A new roadmap has detailed actions that family and community, services, and government can take to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ young people’s mental health and wellbeing, including creating visibility, seeking wider education and advocating for safe spaces.
The Walkern Katatdjin Roadmap, released today, follows a first-of-its-kind national survey which found that almost one in two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people had ever attempted suicide.
Respondents to this 2023 survey also experienced low to moderate levels of social and emotional wellbeing, and over 90 per cent of participants reported experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress.
The roadmap offers actions directed towards family and community, health and wellbeing services, governments at federal, state and local levels, and the wider community.
It was led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ young people, families, communities,
Elders and service providers.
“Five years ago, there was almost no research that had been done with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ young people,” the roadmap’s lead author, The Kids Research Institute Australia (The Kids) researcher and UWA PhD student Mx Shakara Liddelow-Hunt said.
“But with the release of our national survey, and other research happening across Australia, we now have a body of evidence showing that there is a huge need to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ young people.
“The roadmap provides concrete actions that we can all take to achieve this. Our end goal in releasing this roadmap is to empower individuals, families, communities and services to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ young people are safe, healthy and thriving.”
Examples of tangible moves that families and communities can make include self-reflection, seeking educational resources, helping navigate other family or community relationships, and speaking to young people when they feel ready. They can also be more involved in advocating to services to demonstrate that inclusive practices are a priority for their community.
Health and wellbeing services can sustainably embed inclusive care into their practices to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people feel safe the moment they enter a service and receive care that is tailored to their needs.
The wider community is being called on to seek out opportunities for allyship in their everyday lives.
Among the actions directed towards governments is a call for the federal government to ensure explicit and meaningful inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIA+ people in the next National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which was last handed down in mid-2020.
The Walkern Katatdjin (Rainbow Knowledge) team is made up of researchers from The Kids, Kurongkurl Katitjin (ECU), UWA and Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre (Murdoch University).
It is supported by a Governance Committee and Youth Advisory Group, Aboriginal Elders and community leaders, and Blak Pride WA, Kimberley Blak Pride Ltd., North Metropolitan Health Service Youth Mental
Health, Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Program Western Australian Department of Health, Sexual Health Quarters, Transfolk WA, The University of Queensland Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, Yorgum Healing Services, Youth Pride Network.
Source: Media Release. Declaration: OUTinPerth co-editor Graeme Watson is also an employee at ECU.
