Warning: the following article contains mentions of suicide and mental health.
This year's annual gathering of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre (ILEC) took place in Naarm, hosting a national network of First Nations lived experience voices from across the country.
The aim of the ILEC, which is housed by the Black Dog Institute, is to elevate the voices of Indigenous people with experiences of suicide - either those who have lost a loved one to suicide or survived a suicide attempt themselves - to help create a positive change across the entire mental health sector.
Karla Hume has been a member of the ILEC since its inception, joining because of her own lived experience with suicide and the connections with it in her family.
"Trans generationally, we unfortunately lost my great uncle before I was born to suicide as well," Ms Hume said.
@natindigtimes Carly Hume making her mob proud at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Centre Experience gathering held by The Black Dog Institute where mob receive training to bring back to their communities. #fyp #aboriginal #torresstraitislander #indigenous #mentalhealth ♬ Keys and Wallet - Lil Bread
"Gathering like this gives us safety to come together, to evaluate what we've done throughout the year and to make plans for the future.
"It also allows us to connect with each other on a deeper level, the individuals in the lived experience tend to all have personal experiences suicide."
First Nations people across Australia continue to die from suicide at a disproportionate rate, with everyone at the gathering personally impacted by tragedy.
Between 2018-2022, the suicide rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 27.6 per 100,000—2.3 times that of non-Indigenous Australians.
In 2022 suicide accounted for 4.6 per cent of all deaths for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples compared to 1.6 per cent non-Indigenous Australians.
Tragically, the most recent data shows suicide was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–39 in 2022.
Not just a conference; the gathering was a space for connection, planning, empowerment and healing, with people coming from as far away as Broome and the Torres Strait Islands.
It serves as a reminder to break down stigma, which only results in further tragedy when people remain silent, in a space of learning, healing and hope.
By fostering connection and solidarity, organisers said the event strengthens the network's resilience along with their capacity to drive meaningful change at both the local and national levels.
@natindigtimes Meet Dr Clinton Schultz, Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships and Head of First Nations Research. We joined him at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples Lived Experience gathering to train and uplift mob in mental health services. #fyp #aboriginal #torresstraitislander #mentalhealth #indigenous #firstnations ♬ Waves - MezzoFuerte
Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships and Head of First Nations Research at the Black Dog Institute, Dr Clinton Schultz, said he felt "really fortunate" to have had the opportunity to come to Naarm and be part of the gathering.
Dr Schultz said the importance of the gatherings was about giving "everybody in the network an opportunity to come together and talk about their experiences"—both their lived experience, and their experience of being members.
"They don't get much of an opportunity to come together and debrief and have a yarn about how sometimes that work can play out on their own social emotional well-being," the Gamilaraay man said.
"So, these gatherings provide [the] perfect opportunity for people to come together, yarn it through, and also yarn through what they want to achieve in the next 12 months."
13Yarn | 13 92 76
The National Indigenous Postvention Service – After Suicide Support 24/7 | 1800 805 801
Brother to brother 24-hour crisis line | 1800 435 799
Lifeline Australia | 13 11 14
