Yarn It Out

Galambila is an Aboriginal medical service provider based in Coffs Harbour - Gumbaynggirr Country - that provide an array of health services including a General Practice with health professionals employed directly by the organisation to serve their community.

As well as providing GP services, they also receive funding from NSW and Federal Governments to develop and distribute health promotion campaigns directly to their community. In recognition of the impact suicide is having on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a nationwide approach was adopted with NACCHO, funding 36 Aboriginal health services to implement the Culture Care Connect program. This federally funded initiative aims to integrate suicide prevention awareness by providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive support to community members impacted by suicide.

In 2022 suicide of First Nations people in Australia accounted for 4.6% of all deaths and in certain age brackets it is over 3 times greater than the equivalent non-indigenous population. Further to this, Coffs Harbour specifically has one of the highest rates of suicide in NSW with young men being the most impacted population group.

Help to reduce suicide rates across First Nations peoples in the Coffs Harbour region by promoting stigma reduction and help-seeking behaviours.

People living in Gumbaynggirr Country identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders and those in roles supporting this audience with a particular focus on youth aged 12+

Yarn It Out.

I am not alone.

Producing creative solutions for such important challenges is a privilege and something that we take incredibly seriously at Headjam. There are numerous researchers that have studied the positive impact that ambassadors have on population behavioural change and we started with this as the cornerstone of this campaign. We partnered with two very well known Indigenous rappers Kobie Dee and Barkaa to help deliver the message and visually show their support for the Australian community most severely impacted by the challenge of suicide. Both of these artists have first hand experience dealing with suicide and having them on board allowed us to provide a platform of opening up conversation and showcasing that it’s ok to discuss these topics, be kind to yourself, and provide support to others around you.

We drew on our previous experience working with Aboriginal health services and suicide prevention initiatives. Our research revealed a common thread; encouraging people to talk openly about their mental health, and to seek help by talking to their GP or helplines. Having a yarn was the key.

We developed a campaign line that spoke to this directly, it also became the call to action - ‘Yarn It out’.

With close consultation with the Galambila Advisory Group, the style and tone of the campaign was designed to appeal to the most at-risk groups in community.

Visually we filmed the content straight on, with a dark background and dark clothing - the focus is on the artists’ face and strong delivery of the script that we collaboratively created, with both artists applying their flair and take on the framework we provided.

The video assets are supported by an outdoor photographic ad campaign that features portraits of Barkaa and Kobie Dee with unflinching lines that promote help-seeking. The result is a hard-hitting, visually striking and powerful campaign that tackles one of the regions biggest challenges head-on.

From an evaluation standpoint, any form of impact health promotion campaigns have can take many years to measure and understand. We will continue to monitor the findings of the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing research teams on suicide rates within the Coffs Harbour and other regional areas that the campaign is syndicated to over the next 5+ years to see if any measurable impact can be found. Until then we will continue to introduce Yarn it Out at various community events over the coming years and ensure we continue to deliver the key messaging and promotional campaign across all available media channels.

Currently, the campaign has been distributed both online and through traditional out-of-home advertising mediums at hightraffic bus stop areas reaching as many within the community as possible.

The anecdotal feedback has been positive. The campaign is supported by the Culture Care Connect suicide prevention program at Galambila that provides clients with psychology, social work, and assertive case coordination with Aboriginal Wellbeing Workers.

Galambila have had interest expressed to them by partner Aboriginal health services to use the campaign assets across their regions, allowing this campaign to have impact across a broader footprint. We are exploring how the work can be distributed to other areas of Australia to help support their efforts at reducing suicide within First Nations communities.

“We hope the power of these ambassadors resonates with those who are travelling this path so they know there is support around them. Galambila has services to enable community to ‘Yarn It Out’ and connect with identified supports.”

Helen Lambert, Manager (Suicide Prevention and SEWB).