There is no sub-group or population cohort within Australia which experience more disparities in mortality or morbidity than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.
Indigenous people (both men and women) have endured and continue to experience high rates of trauma, racism and disenfranchisement. Healing and wellbeing programs that are driven and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community groups have been shown have feasibility and acceptability for local members.
A meta-synthesis of Indigenous men’s groups highlighted that participants reported improved emotional wellbeing and family cohesion outcomes, and secondary benefits such as reduced expenditure on health and justice services.
Male-specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group programs take many forms. From face-to-face activities such as men’s sheds and bicycle repair programs, to virtual delivery modes such the Deadly Dads SMS4dads program.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander men’s healing programs paper
A scoping review of evaluated Aboriginal men’s healing programs within Australia was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
A total of nine research papers examining 12 Aboriginal men’s programs were included for review. Each of these programs had a primary focus on: ‘Indigenous men’s social and emotional healing to improve their wellbeing’.
Six central elements which supported the efficacy of the men’s programs were identified following the review.
Element 1: Kinship
Kinship was a central aspect in all programs. Some programs lent into the mentorship between Elders and younger men, particularly in fathership programs. The SMS4dads program connected younger and older fathers, which offered space for advice and support.
Familial kinship in some healing programs, such as the Our Men Our Healing program, invited women connected to male participants in family and domestic violence (FDV) programs to be involved in program evaluations. Due to the women’s involvement, program facilitators were able to ‘better able to understand the partners’ dynamics and potential of FDV prevalence’.
Element 2: Cultural understanding
Culturally competent approaches were ingrained throughout all programs. Examples included smoking ceremonies and on-country camps.
A preference for Aboriginal men’s programs to be led by Aboriginal males was noted and seen as important for engagement.
Challenges were reported in some programs, with some younger men finding difficulties connecting to culture. Evaluations of these programs recommended further integration of Elders knowledge with younger generations.
Element 3: Holistic Healing
Healing of body, soul and spirit were seen as essential across all programs. For example, the Men’s Healing and Behaviour Change program which had a focus on FDV, reported a decrease in alcohol and drug use, a decrease in reported FDV and homelessness and an increase in employment.
Element 4: Strengths-based approach
To support healing, a strengths-based approach to program development was adapted which built on the existing positive attributes of male members.
An example was the LifeCycle Youth Connect program which utilised young men’s existing knowledge of bicycles to provide a bike repair program led by male Indigenous youths. The program evaluation reported an increase in self-esteem, engagement and knowledge of resources amongst its participants.
Element 5: Male leadership teams
The reported benefits of having programs led by males (often Indigenous men), was the promotion of ‘male autonomy’, cultural acceptability and opportunities for knowledge transfer.
Element 6: Consistent meeting place
Consistent meeting or program spaces were an essential element identified in this research. Feelings of trust and safety were generated by having a designated space (e.g. Men’s Shed) for men to meet up and socialise with each other.
Study conclusions
The researchers in this scoping review concluded that, ‘Indigenous males in Australia have specific needs that must be addressed to promote their socio-emotional healing’.
‘Healing programs that are designed to include these elements may further support Indigenous male self-determination, strengthened connection between participants, and the sustainability of outcomes such as socioemotional healing and a reduction of structural violence’.
Expert Opinion: Lomas Amini, Founder & Director of Djahmu Dreaming
Relationships are at the core. Relationship to the person, Clan, Totem, Skin, Family, Country – once the relationship is understood and you know and they know where you fit within their family unit, you can begin to be respectfully curious and creative in how you engage and codesign opportunities from a relational perspective.
Men have an important role to play in our Community and it’s in this space that our energy needs to be strengthened through rebuilding their identity and reinforcing their role and place in society.
If we continue to react to our Men through a deficit model of care, the cycle of life as we know and understand in a Cultural context remain unchallenged, therefore unlived.
Although early intervention is important, the knowledge keepers who hold and uphold lore are often disengaged by service providers who respect ‘elected Leaders’, neglecting one of the strongest links in the chain.
