Thirty local Indigenous men came together to share their experiences and potential solutions at a recent co-design workshop to develop a proactive approach to suicide prevention among Aboriginal men.
SWSPHN hosted the 6 October workshop which had participants from Gooboora men’s social support group and Dharawal Men’s Aboriginal Corporation, and was facilitated by former NRL player, professional boxer and mental health advocate, Joe Williams, SWSLHD’s Mervyn Taylor and mental health consultant Jenni Campbell.
The workshop took a relaxed rather than structured approach to co-design, allowing attendees to share their experiences and potential solutions in a cultural context.
The co-design process will ultimately fund non-clinical suicide prevention approaches for Indigenous men.
What will the program do?
- Provide more timely and appropriate access to supports for Aboriginal men experiencing distress
- Support men in cultivating an improved sense of individual and cultural identity and belonging
- Support men in developing an improved understanding of, and connection to, culture
- Strengthen positive support people and networks available to individuals throughout the local community.
