'building communities' capacity through empowerment, healing and leadership.'
NATIONAL EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
Building communities' capacity through empowerment and strengthening
cultural, social and emotional wellbeing.
The Kimberley Empowerment Project was a successful pilot program which lead the National Empowerment Project to run on a national scale.
The Kimberly Empowerment Project was initiated in response to the high rates of suicides in the region over a period of time. Between 1999 and 2006, there were 96 Aboriginal suicide deaths in the Kimberley, an average of one suicide per month over that period.
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Inc. in partnership with the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research received funds to undertake extensive community consultation process in Broome, Halls Creek and Beagle Bay.
The Kimberley Empowerment Project was developed in a way that was holistic, strengths-based, and culturally and geographically appropriate. It aimed to enhance the capability and capacity of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to take charge of their lives and strengthen their communities. Another aim was to address the range of social determinants that impact upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural, social and emotional wellbeing.
The research findings from the Kimberley Empowerment Project were published in the Hear Our Voices Report, (Dudgeon et al., 2012) and launched in August 2012 in Broome. The Report highlighted a number of the key issues and findings affecting Aboriginal people living in the Kimberley region in relation to community distress and suicide.
The consultations explored what the community thought was needed to address suicide and other mental health issues in a long-term community based approach.
Across the three communities where consultations took place, there was an overwhelming consensus that there is a real need to support individuals to change their lives.
Hear Our Voices (Dudgeon et al., 2012) also identified a number of recommendations with some very practical steps to develop an Aboriginal led Empowerment, Healing and Leadership Program in the Kimberley.
Since then, the Kimberley Empowerment, Healing and Leadership Program has been funded through KAMSC and has been delivered to around 100 people across the region.
People spoke of needing to “build self first” and to “make ourselves strong” and to focus on “rebuilding family”.