TY - JOUR
T1 - “Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly”
T2 - First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform
AU - Culbong, Hunter
AU - Ramirez-Watkins, Ashton
AU - Anderson, Shae
AU - Culbong, Tiana
AU - Crisp, Nikayla
AU - Pearson, Glenn
AU - Lin, Ashleigh
AU - Wright, Michael
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Aboriginal young people are experts in their own experience and are best placed to identify the solutions to their mental health and wellbeing needs. Given that Aboriginal young people experience high rates of mental health concerns and are less likely than non-Indigenous young people to access mental health services, co-design and evaluation of appropriate mental health care is a priority. Increasing Aboriginal young people’s participation in mental health service reform is key to ensuring services are culturally secure, relevant and accessible. This paper presents first-person accounts from three Aboriginal young people who worked alongside their Elders and in a positive and constructive partnership with mainstream mental health services on a three-year participatory action research project in Perth, Western Australia, in Whadjuk Nyoongar boodja (Country). The young people recount their experiences as participants and co-researchers on a systems change mental health research project and share their views on the importance of privileging Aboriginal youth voices. Their accounts highlight that Aboriginal young people’s participation and leadership must be understood through a decolonising lens and that working in genuine partnership with the community is key to increasing their contact and engagement with mental health care and improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
AB - Aboriginal young people are experts in their own experience and are best placed to identify the solutions to their mental health and wellbeing needs. Given that Aboriginal young people experience high rates of mental health concerns and are less likely than non-Indigenous young people to access mental health services, co-design and evaluation of appropriate mental health care is a priority. Increasing Aboriginal young people’s participation in mental health service reform is key to ensuring services are culturally secure, relevant and accessible. This paper presents first-person accounts from three Aboriginal young people who worked alongside their Elders and in a positive and constructive partnership with mainstream mental health services on a three-year participatory action research project in Perth, Western Australia, in Whadjuk Nyoongar boodja (Country). The young people recount their experiences as participants and co-researchers on a systems change mental health research project and share their views on the importance of privileging Aboriginal youth voices. Their accounts highlight that Aboriginal young people’s participation and leadership must be understood through a decolonising lens and that working in genuine partnership with the community is key to increasing their contact and engagement with mental health care and improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
KW - Aboriginal youth
KW - co-design
KW - consumer participation
KW - First Nations
KW - Indigenous
KW - lived experience
KW - mental health service
KW - wellbeing
KW - youth leadership
KW - youth voice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163104312&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph20116019
DO - 10.3390/ijerph20116019
M3 - Article
C2 - 37297622
AN - SCOPUS:85163104312
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 20
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 11
M1 - 6019
ER -