative approach to youth justice in Queensland.

From Punishment to Potential: Lessons from Spain's Innovative Youth Justice Model - Day 1 with Diagrama

A youth justice change advocate's eye-opening visit to Spain's Diagrama youth detention centers reveals a transformative approach to juvenile rehabilitation that prioritizes positive relationships, personalised support, and hope for a better future.

Richard Cassidy - Our Story

Richard Cassidy shares Indigenous wisdom through storytelling, navigating traditional and Western knowledge systems while empowering future generations to connect with country and culture.

Queensland Government Spending on Youth Justice and Community Safety

The Queensland government is increasing spending on youth detention despite evidence that it is ineffective and expensive, while also investing in community safety and youth programs to address the root causes of youth crime.

Beyond Walls: What Spanish Youth Detention Centers Taught Me About Seeing Humanity First

"We're not just enforcing a sentence to pass the months until they leave. We're here to work with them, to transmit values, to show them there's a different way."

Youth Detention and Youth Justice Models in Europe: A Comparative Overview

This report provides a comparative overview of youth detention and youth justice models in six European countries: Spain, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.

ReSOLEution

Craft Your Future, One Sole at a Time

The Nature of Power: How Control Shapes Youth Justice

Power shapes the very core of our justice system, particularly when it comes to youth justice.

Diagrama Foundation's Impact on Spain's Youth Detention System

The Diagrama Foundation is a non-profit organisation that has transformed Spain’s youth detention system through its rehabilitation-first approach. Since 1991, it has focused on education, vocational training, and social reintegration, reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for young offenders.

Breaking Bread, Breaking Chains: When Two Worlds Collide

The choice is ours. But remember: every day we choose fear over faith, punishment over possibility, we're not just failing our young people. We're failing our own humanity.

Navigating Two Worlds: Cultural Authority and Youth Empowerment in Mparntwe

Reflections on creating culturally-led pathways for young people to connect with identity and purpose while navigating contemporary challenges in Central Australia.

Beyond Shadows: Plato's Cave and the Reimagining of Youth Justice in Australia

Last week, I stood at the entrance of what scholars believe could have been the inspiration for Plato's famous allegory—a cave nestled in the ancient hills outside Athens. As sunlight filtered through craggy stone, casting dancing patterns at my feet, I felt the weight of 2,400 years of human wisdom pressing upon me.

ReSOLEution at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre

ReSOLEution turns young people in detention from sneaker consumers into sneaker creators. After noticing how shoes were a source of pride and identity for youth at Bimberi, we're launching a program where they'll design and customise their own sneakers.

The Road to Hell: When Youth Justice Efforts Backfire

The Iatrogenic Problem in Youth Justice

Connecting Communities: A Network for Justice Reinvestment

We're building a nationwide network to connect and amplify the efforts of 26 communities across Australia

Community at the Core: Empowering Local Solutions in Youth Justice

This blog explores how community-led approaches and Indigenous-led solutions provide more effective and long-lasting alternatives to the punitive measures currently driving youth justice policy.

Kickin It with DeadlyLabs: Igniting STEM Passions in Youth Detention

The Genesis of Kickin' It

From Trouble to Transformation: The CAMPFIRE Journey

Stories from the frontlines of Indigenous youth empowerment in Queensland's Lower Gulf

A Hero's Journey from Addiction to Inspiration: The Life of Vic

Exploring the influence of social media on communication.

Creating Spaces for Growth: The Physical and Emotional Environment of Transformation

"The environment is not separate from our therapeutic approach – it is integral to it," explains Teresa, a facility director. "What does a concrete cell with steel furniture communicate? That the young person is dangerous, untrustworthy, unworthy of beauty or comfort. We choose to communicate something different."

Beyond Cases and Problems: Relationship-Based Justice in Central Australia

Reflections on bridging legal systems and cultural knowledge to create meaningful pathways for young people caught between worlds in Mparntwe.

Beyond Systems: A Day with Jackqwann in the Heart of Australia

In Alice Springs' shimmering heat, I sat beside a young man named Jackqwann whose rap lyrics cut straight to the heart of what it means to stand at the crossroads of identity and belonging:

From Shadows to Spotlight: Joe Kwon's Redemption and the Rise of ConFit

Explore the transformative story of Joe Kwon, who overcame a life of crime to create ConFit, a social enterprise that redefines the lives of ex-inmates through fitness, education, and community support.

Achieving Gold-Standard Youth Crime Prevention: Designing Programs That Transform Lives

Government investment in youth crime prevention is a welcome and timely step. To truly transform young lives and enhance community safety, however, programs must meet a gold standard of design and delivery. This position paper outlines a vision for gold-standard youth crime prevention and practical guidance on designing “kickstarter” initiatives that change life trajectories for at-risk youth.

The Paradox of Youth Justice and Entropy: Navigating the Chaos Towards Hope

Exploring the intersection of entropy and youth justice in Australia, this post advocates for a transformative approach that shifts from punitive measures to innovative support systems for young people.

The Necessity of State Government in Australia: A Queensland Perspective

The debate continues over whether Australia’s federal system should remain or be restructured for greater efficiency and responsiveness.

From Control to Care: Reimagining Staff Roles in Youth Justice

In my third reflection from Spain's Diagrama centres, I witness a profound reimagining of what it means to work with troubled youth.

Spotlight on Changemaker: Brodie Germaine

Brodie Germaine, founder of BG Fit, is transforming youth empowerment in Queenslands Lower Gulf.

Hamilton's Odyssey: Igniting Transformation Through ConFit Pathways

From the Shadows to the Summit

Hamilton's Story

Gaith's Story

Eddie / Confit Mentee's Story

Mount Isa Bush Camp — First One on Country

The first BG Fit bush camp took 12 young people on country near Mount Isa for three days of cultural connection and Elder guidance.

Why I Started BG Fit

Brodie shares the founding story of BG Fit — born from witnessing too many Indigenous young people cycling through the justice system without support.

Moana — Confit Pathways

Brodie's Story

Spinifex Residential — Getting Through to the Hard Cases

BG Fit's program at Spinifex Residential works with young people in out-of-home care and the justice system, using sport to build trust.

Dani — Confit Pathways

Doomadgee Camp — Taking It Remote

BG Fit's Doomadgee bush camp brought fitness and cultural activities to one of Queensland's most remote Indigenous communities.

Joe — Confit Pathways

Mount Isa Trip — Confit Pathways

Metan Bacir Kapula / Confit Mentee's Story

Vireak / Confit Mentor's Story

Knox / Confit Mentee's Story

Tina McPhee - Story's Story

Tuesday Gym Sessions — Building Consistency

BG Fit's weekly Tuesday gym sessions at Mount Isa PCYC have grown from 5 to 20 regular attendees, building trust through consistency.