Justice, culture, and relationships: Australian Indigenous prescription for planetary health

Indigenous communities shoulder a disproportionate burden of ill health compounded by climate change. In Australia, the oldest surviving cultures have adapted their ecological knowledge over millennia and across climatic ages. However, European colonization has severely curtailed Indigenous peoples’ ability to adjust to climate change. An effective response to the climate crisis requires decolonizing processes to […]

Exploring the Social and Cultural Determinants of Indigenous Males’ Participation and Success in Higher Education in Australia Health Promotion with Adolescent Boys and Young Men of Colour: Global Strategies for Advancing Research, Policy, and Practice in Context

Higher education is an important social determinant of health. In Australia, the under-representation of Indigenous males (In this study we use the term `males’ rather than `men’. This is an attempt to acknowledge cultural lore and be inclusive of males who have been through an initiation ceremony and those who have not had the opportunity […]

Evaluating a social and emotional well-being model of service piloted in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Western Australia: an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research approach

Introduction The delivery of services to improve Aboriginal health and well-being must centre culture and integrate a social and emotional well-being understanding and approaches. These approaches are essential in increasing access to, and engagement with, health services, as well as ensuring culturally safe, person-centred and community-centred care. This study will evaluate the Aboriginal Health Council […]

Caring for Country: Indigenous Wellbeing, Law, and Environmental Justice

Climate change is emerging as a global determinant of mental health and wellbeing impacting existing and escalating socio-economic inequities (Charlson, et al, 2021). There is clear evidence that the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous peoples in general are being adversely impacted by climate change (HEAL Network & CRE-STRIDE […]

The Indigenous Turn: Epistemic Justice, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and Social and Emotional Well-Being.

Colonial research practices across centuries have appropriated, exploited, and effectively ignored Indigenous knowledges across time. Part of Indigenous struggles for justice is to validate their own knowledges and knowledge holders. The protection of Indigenous knowledge is widely acknowledged by a number of human rights conventions and declarations. Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration of […]

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIASB+ people and mental health and wellbeing

The high rates of suicide-related behaviour among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, combined with similar evidence relating to LGBTQIA+ people, suggest that there is a need to investigate the compound risk of suicide-related behaviour among people who are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQIASB+. This report highlights gaps in existing data collection […]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health

Closing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health gap is an urgent national priority. This commentary provides both an overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional well being and mental health and some of the promising initiatives for restoring wellbeing. Solutions for addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander mental health issues […]