"Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly": First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform

Hunter Culbong; Ashton Ramirez-Watkins; Shae Anderson; Tiana Culbong; Nikayla Crisp; Glenn Pearson; Ashleigh Lin; Michael Wright

doi:10.3390/ijerph20116019

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"Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly": First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

"Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly": First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform

Hunter Culbong, Ashton Ramirez-Watkins, Shae Anderson, Tiana Culbong, Nikayla Crisp, Glenn Pearson, Ashleigh Lin and Michael Wright

International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.20(11), 6019

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20116019

PMID: 37297622

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Abstract

Adolescent

Aged

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Health Services, Indigenous

Humans

Indigenous Peoples

Mental Health Services

Western Australia

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 (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.

Details

Title: "Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly": First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform
Authors/Creators: Hunter Culbong - Australian National University
Ashton Ramirez-Watkins - Youth Programs, Port Hedland Local Council, Port Hedland 6721, Australia
Shae Anderson - Murdoch University
Tiana Culbong - University of Technology Sydney
Nikayla Crisp - Neami National
Glenn Pearson - The Kids Research Institute Australia
Ashleigh Lin - The Kids Research Institute Australia
Michael Wright - Curtin University
Publication Details: International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.20(11), 6019
Publisher: MDPI
Grant note: 31935 / Healthway
Identifiers: 991005590368607891
Murdoch Affiliation: Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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