Supporters of R U OK? come from a diverse range of multicultural backgrounds, individual community members, members of our national Ambassador network and community organisations. From these interactions, it has become increasingly clear that we have both a responsibility and opportunity to proactively strengthen our offering to these communities and ensure we do so in a culturally appropriate way.
Throughout 2023, Mental Health Australia's Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project led the first phase of the Embrace Suicide Prevention Pilot (ESPP).
A collaboration between Mental Health Australia, Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA), and R U OK? (the Consortium), the ESPP helped to inform:
(1) expanded use of the Embrace Framework for Multicultural Australia in the context of suicide prevention
(2) an community-led engagement and co-design approach with three community groups - Arabic, Hindi and Vietnamese – led by R U OK?
Ethnic Communities Services Co Op, Lurnea High school and Stride Network worked with R U OK? to inform this work as a sector, and ensure collaboration with multicultural communities is authentic, community and lived experience led.
In this session, representatives from the co design process and consortium, will talk through what they’ve learned and how this can benefit other organisations and communities.
R U OK? Is a public health promotion that aims to start life-changing conversations with those who are struggling with life. R U OK? is working with multi-cultural communities to help empower people to have helpful conversations and lend support in culturally appropriate ways.
The Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project is delivered by Mental Health Australia and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health to provide a national focus on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Building on the important work of previous national multicultural mental health projects, the Project works towards an equitable mental health system that reflects and responds well to the needs of Australia’s multicultural population.The Project's Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework) is a free online tool designed to help organisations and individuals evaluate their cultural responsiveness and enhance delivery of services for CALD communities.