Developing a school-based preventive life skills program for youth in a remote Indigenous community in north Australia. Issue 5 (1st August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Robinson, Gary William; Leckning, Bernard; Midford, Richard; Harper, Helen; Silburn, Sven; Gannaway, Jess; Dolan, Kylie; Delphine, Tim; Hayes, Craig
• Editors: Weare, Katherine
• Is Part Of: Health education. Volume 116:Issue 5(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-08-01
• Subjects: Health education -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 613.071
• DOI: 10.1108/HE-09-2015-0026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-4283

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This paper describes the process of development and the pilot implementation of a preventive life skills curriculum for Indigenous middle school students in a very remote community College in the West Arnhem region of north Australia. The curriculum integrates proven educational and psychological techniques with culturally informed notions of relatedness and was developed as a contribution to efforts to prevent alarming rates of suicide among remote Indigenous youth. In this paper, the term, Indigenous refers to Australians of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Design/methodology/approach: Based on reviews of research literature on school-based suicide prevention and social emotional learning (SEL) in both general and Indigenous populations, and following detailed community consultations, a twelve week curriculum was drafted and implemented in two middle school classes (combined years 7-9). Lessons were video-taped and later analysed and detailed commentary was sought from participating school staff. Findings: The pilot program has yielded important insights into requirements of a curriculum for young people with low English literacy levels and with variable school attendance patterns. It confirmed the need to adjust both pedagogical approach and curriculum content for the program to have resonance with students from this linguistic and cultural background and with varying levels of exposure to multiple stressors in disadvantaged community settings. Practical implications: The project has identified and resolved key questions for sustainable implementation of a preventive curriculum in challenging community circumstances Originality/value: There are to date no examples of the systematic adaptation and design of a universal preventive intervention specifically for remote Australian Indigenous youth. The project is the first step towards the formal evaluation of the efficacy of a classroom-based approach to suicide prevention in remote community schools.