7 days ago
Reconciliation Week: Short film ‘Change Direction' launches to draw attention to suicide crisis in Aboriginal communities
As Reconciliation Week begins, a new national awareness campaign to draw urgent attention to the suicide crisis in Aboriginal communities has been launched.
At the heart of the campaign is a short film called 'Change Direction,' that delivers the urgent and important message that more Indigenous psychologists are needed to support Aboriginal communities.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: short film 'Change Direction' launches.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 44 and has increased by 30 per cent in the past five years, according to research from the Westerman Jilya Institute.
This means Aboriginal adults are dying by suicide at more than twice the rate of non-Aboriginal Australians and this increases to as much as five times for Aboriginal people aged 15-24.
Dr Tracy Westerman AM, a Nyamal woman and founder of the Jilya Institute, says the problem isn't just the lack of services – it's that the system was never built with Aboriginal people in mind.
'This country's mental health system was built by the most privileged, for the most privileged– but it's being used to treat the people who've had the least,' Dr Westerman said.
'We don't need more tweaks to a broken system. We need to completely reimagine it – with Aboriginal people leading the design, the delivery and the healing.'
Through her organisation, the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health, Dr Westerman is already driving change.
By providing scholarships for Indigenous students from high-risk communities to become psychologists – it aims to create a workforce that understands the unique cultural context of the people it serves.
The short film 'Change Direction,' was written by poet Dakota Feirer (Bundjalung-Gumbaynggirr) and brought to life by Cannes-winning filmmaker Warwick Thornton (Kaytetye) and advertising agency, Apparent.
Reconciliation Week is held each year between May 27 and June 3, marking the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
For more information, to view the film or to make a donation, visit the Change Direction website.
The Change Direction poem in full
This is my path
I'm giving up
There's no way
I'll rise out of the pain
This is my life
I'm walkin in two worlds
I don't belong to neither
Confusion and self-hate
They're a part of me
I know deep down
I should be proud
I come from wisdom and warriors
Healers and storytellers
But something follows me every step I take
I know them well
Loneliness and trauma
These feelings are generational
Buried in my spirit like and echo
This is who I am
I'm made from this hard earth
My land and culture got washed away
So don't tell me
There's a power that's inside of me
I didn't know
Feeling lost
I'm not
Walking in the right direction
Nah, my country tells me I'm
Voiceless
That I'm worthless
That I belong in chains
My mental health is a shame
It's a lie to say that
There's a mob who can help me and
I can talk about these feelings
It's time to say goodbye to this life
I no longer think that
I'm gonna keep fighting
This is the moment
This is my path
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
