From a prison cell to the UN - what I heard in the silence | Satara Uthayakumaran | TEDxCanberra

Key Concepts

• Silences as Communication: The powerful idea that silence isn't emptiness, but a space holding untold stories and experiences.
• Bridging the Gap: The central metaphor of creating connections between different worlds – privilege and marginalization, power and vulnerability, spoken and unspoken languages.
• Amplifying Marginalized Voices: The core mission of the speaker’s role as Youth Representative, focusing on the experiences of young people in detention, remote communities, and with disabilities.
• Diverse Forms of Communication: Recognizing that language extends beyond spoken words to include art, music, sign language, and silence.
• Systemic Issues: The underlying problems of youth crime, poverty, lack of access to resources, and systemic biases impacting young Australians.

The Power of Listening: A Journey to Amplify Youth Voices in Australia

This presentation details the experiences and insights gained by Australia’s Youth Representative to the United Nations during a nine-month journey across the country, listening to the stories of young Australians, particularly those often silenced or marginalized. The core message revolves around the importance of recognizing and amplifying diverse voices, and building bridges between those in power and those impacted by systemic issues.

The Genesis of a Mission: From Personal Experience to National Representation

The speaker begins by recounting two formative experiences that shaped her understanding of silence and the need for connection. The first involves a 16-year-old boy in a juvenile detention center, whose initial silence was broken by the simple act of offering a pen and paper. This mirrored her childhood experience with her younger sister, Cara, who is Down syndrome, deaf, and non-verbal. During COVID-19 lockdowns, Cara’s music therapy moved online, leading to a period of profound silence. Her therapist’s innovative approach – playing loud, energetic music – sparked a response, and providing Cara with a tambourine unlocked her expression. The speaker states, “You are heard,” encapsulating the power of finding alternative communication methods. These experiences underscored the idea that silence doesn’t equate to absence of thought or feeling, but rather a different mode of expression.

A Nation’s Silences: The Scope of the Investigation

Appointed as Australia’s Youth Representative, the speaker embarked on a journey across Australia’s 7.7 million square kilometers, visiting diverse communities – from Tasmania to the Tiwi Islands, from urban centers to remote desert towns. She engaged with young people in prisons, out-of-home care, refugee centers, classrooms, and First Nations communities. The Tiwi Islands, specifically Waramianga, serve as a poignant example. Despite being a vibrant community rich in culture and resilience, the Tiwi people face systemic neglect, with basic needs like groceries and medical resources unmet, and a lack of political attention. This sense of abandonment is not isolated, but pervasive across the nation.

Witnessing Systemic Failures: Stories from the Front Lines

The speaker details harrowing encounters with young people facing significant challenges. She met children as young as 10 held in detention for extended periods, children wearing ankle monitors, and those joining gangs seeking a sense of belonging. She recounts the heartbreaking case of deaf children with disabilities being physically mistreated by police due to communication barriers. These experiences fueled a sense of urgency and a determination to amplify their voices. She notes a feeling that it was “a race to the bottom” witnessing the extent of the issues.

The Power of Letters: A Collective Voice Emerges

To gather and share these stories, the speaker initiated a letter-writing campaign, collecting thousands of letters from young people across Australia. These letters took various forms – written text, poems, and even transcriptions of spoken stories. The letters, addressed to the Prime Minister, revealed a common theme: a desire to be seen, heard, and valued. Examples of these letters are shared:

• Alice Springs: A young person highlights the cycle of youth crime stemming from unsafe home environments and the need for a shift in societal perception. “We need to change the stereotype because only when we are recognized can we change.”
• Christmas Island: Sophia describes the impact of pandemic isolation and the dashed hopes of refugee families. She also points to the economic hardship faced by residents, with fresh food costing triple the price.
• Regional Victoria: Charlotte expresses her ambition but fears being forced to leave her hometown due to financial constraints and the high cost of education.
• Bimbury Youth Detention Center: Malachi details the abuse and neglect he experienced in detention, including lack of access to his mother and the fear of homelessness upon release.

The Bridge to Power: From Parliament to the United Nations

The collected letters were presented to the Australian Parliament, physically laid on the desks of lawmakers, symbolizing a direct connection between the voices of young people and those in power. The speaker then carried these letters to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, becoming a “bridge” between Australian youth and the global stage. She describes the profound silence in the UN halls, a silence filled with the weight of the stories she carried. She emphasizes that she wasn’t speaking for these young people, but with them, recognizing their inherent worth and agency.

A Vision for the Future: A Call to Action

The speaker concludes with a powerful vision for a future where every child feels safe, valued, and empowered. This includes:

• Safe and Supportive Homes: Ensuring every child has a secure and nurturing home environment.
• Inclusive Education: Creating schools that cater to diverse learning styles and needs.
• Freedom and Safety in Communities: Allowing young people to move freely without fear of harm.
• Accessible Justice: Transforming the justice system from punitive to restorative, offering support rather than incarceration.
• Disability Inclusion: Removing barriers to participation for people with disabilities.
• Valuing Difference: Recognizing and celebrating diversity as a source of strength.

She urges everyone – teachers, community leaders, and individuals – to actively “build bridges” by listening in different languages, embracing diverse forms of expression, and meeting others halfway. She reiterates the core message: “You are seen, you are heard, and you matter.”

Technical Terms & Concepts

• Youth Representative to the United Nations: A role appointed by a nation to represent the views and concerns of its young people on the international stage.
• Systemic Issues: Problems deeply embedded within the structures of society, leading to ongoing inequalities and disadvantages.
• Restorative Justice: An approach to justice that focuses on repairing harm and rebuilding relationships, rather than solely on punishment.
• First Nations Mob: A term used to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
• Yarning Circles: A traditional Indigenous Australian practice of storytelling and sharing knowledge in a circular setting.

This presentation is a compelling call for empathy, understanding, and action. It highlights the urgent need to listen to and amplify the voices of young Australians, particularly those who are often marginalized, and to build a more just and equitable society for all.