Conference Papers
Session WR.1.2. Programs and research supporting youth resilience
1. Norm Sheehan: Sustaining Connections, Cultural Strengths and Social and Emotional Well Being
An outline of the Sustaining Connections research conducted in Queensland Aboriginal communities during 2010-2011 will be provided along with an analysis of project outcomes. Cultural strengths basis for this research will be presented and the features of this approach that relate to social and emotional well being will be discussed. The connective art project will also be examined as a cultural connection model that provides a practical and experiential hedge against self harm and suicide.
Author bio: Norm Sheehan is a Wiradjuri man born in Mudgee NSW. He has taught in Aboriginal communities, TAFE and higher education in NSW, Tasmania and Queensland since 1979. In 2008 Norm completed an Australian Research Council Discovery project that investigated Indigenous Knowledge programs in higher education. He also recently completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social and Emotional Well Being with the School of Psychiatry at the University of Queensland. This work laid down a framework to inform a cultural strengths approach to Aboriginal education. In 2009 Norm was awarded the South East Queensland NAIDOC award for the contribution his teaching and scholarship has made to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. He is currently Associate Professor at the Faculty of Design at Swinburne University of Technology.
2. Carl Currey: Creating Positive Community Engagement through Sport
Active involvement in sport is already recognised by governments, the corporate industry and the not-for-profit sector as a contributing factor for improving the health and social wellbeing for all Australians. For Indigenous Australians, particularly youth, this is even more so with sport being placed as a key element in closing the disadvantage gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by a number of Australian Government agencies. What is not necessarily acknowledged enough is the value of designing good quality sporting projects that engage Indigenous Australians effectively and provide benefits for young and old. One such project, supported by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Northern Territory Government, aims to redress this issue by designing good quality sporting opportunities for young Indigenous Australians living in 5 remote communities in the Northern Territory. In addition, a 3 year evidence-based research project by the University of Queensland and the ASC, to test the impact of sport participation on young Indigenous Australians and their communities, will be released at the end of this calendar year. This research will provide clear proof that sport plays a key role in positively engaging young and old Indigenous Australians and their communities. This presentation will explore the lessons learnt from the FaHCSIA/ASC/NT Government partnership, particularly for Indigenous youths and the early findings of the 3 year research project.
Author bio: I am an Aboriginal man, descendant of the Barkindji people from Western NSW. I grew up in the small NSW country town of Leeton before moving to Canberra in 1990 to attend the University of Canberra to study for an Applied Science Degree which specialised in Cultural Heritage Management. Following successful completion of my studies I worked for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) for 10 years before serving on a Whole of Government Taskforce to improve service delivery for Indigenous Australians for 18 months and then a stint at the Department of Environment and Heritage. For the last 7 years worked with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), initially managing an Indigenous Sport Program and more recently working across National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to assist them to develop inclusive sport participation plans that engage all Australians effectively. I am a current member of the Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council (ARLIC), which is a whole of game reference point for all Indigenous Rugby League matters and provides the game with important advice and expertise in promoting cultural awareness and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific issues and proactively supports Indigenous involvement in the game at all levels. I am passionate about my people and sport and will always thrive to work in environments where I can combine those two passions.
3. Melissa Haswell: Connecting hands-on knowledge to policy in promoting social and emotional wellbeing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth
This talk will introduce a collaborative project funded by FAHCSIA that was specifically designed to bring out the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth and people working with them on the ground in different settings across Australia. It is a three-part project that seeks to fill a gap in the availability of systematically collected and integrated information about what makes programs work well, meet their challenges, and sustain and grow over time. The project began with a systematic review of the literature and of existing policies and current programs operating across Australia. The literature review identified a serious lack of information and evidence to guide social and emotional wellbeing promotion policy and practice. Most published information focused on identifying and measuring levels of need, risk circumstances and negative consequences of wellbeing loss among youth. However, current policies consistently call for programs based on key empowerment and positive wellbeing principles and strengths based approaches. Forty one programs were identified nationally that identified a direct focus on promoting social and emotional wellbeing. A set of six were strategically selected for in depth case study to provide a range of understandings. This presentation will briefly share our journey in understanding the information, identifying gaps, selecting and connecting with programs, designing the case studies and envisioning its purpose. We argue that the most important information for guiding policy and resource allocation to achieve success will come from bringing together knowledge and experience from those who are making things happen.
Author bio: Associate Professor Melissa Haswell joined the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales in mid-2009. She is actively engaged in the growth of the Unit’s research, teaching and service activities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Melissa is an experienced researcher in epidemiology, primary health care and health promotion. Since 2004, her focus has been on environmental health, mental health, empowerment and youth well being in Aboriginal community settings. Some highlights of her collaborative work include qualitative research aimed at gaining and communicating two way understandings of mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention, constructing and validating a measure of Growth and Empowerment (GEM) and developing a manual for tools and pathways to integrate social and emotional wellbeing and mental health care into primary health care services.