Yulu-Burri-Ba Corporation secures $235,000 Queensland Government grant to improve mental health for Minjerribah youth

Better mental health and life outcomes for young people on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) is the target of the Yulu-Burri-Ba Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health in partnership with the Palaszczuk Government.

The North Stradbroke Island Indigenous Youth Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program will facilitate after-hours activities and yarning circles with Elders, offer counselling sessions and specialist services, and provide a safe place for young people to go when feeling overwhelmed.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford said the project was one of five locally led initiatives across the State, totalling more than $1 million, to improve community social health.

“The Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve mental health, emotional wellbeing, and social outcomes,” Mr Crawford said.

“it will respond to substance misuse, and reduce rates of suicide in their communities,” he said.

“Like other Local Thriving Communities initiatives, the Program supports First Nations peoples to make decisions about their own future, build on their strengths, invest in things that will make their communities stronger, and make an enduring difference to people’s lives.”

Mr Crawford commended the leadership and initiative shown by the Yulu-Burri-Ba Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health in securing a $235,000 SEWB Program grant to meet this critical need.

Yulu-Burri-Ba CEO David Collins said the locally led initiative would employ community members and deliver significant benefit to the community as we all work together to improve mental health and provide hope for the future.

“It has been developed in consultation with the North Stradbroke Island Youth Working Group who identified the need for a community-led program providing out-of-hours support for young people at risk of suicide,” Mr Collins said.

“The Working Group includes Redland City Council, youth justice services, the local primary and high school, the Queensland Police Service, community members, Minjerribah Elders and Yulu-Burri-Ba Aboriginal Corporation.”

Applications for grants funding were assessed, shortlisted, and awarded by an independent expert panel.

More information about the Local Thriving Communities initiative can be found at qld.gov.au/thriving.

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Media contact: Peter Michael 0477948091