People of the Mountains and the Sea by The Black Ducks

Added by Desert Pea Media

Description This production was written, recorded and filmed over 5 days in March 2015 in the community of Eden - on the South Coast of NSW (Yuin and Monaro country) as part of a Desert Pea Media (DPM) project.

The project came about through a partnership between DPM, The Smugglers of Light Foundation, UN Ltd, APRA and Eden Marine High School.

The fantastic staff at Eden Marine High School made contact with local elder, storyteller and cultural leader - Ozzie Cruse. Ozzie became a collaborator, and spent time teaching our participants about language, culture and heritage.

This information was then directed into a narrative structure by local young people and Desert Pea Media staff. With the musical direction of DPM guru Joel 'Roc West' Westlake and the rest of the creative team, we then turned the narrative into this awesome song.

So this story is past, present, and future. Holding the morals/ideals and lessons that come from culture and heritage, allowing those lessons to help us navigate the struggles of today, and using the inherent strength in country and community to create a positive, respectful and inclusive future for all Australians.

Part of an ongoing mentoring program - a partnership between Desert Pea Media, Smugglers of Light Foundation, UN Ltd, Tagai State College and APRA. 'Two Worlds' is long - awaited second production from Tagai Buway, who also featured on DPM's debut album 'Song Nation Volume 1'.

The crew from Thursday Island are also part of the DPM All-Stars - a hand picked group of Indigenous young people that came to Sydney to write and record a song about the UN Declaration of Human Rights for Indigenous People in partnership with UNICEF and performed at the 2014 Yabun Festival on Australia Day.

This song was written collaboratively with staff from Tagai State College on Thursday Island, local young people and elders, Toby Finlayson, Aunty Gail Mabo and Joel 'Roc West' Westlake from Desert Pea Media.

The story was developed around the concept of living in two worlds - traditional and contemporary. The participants identified the importance of pride, spirit and strength that comes from traditional islander culture, and the vitality of life on the islands. It is only through knowledge and understanding that young TSI people can survive in this rapidly changing contemporary culture.

And survive they will. As sure as the sun will rise.

This project was written, recorded and filmed in four days by Desert Pea Media artists, and co-written/ directed/ performed by students from Mian School in Dubbo, which runs alternative education programs for disengaged young people. They're the Last Chance Crew.

Attendance rates for Indigenous young people in Central West NSW are alarmingly lower than non-Indigenous students, and this program sought to create dialogue around these issues.

What prevents Indigenous young people engaging at school? Where does it come from? What does it mean for their future? How can it change? Will it change? Whose choice is it? What are YOU gunna do?