This week marks Mental Health Week in the Northern Territory, a time to spark important conversations about connection, healing and belonging.

Across the Territory, organisations and communities are coming together to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage everyone to prioritise their mental health.

For Embracing Our Shadows Aboriginal Corporation (EOSAC), a new Aboriginal-led organisation based in Darwin, those conversations are already happening, grounded in culture, connection and community.

Founded by Brotherboys, Sistergirls and allies, EOSAC was created from the need to establish safe, culturally grounded spaces for LGBTQIA+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Chair Kellum Steele says the organisation's mission is deeply personal.

"I know what it feels like to hide parts of who you are to stay safe," he says.

"For a long time, many of us learned to survive by staying silent. But silence takes a toll. We founded Embracing Our Shadows so our people could have a place where they don't have to hide anymore."

At its heart, EOSAC exists to strengthen wellbeing, pride and inclusion. The name Embracing Our Shadows symbolises the many parts of who we are, including our culture, gender, spirit and lived experience.

"As Sistergirls and Brotherboys, we carry more than one spirit, and we honour all those parts of ourselves," Mr Steele says.

"We invite our allies and communities to do the same, to embrace every layer of identity with respect, compassion and pride."

Mental Health Week in the Territory is a reminder that wellbeing is a shared journey, one that grows stronger through connection. EOSAC is helping to lead that change through a peer-to-peer network, offering confidential listening, referrals and community connection for those seeking culturally safe support.

"At the moment, we provide peer support and community connection through our networks, but we are working towards opening a Wellbeing Hub in Darwin, a place where Sistergirls, Brotherboys and our extended Rainbow families can gather, feel seen and be safe," Mr Steele explains.

"Creating safe spaces means centering culture, connection and community. It is about having a home base that affirms who we are and allows healing to happen through shared experience, cultural pride and genuine belonging."

For many in the LGBTQIA+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, mental health challenges are complex. Steele says these include a lack of safe spaces to gather, ongoing transphobia and racism, experiences of domestic and family violence that often go unseen, and high rates of suicide and poor mental health outcomes.

"These challenges can leave our people feeling isolated or invisible," he says.

"That is why our work is focused on visibility, inclusion and healing, to show our mob they are not alone."

EOSAC's Wellbeing and Retail Hub will be a first for the Northern Territory, combining culture, healing and enterprise under one roof. The space will feature a Pet and Pride Shop providing employment and visibility, a Cultural Tailoring and Clothing Line celebrating identity and creativity, and a Community Wellbeing Centre delivering peer support, suicide prevention, health education and family healing programs.

Mr Steele believes this model will change how mental health is understood across the Top End.

"We believe that healing starts with connection," he says.

"By raising awareness and having a dedicated place for support, we can change the way people think about mental health, from something hidden or shameful to something that is shared, supported and strengthened through culture and community."

Now in its incubation phase with support from the ABC Foundation Ltd, EOSAC is calling for partners and funders to help bring the Hub to life.

"We are seeking funding and government partnerships to help us establish and sustain our Wellbeing Hub and expand peer-led support across the Territory," Mr Steele says.

"We welcome partnerships with organisations that share our values of inclusion, cultural safety and community-led healing. Together, we can build pathways for future generations to thrive as their full, authentic selves."

As the Northern Territory recognises Mental Health Week, Embracing Our Shadows reminds us that taking steps toward wellbeing begins with belonging, with culture at the centre, connection as the foundation and community as the healing force that lights the path forward.

More information about Embracing Our Shadows Aboriginal Corporation is available on their Facebook page or by email at [email protected].