Listen to our voices and our stories: Including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in decisions that impact them

Why is it important to listen to and empower young people?

But they do not. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s voices must be at the forefront of any issues that impact their lives, because they know best about the problems they’re dealing with. For this reason, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are also the best people to ask about the solutions which are required. When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people provide a voice for their own lived experiences, they are more likely to offer effective solutions, and solutions from different perspectives.

Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people also strengthens their wellbeing. Prioritising these perspectives enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to gain a sense of agency that can drive change, and reclaim control over decisions that impact their own lives.

What issues are impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people today?

Prior to colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s wellbeing flourished (Dudgeon, Bray, & Walker, 2023). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing is supported through strong connections to culture, kinship and community (Gee, Dudgeon, Schultz, Hart, & Kelly, 2014). These connections and strengths have allowed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to survive, despite high levels of adversity following colonisation (Milroy, 2014). Colonisation continues to negatively impact the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, for example, through intergenerational trauma and through disrupting these important connections (Menzies, 2019; Milroy, 2014). The impacts of colonisation are also expressed through other challenges, such as substance misuse and violence.

Watch the following video (43 seconds) as Tanielle and Kahli speak about the challenges for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people today.

The following statistics provide a snapshot of some of the wellbeing challenges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are experiencing as a result of the historical and continuing impacts of colonisation.

Although social media can be an avenue for connection, it can also negatively impact wellbeing. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, access to and use of social media is increasing. Unfortunately, social media can also provide a platform for stigma, racism and discrimination (Carlson & Frazer, 2018). This was particularly prevalent in the lead up to the 2023 Voice referendum, where young people witnessed negative stories and division. Young people are sometimes made to feel ‘bad’ or ‘less human’ because of their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status, and social media provides another channel for this discrimination.

What does strong social and emotional wellbeing look like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people?

Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a holistic and strengths-based concept of wellbeing, which is centered around connections (Gee et al., 2014). These include connections to:

• body and behaviour
• mind and emotions
• family and kinship
• community
• culture
• Country (land); and
• Ancestors (spirituality).

Figure 1: Social and emotional wellbeing from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective (adapted from Gee et al., 2014)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s SEWB is strengthened through connections with each of these seven domains. For example, SEWB is strengthened through connections to Country (the term often used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to describe the lands they are connected to). This connection is also psychological and spiritual, and doesn’t translate into non-Indigenous ways of thinking. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s wellbeing is also supported by rich kinship systems. These kinship relationships place each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in a comprehensive and supportive system, with multiple attachment figures.

It’s important you acknowledge and nurture all of these connections to support the mental health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people you work with.

How can professionals help empower young people’s voices in their work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people?

In the following video (58 seconds) hear Kahli talk about how practitioners can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people by creating space for telling stories and listening, and through recognising the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In addition to providing space for listening to the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, professionals and organisations can offer support in the following ways.

• Provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s voices to be heard in your organisation. For example, develop a youth reference group, and include young people in decision-making processes using participatory action approaches. Work collaboratively to determine what young people need, the best way of meeting these needs, and building capacity to support their needs.
• Create a safe space and avenues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to raise concerns, and make changes in response to these concerns. This might involve meeting young people in a space where they feel comfortable to raise concerns (such as outside, or on Country), rather than in a service or clinical space.
• Building a relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people can take time, so be patient. Start by having a yarn to help create a safe space and build trust before getting into any formalities. For example, ask about connections to Country and family/mob. Be mindful of your body language and other social signals.
• Listen without interjecting or judgement.
• Reflect on your own potential biases, which may influence your interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Acknowledge the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, and don’t assume all mobs are the same.
• Consult with other Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff or services that could help if you don’t feel you have the appropriate resources to successfully and appropriately engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health survey (Reference period 2018–19): Mental health. Canberra: ABS.

Carlson, B. & Frazer, R. (2018). Social media mob: Being Indigenous online. Sydney: Macquarie University.

Dudgeon, P., Bray, A., & Walker, R. (2023). Embracing the emerging Indigenous psychology of flourishing. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2, 259–260.

Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A., & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. In P. Dudgeon, H. Milroy & R. Walker (Eds.) Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, p. 55–68. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research/Kulunga Research Network; University of Western Australia.

Gibson, M., Stuart, J., Leske, S., Ward, R., & Tanton, R. (2021). Suicide rates for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: The influence of community level cultural connectedness. Medical Journal of Australia, 214(11), 514–518.

Menzies, K. (2019). Understanding the Australian Aboriginal experience of collective, historical and intergenerational trauma. International Social Work, 62(6), 1522–1534.

Milroy, H. (2014). Understanding the lives of Aboriginal children and families. In P. Dudgeon, H. Milroy & R. Walker (Eds.) Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, p. 373–382. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research/Kulunga Research Network; University of Western Australia.

Tiller, E., Fildes, J., Hall, S., Hicking, V., Greenland, N., Liyanarachchi, D., & Di Nicola, K. (2020). Youth survey report 2020. Sydney: Mission Australia.