Suicide, mental illness and the drug ice are the biggest issues plaguing Victoria’s Aboriginal community, according to a group of young Koories.
The call for action was made during a Koorie Youth Council and OurSay workshop last week, held at the Korin Gamadji Institute, to engage Indigenous youth in the lead-up to the state election.
The social media organisation, which encourages public debate across the globe, teamed up with Victoria’s peak Aboriginal youth representative body to talk about Election Question 2014, an app that targets young and first-time voters.
The app allows users to suggest questions to be put to candidates in their electorate. These will be whittled down the most popular three questions as voted by other users. OurSay co-founder Matthew Gordon said each user has up to seven votes to cast across suggested questions and are offering an internship with their company for anyone whose question reaches 7000 votes.
“This project is about defining the debate and the issues – what’s relevant to young people,” Mr Gordon said.
For the young Aboriginal people who attended the workshop, such as KYC statewide coordinator Greg Kennedy, tackling the ice epidemic and rising rates of mental illness and suicide with compassion is a priority.
“Within our own community we often talk about culture and resilience, which is a big part of our emotional wellbeing. So I talk about mental health and drug use in a way where there is a commitment to reaffirm cultural identity with young people,” Mr Kennedy said.
Monica McDonald, who also attended, wants to see addicts supported to develop life-skills after rehab, less over-prescribing of anti-depressants and anxiety medication, and more opportunities to “talk, and feel safe to talk”.
The youth also addressed concern over the media’s one-sided coverage of the Recognise campaign, which pushes for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Twenty-year-old Douglas Briggs said the campaign is “very much corporate-driven”.
“If the press supports the campaign then there’s this idea that the Indigenous community doesn’t have any disagreement over it. I agree with the campaign, but I understand some of our community’s voices are not being heard,” he said.
In addition to targeting the hard-hitting issues in their electorate, for some the workshop was about gaining an insight into the electoral process. Sharina Ladharam, 20, said she had never voted.
“I was never really educated in that sense, so I’ve come here to learn things. I know I’m not the only one in this position, and if I get educated I can pass on that information,” she said.
The OurSay team gave tips for asking questions through the app, such as a context-setting with facts and personal anecdotes, and improving shareability to harness the power of social media.
“These issues are not going to be solved at the state election, but if we start having debates before and around, there is a chance something will actually happen with the elected candidates,” Mr Gordon said.
Photo: Flickr
