Rosie Bell is a powerful and credible voice with wise ideas. She is an Aboriginal woman from the Quandamooka region on Stradbroke Island.

 

For the past 20 years she’s worked with young people and their families helping them achieve independence and reach their goals and aspirations.

 

She’s been doing this work at YFS since 2009 as an Early Intervention Mental Health Case Manager with the Burrabilly team, now part of the Step by Step program.

 

Based on her experience and the work she does at YFS, Rosie was invited to participate in one of a national series of roundtables convened around the country by The University of Western Australia (UWA), in partnership with the Telethon Kids Institute, to discuss critical issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community suicide prevention needs.

 

“Sometimes I get to be the voice, like at this roundtable. I felt empowered and thankful for a great experience. I enter into jobs with purpose of service. My whole goal in life is service: service to my family and service to my community.”

 

Her voice made it to national television after being interviewed by the ABC about youth suicide rates among the Indigenous population and her participation in the roundtable discussion back in March 2014.

 

Rosie was eager to tell her story. But she knows it’s not only hers. It’s actually the story of a whole community; of vulnerable young people that experience uncertainty every day and require support and advocacy. She was their voice.

 

That same voice comes to work at YFS every day.

 

“Families need to be supported to be strong. We need to put support into building resilience into our children in schools.

We need to walk with them, so they can stand tall and arise out

of their difficulties."

 

“Our approach is effective. We will always look for effective strategies in working in community.”

 

 

 

 

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“My goal in life is to serve.

This is just who I am. Since I started at YFS, I absolutely love it.”

 

 

 

“We provide intensive planned support. It’s a wrap around support. That struck me when I came to YFS. Then I thought: I like this structure.

I have the autonomy to work in an Aboriginal community and wrap around the family.”

 

 

 

“The roundtable was what I expected. We had an agenda. They put the pens down and started talking. We were all on the same page.”

 

 

 

“You have to have heart, knowledge, empathy and understanding of what you’re doing. Case management allows us to do that. It gives us rules on how we must engage.”

YFS is funded by the Australian Government and the Queensland Government.

YFS acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are Australia's First Peoples and the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we meet and work.