Tiwi Island skin group culture standing its ground: The collective power to make change in a Western-influenced environment

Young people on the Tiwi Islands can see the need for strong cultural leaders in the future but they do not necessarily see themselves fi lling those big shoes. Young people need to be inspired to be leaders but lack of education and employment opportunities added to alcohol and drug use restricts and distracts. The Tiwi Elders have been striving to have their voices heard about the critical role that Tiwi culture plays in the development of young leaders. The project discussed in this paper is an Elder- directed initiative aimed at fi nding ways to develop young cultural leaders. It was found that a number of projects were underway with common threads of youth, culture and leadership. To realise the hopes and aspirations of the Tiwi Elders it is necessary to drive the collective momentum of these projects to enable young people to develop understanding of both Tiwi culture and Western knowledge systems. The Elder vision is in sight and their voices are gradually being heard.