The first time Tanya truly saw the beauty of Mparntwe was when she returned home after years away. Driving in from the airport, the MacDonnell Ranges rose before her, and something shifted in her perception. The landscape she had taken for granted as a child suddenly revealed itself as extraordinary. This moment mirrors what happens in their work with young people – helping them see themselves and their community through fresh eyes, recognizing beauty and possibility where others might see only problems.

Tanya's path through law has taken her from the Supreme Court of Victoria to remote communities under gum trees, from child protection cases to family mediations with a 95% success rate. Through these diverse experiences, one truth has become increasingly clear: justice emerges through relationship, not merely through proper application of legal principles.

In Alice Springs, young people navigate complex landscapes – both the literal country around them and the often-contradictory expectations of different worlds. The systems designed to support them frequently fail to recognize the deeper contexts that shape their experiences and behaviors. Media narratives reduce complex realities to simplistic stories of dysfunction, missing the strength, resilience, and possibility that exist alongside very real challenges.

She remembers sitting with a young girl during a basketball game, watching her light up as she contemplated joining a team. This simple outing – something many families take for granted – represented a new possibility, a glimpse of belonging in a community space she hadn't previously felt welcome to enter. The barriers weren't just practical (though those existed too – no one to help complete the sports voucher form, no transport to games) but relational – not seeing herself reflected in these spaces, not having pathways to participation.

These moments matter. When young people discover new possibilities, when they experience belonging in diverse community contexts, something fundamental shifts in how they see themselves and their future. Oonchiumpa's role isn't to "fix" young people but to walk alongside them, helping them navigate between worlds while strengthening their sense of who they are and where they come from.

The historical context shapes everything about the current reality in Alice Springs. The policies that removed children, displaced families, and attempted to sever cultural connections haven't just disappeared – their impacts continue to reverberate through generations. When Tanya conducts cultural awareness sessions with health professionals who've lived in Alice for decades, they often weep upon learning histories they never knew, finally understanding contexts that make sense of what they witness daily.

This historical understanding isn't about assigning blame but about creating foundations for genuine change. They cannot address present challenges without acknowledging their roots. Young people deserve to understand the broader stories that have shaped their families and communities – not to burden them with historical trauma, but to help them locate their own experiences within contexts that make sense of their reality.

As a mediator, Tanya learned that resolution comes not from imposing solutions but from creating spaces where all voices can be heard, where different perspectives can find common ground. This approach guides how they work with young people at Oonchiumpa – not telling them who they should be or what they should do, but creating opportunities for them to discover their own pathways, supported by cultural connection and practical skills.

Cultural brokerage forms a critical aspect of their approach. Young people often fall through gaps between services not because support doesn't exist, but because navigating complex systems requires resources they don't yet have. Something as simple as helping complete a sports voucher form or connecting them with a youth-friendly doctor can open doors that previously seemed locked. These practical supports build trust that allows deeper engagement with questions of identity and purpose.

The most powerful aspect of their work isn't what they do for young people, but what they help them discover about themselves. When a young person recognizes their own capacity, when they connect with cultural strength that has sustained their people through immense challenges, something fundamental shifts in how they approach life's difficulties.

Tanya has witnessed this transformation repeatedly – young people who were defined by systems as "problems" revealing themselves as leaders, mentors, and knowledge-holders when given the right opportunities and support. This isn't about dramatic intervention but about consistent presence, authentic relationship, and genuine belief in their fundamental worth and potential.

The vision driving Oonchiumpa extends beyond individual transformation to community healing. They seek not just to support young people navigating current systems but to transform those systems through Aboriginal leadership and cultural knowledge. They envision a future where young people don't have to choose between cultural identity and contemporary opportunity – where they can move confidently between worlds, drawing strength from ancient wisdom while engaging with modern possibilities.

This vision requires partnership across different sectors of the community. It means businesses opening doors for young people to gain experience and skills. It means schools creating spaces where cultural knowledge is valued alongside academic learning. It means government agencies supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives rather than imposing external solutions.

Most fundamentally, it means seeing young people not as problems to be fixed but as bearers of possibility – the generation who might heal historical wounds while creating new pathways forward. Oonchiumpa's role is simply to walk alongside them, offering guidance when needed, stepping back when appropriate, always believing in their capacity to navigate between worlds with strength and purpose.

The path forward isn't simple, but nothing worthwhile ever is. As they continue this journey of supporting young people in Mparntwe, Tanya draws strength from witnessing their resilience, their humor, their profound capacity for growth when given the right opportunities. They are not merely the future of the community – they are its present hope, already contributing in ways that often go unrecognized but that matter deeply to the heart of this place they call home.