Nykita grew up in a kinship care placement with her aunty and uncle, who she calls Mum and Dad – first in Adelaide, and later in Ceduna, before moving back to Adelaide to study at secondary school.

The Year 12 student, whose heritage includes the Wirangu, Kokatha and Mirning Aboriginal groups, is her school’s new Indigenous Leader and relishing the chance to improve cultural awareness in the wider community and give others a voice.

“It means a lot to me, representing Aboriginal culture,” she says.

The Department for Child Protection is sharing Nykita’s story as part of World Care Day (16 February) – the world’s biggest celebration of children and young people who have grown up in care.

Nykita knows how it feels to be misunderstood, having grown up dealing with the painful experience of other children questioning her cultural background.

“It was hard in some cases to prove myself,” she says, adding that other children had said she was “not indigenous”.

“Sometimes I’d get people who are more tanned than me, or darker than me, come up to me and say, ‘I’m darker than Nykita and she’s indigenous’.

However, Nykita says her confidence has grown to “stand up and call out the misunderstanding that’s happening to fair skin Aboriginal people”.

“Every time I felt bad I just called my Mum and she would always console me and tell me to be proud of who I am. She said, ‘When you make tea, it doesn’t matter how much milk you put in, at the end of the day, it’s still going to be tea’.

Last year, Nykita attended the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program Year 9 and 10 Student Gathering at Sydney Olympic Park.

She says the gathering of indigenous students from across the country included various workshops and the chance to discuss topical issues with other students.

“I took a lot of notes and fun experiences from that,” she said.

As part of her leadership role, she will help organise a social for Aboriginal students across various Adelaide-based independent schools – an opportunity to play games, eat together and gather with students from other parts of SA.

Nykita still regularly returns to Ceduna, on Wirangu Country, during school holidays.

“Every time I get into Ceduna and finally make it from that drive I feel a bit relieved – it’s so quiet compared to Adelaide and it’s a great place to recharge and spend time with my family and reconnect with my culture again,” she says.

She is weighing her options for post-school study and considering anthropology and politics, adding that in future she might throw her hat into the ring for a spot on the state-based Voice to Parliament so she can help represent Aboriginal people in Ceduna.

Nykita’s aunty recently met Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard at a roundtable discussion for kinship carers in Ceduna. After learning about Nykita’s interest in politics, the Minister has extended an offer for her to visit State Parliament.

Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard said World Care Day was a great opportunity to celebrate the strength and achievements of children and young people in care, and the people who open up their hearts and homes to them.

“I am constantly moved and inspired by the children and young people in contact with the child protection and family support system who I meet across the state. We often speak about their vulnerability - it is also really important that we talk about and celebrate their remarkable strength, resilience and courage and how they tackle the significant challenges before them,” she said.

“They deserve respect and recognition for their achievements.

“World Care Day provides an important opportunity to celebrate them and to renew our commitment to ensuring their voices are heard and amplified. Their views, experiences, wisdom and perspective is crucial to building community understanding and a brighter future for all children and young people.

“Thank you so much to the foster and kinship carers who generously open their hearts, homes and lives to children and young people to help them grow up safe, loved and supported. The impact of their generosity is extraordinary.”