PORTBOUND ART HELPS YOUTH STAY ON TRACK

24-09-2009
The Portbound Pilbara and Health Festival focused on healthy life choices and saying “No” to risky behaviours, and presented these themes to local young people in an unexpected way – as Art.

Professional Urban Art artist Hurben, ‘wheeled out the demons’ in his Portbound piece, allowing young people to share and develop prevention messages.

“The artwork shows a young guy pushing out the unhealthy influences in his life and resisting pressures that young people are often faced with. The basket shows the ‘temptation’ of the these behaviours on the youngster in his efforts to ‘Stay on Track’,” Hurben said.

Town of Port Hedland Manager for Community and Economic Development Julie Broad said the artwork component of the Port bound Festival was designed to give at-risk young people an opportunity to explore their personal issues through creativity.

“Over 1,200 young people attending the final Portbound event, and many coming from surrounding communities. The urban artwork showed that participants could use this as a way to express their ideas in a safe, non-threatening environment.  Hurben’s work, and the many other stalls at the festival, conveyed positive learning experiences for the young crew attending, as well as encouraging them to get physically active and become more aware of the risks of unhealthy behaviours.”

The urban artwork was funded by the “Staying on Track” partnership project between the Telethon Institute of Child Health & BHP Billiton Iron Ore.  The project aims to discourage young people to get involved in unhealthy and substance abusive related behaviours.

Town Mayor Stan Martin said he was pleased to see partnerships bringing significant financial support to enable projects such as these to become reality.

"This Urban Art project played a vital role in encouraging young people to make healthy decisions, exposing them to a large-scale healthy message.  The Portbound event was a true success story and Council hopes to see it become an iconic annual event for the Town and its young community.”

For further information, contact the Town of Port Hedland’s Community and Economic Development Services on 9158 9300.

 

urban artPortbound organisers

Above, Urban Artist Hurben with artwork and below event organisers: Manager for Community and Economic Development Services Julie Broad and Events officer Erin Stewart from the Town of Port Hedland and Kim Wiltshire from the South Hedland New Living Project

Chris Adams

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

25 September 2009

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Media contacts

 

Town of Port Hedland:            Veronique Thomas-Smith (08) 9158 9355

publicityofficer@porthedland.wa.gov.au

 

Last modified 24-09-2009 03:31 PM