IPHA is partnering with Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation, providing $1,500 towards the costs of establishing Youth Yarning Gardens at Oxley, Qld.

Sheryl Batchelor will manage the project to create a healing garden where the youth who come into their service can learn about horticulture & basic plant care (such as seed raising, planting, caring for gardens, lifecycles of plants etc), medicinal native plants of their own Aboriginal Heritage, and create a space where they can engage in other healing activities such as yarning circles with their Indigenous artist and youth work healers.

A traditional owner will be involved, with access to resources and experts from University of QLD, who can assist in providing information about the native plants.

Yilyapinya is an Indigenous led, not for profit organisation, dedicated to brain health and healing for young people (mainly indigenous), families and the workforce. They provide personalised, evidence-informed, applied neuroscience programs using an ecological approach to improve holistic wellbeing. See www.yiliyapinya.org.au

Update: Summer 2025

The project aims for Term 1 include:

  • Introduce the project to the young people. Have the young people ideate their vision for the space. Can include a meditation session in this space to ground ourselves and understand the land better.
  • Take the kids to a local Native Garden – ‘Benarrawa’ – with whom our Traditional Owner Teacher Aide has an existing relationship – to learn about the plants before we start selecting some for our own garden.
  • Talk with local experts (eg Andrew Pengelly, or the Nursery staff at Indigiscapes) and purchase a range of native medicinal / culinary use plants – ideally tubestock, and local to the area.
  • Purchase some low-cost pest barriers to keep the local possums away.
  • Purchase plants and soil.
  • Purchase gardening implements (eg gardening glovers for youth, some basic tools such as hand trowels, buckets, a hose for watering)
  • Create some laminated Identification and information cards that will stay outdoor with the plants.

The project will conclude at the end of Term 2, 2025.