The collective wellbeing of many Indigenous Australian communities has been chronically impaired by colonisation. Colonisation has undermined the fundamental principles that ‘held’ and guided people by their communities’ connections.
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is an expression of traditional life-affirming Indigenous knowledge systems about wellbeing and is central to culturally safe and successful approaches to suicide prevention in Indigenous communities. Connection to community is a key domain in the SEWB model. The concept of community is fundamental to identity and concepts of self in Indigenous Australian cultures. It defines relationships, social roles and cultural norms and practices (lores), which are ‘a complex set of relational bonds and reciprocal obligations’ (Gupta et al. 2020:2) that differ across Australia’s cultural groups.
This publication discusses Indigenous understandings of community. It:
• discusses understandings of what constitutes a healthy connection to community and why this
is protective for individuals, families, and the community itself
• reports key information about research, evaluation, program and policy initiatives
• identifies best-practice approaches and critical success factors for implementation.
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