A world first Elder-led intervention for improving the social emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people is being developed for trial in Western Australia.
Pride Yarns, a joint research project by Murdoch University with Edith Cowan University, Telethon Kids Institute, the Youth Pride Network, Wungening Aboriginal Corporation and Yorgum Healing Services, brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ youth with community members and Elders to safely discuss how LGBTQA+ identities can be accepted and celebrated within culture.
The initiative builds on positive findings from a pilot project, Pride Yarns with Mob, which provided opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people to connect meaningfully with Elders.
Pride Yarns also responds to Rainbow Knowledge, a first of its kind national survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people. In that survey, nearly half of participants reported having attempted suicide in their lifetime and 19 per cent had attempted suicide in the last year.
They also reported low feelings of connection to their spirit and ancestors, to culture and to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ community.
Pride Yarns is aimed at addressing that and has won Federal Government funding via a major Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Indigenous Health Research Fund grant.
Project Investigator and Dean of Indigenous Knowledges at Murdoch, Associate Professor Bep Uink, said the project presents a unique opportunity to develop culturally informed interventions.
Taking an inter-generational support approach to healing recognises Aboriginal ways of keeping our young people strong."
Associate Professor Bep Uink
"The project will allow Elders and Aboriginal LGBTQA+ young people to connect and discuss how Aboriginal and LGBTQA+ identities intersect and can be celebrated.”
Associate Professor Rebecca Bennett, investigator on the project and Pro Vice Chancellor Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Murdoch, said it was terrific to see an important and successful pilot project supported to reach its full potential.
"The pilot facilitated yarning circles between Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ youth to film digital resources modelling healthy conversations about sexuality and gender diversity," Dr Bennett said.
"We’re now taking that further to produce an evidence-based toolkit for services wishing to run community-driven interventions to support social emotional wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ youth."
This is really important work that the community is calling out for, and the Medical Research Future Fund has recognised as effective and worthy of support."The primary objective of Pride Yarns is to co-design, implement, and test an inter-generational support intervention, which facilitates safe and supportive conversations about the intersection culture, sexuality, and gender diversity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people and their Elders.
Associate Professor Rebecca Bennett
Professor Braden Hill, Chief Investigator on the project and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Students, Equity and Indigenous at Edith Cowan University, says the impact will be far reaching.
"The data strongly supports calls from Aboriginal LGBTQA+ advocates for community-driven, culturally appropriate interventions that consider the unique support needs of Aboriginal LGBTQA+ peoples,” Professor Hill said.
“This innovative project will have impact for Aboriginal communities across Australia by demonstrating the feasibility of an intervention that is community-driven, co-designed and that acknowledges the role of Elders in supporting young peoples’ wellbeing.”
Pride Yarns is being led by Aboriginal LGBTQA+ researchers and Aboriginal researchers along with LGBTQA+ and non-Aboriginal non-LGBTQA+ researchers.
Tahlia Blow, who was part of the Walkern Katatjdin Governance Group, said the project presented an incredible opportunity to change the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ youth.
"Pride Yarns is a crucial for empowering initiative for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people," Ms Blow said.
"It is a vital tool that provides a contemporary platform for our traditional storytelling methods and allows these narratives to be embraced by a wider audience – particularly important for young people who want to know more about their culture but due to circumstances beyond their control, are unable to.
"Pride Yarns allows for multiple, sustainable opportunities for young people to organically access Elder led conversations while going about their day to day lives."