The challenge at hand

The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration represents the key national strategy to elevate Indigenous concepts of Social and Emotional Wellbeing, mental health, healing and suicide prevention to work alongside the western biomedical model of health.

To give effect to the Declaration, a 10-year Implementation Plan was identified in the National Agreement on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention that would align the efforts of all jurisdictional governments, service providers and community members.

Impact Co. was engaged to develop the Implementation Plan in partnership with Indigenous communities, government departments, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous services.

How we helped

Working in partnership with several senior Aboriginal leaders, Impact Co. facilitated more than 50 co-design workshops with national, state and local government officials, service providers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. This was done to identify the key activities to improve mental health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Drawing on key insights from the workshops, Impact Co., in partnership with senior Indigenous leaders and the Commonwealth Department of Health, drafted the Implementation Plan over the course of 12 months.

The impact

Once approved by National Cabinet, the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Implementation Plan establishes a long-term plan to create a mental health, suicide prevention and Social and Emotional Wellbeing response that brings together traditional Indigenous models of care with western biomedical approaches. With adequate investment, the Implementation Plan has the potential to redefine the rates of Indigenous mental health and suicide.