Regarded as one of Western Australia’s most prominent Young Aboriginal people, Brooke Blurton is already making a real difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health issues.
She works with young vulnerable youth exposed to severe abuse, including those who have been in and out of foster homes, expelled from school or have become homeless.
Current Work:
A strong resilient Noongar-Yamatji woman, Brooke’s own childhood was marred by tragedy. Losing her mother to suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse occurring in her family. Brooke grew up determined to help young people who might be dealing with similar issues. As a youth worker, Brooke has developed her passion for working with the community and implementing strategies to educate young people about essential life skills, reflecting on her own journey through life.
Brooke is also a facilitator of ‘Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid’ - a course designed to help people obtain a nationally accredited certificate in recognising the symptoms of mental illness and for people to better understand how to offer support as a ‘First Aider’.
She also has supported Government Initiatives, such as an Alternative Learning Setting and a Full-Service School model in which both models are supporting young people to develop coping skills, manage their behaviour through sport, art and a range of other pursuits.
Thanks to her appearance on The Bachelorette Australia (2021), Brooke has been able to reach more young people through her legion of social media followers.
With her newfound fame, she has been able to highlight that while you can go through the worst in life, you can overcome to be a better person.
Video
How do you introduce yourself? | Brooke Blurton | TEDxUWA
"The girl from The Bachelor"..."not Aboriginal enough"..."not white enough"... for most of her life, Brooke had been given labels and identities from the world, that she didn't identify with. In this talk, she shares the harrowing reality of losing her true identity and why it became so important and powerful to reclaim it. As one of Western Australia’s most prominent young Aboriginal people, Brooke Blurton is already making a real difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health issues. She works with young vulnerable youth exposed to severe abuse, including those who have been in and out of foster homes, expelled from school or have become homeless. A strong resilient Noongar-Yamatji woman, Brooke’s own childhood was marred by tragedy; losing her mother to suicide and with drug and alcohol abuse occurring in her family. Brooke grew up determined to help young people who might be dealing with similar issues. As a youth worker, Brooke has developed her passion for working with the community and implementing strategies to educate young people about essential life skills. From her appearance on The Bachelor Australia 2018, Brooke has been able to reach more young people to spread the message that while you can go through the worst in life, you can overcome to be a better person.Mental Health Support and the LGBTIQA+ Community | Q+A
Is Australia's mental health support system 'under seige'? How do we ensure vulnerable communities can access appropriate support when it's needed? Panellists: Jelena Dokic, Former World No. 4 tennis player and broadcaster; Brooke Blurton, Mental health advocate; Bridget Archer, Federal Member for Bass; Stephen Jones, Labor MP for Whitlam; and Mark Cross, Psychiatrist and author. With a live performance from the legendary Archie Roach.
