Testimonials

A young and pregnant Indigenous girl had been waiting to be sentenced by the Court to a jail term for various offences. She was under advice that as soon as the child was born it would be removed from her and placed into foster care. She started seeing her Employment & Training Advisor, and they agreed she would come in everyday and do some Budda Jitja courses to keep her self esteem up, motivate her and support her regardless of the impending term.

When she finally went to Court she offered as evidence all of her Certificates from Budda Jitja to show she was making an attempt to improve herself. The Judge, after reading the Certificates, said to her...  

“These courses that you have completed are a clear indication to me that you have been taking note of the things I have asked of you. Obviously, you are making a determined attempt to continue educating yourself and I see that as positive. So, based on this, I have decided to suspend your jail sentence and place you on a bond."

This is a story of a single mother from Blacktown NSW, who was registered for government payments for 63 weeks and caring for a 10 year old behaviourally challenged son.   When she first came to her Job Services provider, this ‘jitja’ would hardly say a word.

When she eventually began to talk, she revealed that she had been a victim of domestic violence - which had taken away a lot of her confidence in dealing with people.  She had also been involved with an Aboriginal Women’s Refuge as both a resident and volunteer.

In June 2008 when Budda-Jitja was launched, she was introduced to the program and hesitantly began the first module. After completing it, she became hungry for more and would come into her Job Services provider whenever she could - eventually completing 8 modules in total. She was so proud of her achievement and all she could talk about was how proud her children were of her for “finally completing something”. 

When she was told that she was considered a ‘Graduate’ of the Budda-Jitja program, she beamed with pride. This ‘jitja’ now has the confidence to participate in job searching activities and is a step closer to realising her potential.

Living Black is Australia’s premier Indigenous current affairs program. Living Black covered the first Budda-Jitja graduation attended by the Minister for Employment Participation, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP.