Newsletter date: 25 January 2014
Contents:
* NACCHO community support: Raising funds for Elders report into Preventing Self-harm & Indigenous suicide
* Culture Is Life campaign - Promoting community led solutions to Indigenous youth suicide
* Culture Is Life campaign - The Elders Report
* Background to Suicide and Self-harm in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Communities
* Nicole Watson, Tracker: Little Black Duck: When reparations is the hardest word
* Kelly Briggs, The Guardian: Aboriginal mothers like me still fear that our children could be taken away
* SNAICC News: Aboriginal mothers live in a 'culture of fear' that their children will be taken away
* SNAICC News: Early intervention the key on child abuse, according to National Children’s Commissioner report
* Background to 'Keeping Them Home': Campaign against Forced Aboriginal Adoption in the NT
* ABC Darwin: Grog rehab not working says NAAJA
* Background to the NT Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Bill
* NACCHO Aboriginal health and January 26 debate: What does Australia Day mean for our mob?
* Dylan Clarke, SBS Living Black Radio: An Artistic Twist to Health Programs
* Tracker: Petrol sniffer numbers plummet
* NACCHO COMMUNITY SUPPORT: RAISING FUNDS FOR ELDERS REPORT INTO PREVENTING SELF-HARM & INDIGENOUS SUICIDE
- Analysis / Opinion
NACCHO community support: Raising funds for Elders report into Preventing Self-harm & Indigenous suicide
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2014/01/16/naccho-community-support-raising-...
16 Jan 14: "Indigenous youth suicide in Australia has now risen to become one of the highest in the world. In the Kimberley alone there is one attemped Indigenous suicide per week. The percentage of Indigenous suicide has increased from 5% of total suicide in 1991 to 50% in 2010. The most dramatic increase was in youth aged 10 – 24, where the percentage of Indigenous youth suicide increased from 10% in 1991 to 80% in 2010. ... The Elders and Community leaders understand many of the causes behind the self harm and suicide phenomenon and are asking to lead in the healing process of their people. ... "
* CULTURE IS LIFE CAMPAIGN - PROMOTING COMMUNITY LED SOLUTIONS TO INDIGENOUS YOUTH SUICIDE
- Homepage
CULTURE IS LIFE - Promoting community led solutions to Indigenous youth suicide
http://www.cultureislife.org/
"The rate of youth suicide in Indigenous Australia is now one of the highest in the world. Indigenous Elders are calling for support to help them heal their communities. This is their campaign. Please watch the campaign video, read on, donate if and when you can, and share with your social networks."
* CULTURE IS LIFE CAMPAIGN - THE ELDERS REPORT
- Elders Speak
CULTURE IS LIFE - The Elders Report
http://www.cultureislife.org/#!elders-speak/cw9
"One of the initial actions of the Culture Is Life campaign is the development of the Elders Report on Indigenous Youth Suicide. We are travelling across the country, gathering vital messages from senior Elders about the solutions needed to solve the youth suicide crisis. Once completed, the report will be sent (in video and written form) to relevant Government agencies, service providers and the philanthropic sector, to push for more appropriate community driven solutions to improving wellbeing in Indigenous communities in Australia. Below is a selection of excerpts of Elders featured in the report. We will be updating these as more come in. ... "
* BACKGROUND TO SUICIDE AND SELF-HARM IN ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITIES:
Last updated: 19 January 2014
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/08/13/background-to-suicide-and-self-harm-i...
* NICOLE WATSON, TRACKER: LITTLE BLACK DUCK: WHEN REPARATIONS IS THE HARDEST WORD
- Analysis / Opinion
agendaTracker: Little Black Duck: When reparations is the hardest word
http://tracker.org.au/2014/01/little-black-duck-when-reparations-is-the-...
8 Jan 14: "NATIONAL: It has been interesting to read the various news reports that have tied Kevin Rudd’s legacy to the Apology, writes NICOLE WATSON. Even the likes of Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey have praised Rudd, with the latter commending Rudd for his "magnificent recognition of the Stolen Generation". Like many others, I considered the Apology to be both moving and historic. But I do not believe that Kevin Rudd should be celebrated as a champion for our people. Over the course of his career, Rudd played a role in several developments that were to the detriment of Indigenous people. ... " By Nicole Watson, a Murri lawyer and researcher with the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney
* KELLY BRIGGS, THE GUARDIAN: ABORIGINAL MOTHERS LIKE ME STILL FEAR THAT OUR CHILDREN COULD BE TAKEN AWAY
- Analysis / Opinion
The Guardian: Aboriginal mothers like me still fear that our children could be taken away
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/21/aboriginal-mothers-...
21 Jan 14: "Indigenous women have been told for the better part of two centuries that we're not fit to raise children. Time and time again, we have borne the brunt of racist and cruel policies ... I am not for one second disputing the importance of children attending school. I do not know a single Aboriginal parent who does. But I do dispute the bullying tactics this government has employed in ensuring that attendance is met. The instilling of ever more fear into Aboriginal parents - this I dispute, with every fibre of my being." Kelly Briggs, a Gamilaroi writer living in rural NSW
* SNAICC NEWS: ABORIGINAL MOTHERS LIVE IN A 'CULTURE OF FEAR' THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE TAKEN AWAY
- News
SNAICC News: Aboriginal mothers live in a 'culture of fear' that their children will be taken away
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]
http://www.snaicc.org.au/news-events/fx-view-article.cfm?loadref=32&id=1322
22 Jan 14: "Kelly Briggs, an Aboriginal mother from north-western NSW has written powerfully of her fears that her children will be taken away because of her financial difficulties. In an article published on The Guardian website, Kelly has pleaded for more government assistance for vulnerable Aboriginal parents - and more say by them in child protection decisions - to stop having their children removed by child welfare authorities. "I don’t live far from Lightning Ridge, a place where 41 children were removed from their Aboriginal parents. In some parts of the country, Aboriginal children are 10 times more likely to be put into care," Kelly writes. ... "
* SNAICC NEWS: EARLY INTERVENTION THE KEY ON CHILD ABUSE, ACCORDING TO NATIONAL CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER REPORT
- News
SNAICC News: Early intervention the key on child abuse, according to National Children’s Commissioner report
[SNAICC: Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care]
http://www.snaicc.org.au/news-events/fx-view-article.cfm?loadref=32&id=1320
22 Jan 14: "The first national report into children’s rights in Australia has recommended prevention and early intervention measures to break cycles of violence, abuse and disadvantage. ... The National Children's Commissioner, Megan Mitchell, said in her report - tabled in Federal Parliament on 11 December 2013 - that Australia could not afford to continue to let down generations of children suffering abuse and neglect. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children in rural areas and children in detention were found to be among the most in need of attention."
* BACKGROUND TO 'KEEPING THEM HOME': CAMPAIGN AGAINST FORCED ABORIGINAL ADOPTION IN THE NT
Last updated: 1 December 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/07/03/background-to-keeping-them-home-campa...
* ABC DARWIN: GROG REHAB NOT WORKING SAYS NAAJA
- News
ABC Darwin: Grog rehab not working says NAAJA
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/01/21/3929484.htm?site=darwin
21 Jan 14: "An Aboriginal legal service says concerns remain at the way the NT's alcohol rehabilitation laws were working, six months after they were brought in. The mandatory alcohol rehabilitation laws affect adults taken into police protective custody more than three times in two months. The person then appears before a tribunal who will determine whether the person taken into custody should be sent for mandatory treatment for up to three months. But North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) chief executive Priscilla Collins said the laws were not working properly."
* BACKGROUND TO THE NT ALCOHOL MANDATORY TREATMENT BILL
Last updated: 29 December 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/07/03/background-to-the-nt-alcohol-mandator...
* NACCHO ABORIGINAL HEALTH AND JANUARY 26 DEBATE: WHAT DOES AUSTRALIA DAY MEAN FOR OUR MOB?
- Analysis / Opinion
NACCHO Aboriginal health and January 26 debate: What does Australia Day mean for our mob?
[NACCHO: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation]
http://nacchocommunique.com/2014/01/24/naccho-aboriginal-health-and-janu...
24 Jan 14: "A day off, a barbecue and fireworks? A celebration of who we are as a nation? A day of mourning and invasion? A celebration of survival? Australians hold many different views on what 26 January means to them. We welcome your comments in the online forum below ... For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it isn’t a day for celebration. Instead, 26 January represents a day on which their way of life was invaded and changed forever. For others, it is Survival Day, and a celebration of the survival of people and culture, and the continuous contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make to Australia. ... "
* DYLAN CLARKE, SBS LIVING BLACK RADIO: AN ARTISTIC TWIST TO HEALTH PROGRAMS
- Audio Interview
SBS Living Black Radio: An Artistic Twist to Health Programs
By Dylan Clarke
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/312978/t...
20 Jan 14: "New South Wales health programs are using the arts as a fun platform to get the youth involved. ... A community-based health workshop in New South Wales is encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth to get involved and more engaged through the power of the performing arts. "It's Your Choice Have A Voice" includes mixing music, arts and health together to make a fun enjoyable experience for young aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ... Campaign Coordinator, Monique McEwan says although there is still a lot to learn, these campaigns can be tailored to fit other communities and help them achieve positive results." By Dylan Clarke
* TRACKER: PETROL SNIFFER NUMBERS PLUMMET
- News
newsTracker: Petrol sniffer numbers plummet
http://tracker.org.au/2014/01/petrol-sniffer-numbers-plummet/
14 Jan 14: "NATIONAL: The number of people sniffing petrol in remote Aboriginal communities has dropped by more than 80 per cent since low-aromatic fuel was introduced, a report shows. Across 15 sample Aboriginal communities, the number of petrol sniffers plummeted from 546 in 2005-07 to 97 in 2011-12, or 82 per cent, according to a Menzies School of Health Research interim report released on Monday." By Tracker
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WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
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