Making My Living (formerly the Young Refugee Suicide and Self-harm Awareness and Support Initiative)
The Queensland Government Suicide Prevention Strategy 2003-2008 identified a number of state-wide outcomes which would help to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts in Queensland. These outcomes included:
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enhanced community capacity to promote and maintain social, emotional, cultural and spiritual well-being across the lifespan;
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a more knowledgeable community, able to take responsibility and implement risk reduction strategies;
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greater knowledge, capacity and skills to ensure services are able to intervene early and respond effectively to suicide and suicide behaviour.
The purpose of the Making My Living project is to provide awareness education and engagement strategies to government and non-government youth service providers and community members who have contact with young refugee people.
Aims
To increase the capacity of service providers in their understanding of potential suicide and self-harm risks facing young refugees.
The aims of this initiative were to:
- identify the issues including risks related to suicide and self-harm experienced by young refugee people aged 18-25 who transition into post-secondary education and/or employment,
- develop a framework for successfully engaging and supporting this group. Research included consultation with young refugee people;
- implement an education and awareness package to service providers and community members working with young refugee people aged between 18 and 25 in the following regions: Moreton (including Logan and Ipswich); and Gold Coast (including the northern parts of Gold Coast City such as Beenleigh and Coomera).
Activities
As part of its education and awareness package, Making My Living offers the following training units.
Training Unit 1: The Refugee Experience
This training unit looks at the refugee experience from a historical perspective. Australia has become the home to people from refugee backgrounds for many decades and provides a variety of services that attempt to address their settlement needs. The needs of people fleeing war-torn countries are varied and inherently complex. This is due to a number of pre- and post-arrival issues, including whether the person has experienced torture and trauma, culture shock and language and education issues.
Training Unit 2 Culture and Transition
A young refugee person’s transition into a new environment can be both challenging and exciting. Once people arrive in Australia as refugees they face pressure to assimilate to the norms of their new host country and also try to maintain traditional ways of living. How does a young person manage these sorts of pressures? What sorts of models have been used to explain this process of cultural change? How does this influence the development of a young person’s identity?
Training Unit 3 Mental Health and Wellbeing
Research suggests that the prevalence of mental health problems is higher in refugee communities than in the general Australian population. This has been interpreted as relating to pre-arrival experiences such as torture and trauma. Post arrival experiences have been identified as a crucial element in terms of overall wellbeing. A number of challenges exist for addressing mental illness and promoting wellbeing of this group. This unit considers mental health in terms of mental illness and help seeking, resettlement stress and coping strategies.
Training Unit 4: The Client and You
Working with young refugee people can be very rewarding, however it does have its challenges. Clients may help to develop our understanding of how other people view the world and challenge some of our preconceived values and beliefs. How we manage ourselves in cross-cultural situations is equally important as using particular engagement skills.
Training Unit 5: Suicide, Self- Harm and Risk Assessment
Suicide and self-harm have been identified as potential issues that need to be addressed in refugee communities. This session opens a conversation about these issues in relation to the target group. It explored suicide and self-harm in the broader Australian context, looking at risk-assessment models and reflecting on the responsibility of workers and service providers.
Training Unit 6: Self-Care
Working in the area of community service can be both rewarding and challenging. Like various other work environments it is not without its stressors. People working in this area can suffer from burn out if stress is not managed effectively.
Evaluation
The following evaluation processes were conducted:
- participant feedback forms were completed immediately after workshop;
- participant follow up conducted one month after the workshop; and
- training evaluation and service feedback will be conducted by the Department of Communities Queensland.
Lessons Learned
- The needs and wants of people from a refugee background are diverse and may change over time. Don’t overlook strength and resilience factors.
- Culture enables people to make sense of the world and culture is not necessarily static or fluid.
- Stigma relating to mental illness is present in all cultures.
- It is important to develop self-awareness of your attitudes, values and beliefs when working with young people from a refugee background.
- There is no 'refugee risk assessment' checklist because risk factors are universal.
- Recognise your limits as a worker and when you are beyond them. Seek debriefing, supervision and/or counselling when necessary.
Project Partners
Lifeline Community Care - Queensland
ACCES Services Inc.
Multilink Community Services
The Department Of Communities (Queensland Government)
More information
For more information email project coordinator Chris Chicoteau.