Stronger You, Stronger Mob

Stronger You, Stronger Mob Campaign

The Stronger You, Stronger Mob campaign is a public education campaign which aims at preventing and delaying the early uptake of alcohol and other drugs and improving the social and emotional wellbeing of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across WA. The campaign sets out to increase awareness of the risks/harms associated with alcohol and other drug use and improve social and emotional wellbeing. It is now live!

This campaign was developed by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people at the Mental Health Commission, the Strong Spirit Strong Mind Aboriginal Programs Team.

Campaign Goals

The Stronger You, Stronger Mob Campaign aims to:

Increase awareness of social and emotional well-being and promote strategies that support young people, families and communities to gain and maintain their optimal level of social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB).
The campaign also aims to prevent the early uptake of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) for young people in our community.

The campaign seeks to help our mob address some of the issues we face in a culturally secure way by promoting cultural and Aboriginal ways of working into all aspects of the health and mental health sectors.

The term SEWB is the preferred term as it refers to the physical wellbeing of the individual and also the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community.

What is Social and Emotional Wellbeing? (SEWB)

SEWB describes a holistic concept that involves a network of relationships between young people, their family and community. SEWB recognises the importance of connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry and how it affects us mob. SEWB has a bunch of different areas to keep in mind, these are:

Connection to Country
Connection to Mind and Emotions
Connection to Body
Connection to Culture
Connection to Community
Connection to Family and Kinship and;
Connection to Spirit, Spirituality and Ancestors

When we feel disconnected from one or more of these areas it can cause us to feel sad or angry and hurt our inner spirit. There are heaps of ways to help feel strong and maintain a strong inner spirit. To find out more keep reading this page.

What can you do to improve your SEWB?

There are heaps of ways you can feel stronger or help mob feel stronger. We're all different and there's no pressure! If something doesn't work, take the time to explore what works for you! Have a look below

Mind and Emotions:
Sometimes our emotions can feel all over the place and we can feel down. Taking care of yourself is important:

- Take time to destress if you're feeling overwhelmed
- Talk to someone you trust or having a yarn with family member
- Relax and take breaks or have to time to yourself, listen to music, read a book or do a mindfulness exercise

Body:
Exercise can help us feel better physically and mentally. More than just hitting the gym you can hike or just kick the footy around with some mates:

- Go for a walk with a mate or your dog
- Join a sports team or go swimming
- Set routines and goals like dedicated time to self-care or meal planning and get plenty of rest

Family and Kinship:
Being with family isn't always easy but when you feel safe to, it's important to share connections with your family and mob. When things get tough it's good to yarn about it with people you trust:

- Yarn with your family about what's bothering you
- Do an activity you enjoy together like, fishing, art, cooking or playing music
- Organise time for mob to come together over a meal and catch up

Country:
Spending time on Country, when you can, helps us reduce stress and improve our moods. Connecting with and being on Country keeps our spirit strong:

- Visit country if you don't live on Country
- Go camping with family, be around nature
- Hike bush trails or go swimming with mate

Culture and Spirit:
Culture is at the heart of everything we do and it's important to keep learning and participating in culture. Getting involved in culture helps strengthen our spirit:

- Listen to stories and learn culture
- Participate in cultural events like NAIDOC week
- Do creative cultural activities like painting, weaving, dance or playing an instrument

Community:
Getting involved in community and giving back helps us feel included and connected. Yarning to Elders and getting involved in community events keeps our spirit strong:

- Volunteer at a youth group or get involved in community events
- Join a sport or art club
- Yarn with Elders and listen to stories

Campaign Materials

The campaign consists of a range of materials that involve young Aboriginal people from across WA. These include videos, posters, radio adverts and a community tool kit. Scroll down to have a look!

Video materials

Video sources
Yarn to your mob It's always good yarning with your mob. Can be in person, on Facetime or even a phone call.	View video (opens in new window)
Get involved I love connecting to culture through traditional ceremonial dance. Getting involved in culture helps strengthen our inner spirit.	View video (opens in new window)
Visit Country I love coming back home and spending time on country. Connecting with country and culture keeps our spirit strong.	View video (opens in new window)
Yarn to Elders I learn heaps yarning to Nan and hearing her stories. Yarn to Elders to learn about our culture and keep our spirits strong.	View video (opens in new window)
Stay connected Making art helps me feel strong and connected to country. Being off country can be hard, staying connected to culture keeps us strong.	View video (opens in new window)
Yarn with mob I yarn with my mob when things are bothering me. When things get tough, it's good to yarn about it with people you trust.	View video (opens in new window)
Learn culture My community youth group keeps me active and I learn about my culture. Joining your local community group gets you out on country, learning culture and playing sport.	View video (opens in new window)

Yarn to your mob (opens in new window)

Staying connected to mob is important to keep your inner spirit strong. Can be going to their house for a visit, texting or even facetime. It keeps you strong, and our mob strong too.

Get involved (opens in new window)

Keeping yourself strong helps keep our mob strong too. It’s about staying connected to Country and Culture. Why not join in with local groups and do cultural activities and attend special celebrations such as NAIDOC week. Give it a go and enjoy yourself!

Visit Country (opens in new window)

Spending time on Country and learning cultural ways is good for your inner spirit. You could go out bush or go fishing. It’s always good to sit around the fire and have a yarn with your mob. Stronger spirit means a stronger mob.

Yarn to Elders (opens in new window)

Staying connected to culture and family is one of the best ways to keep yourself strong. You can learn a lot just by yarning with your nan or pop and listening to their stories.

Stay connected (opens in new window)

Living away from country can be hard, but there are ways to help you stay connected. You can do cultural activities like storytelling, fishing, hunting, painting, singing and meeting up with other Aboriginal families to share culture. A stronger you, means stronger mob.

Yarn with mob (opens in new window)

It’s important to yarn with people who you trust and supports you, especially when things aren’t going so well. There’s no need to be shame, anyone can feel down and you just need to reach out. It keeps you strong, and our mob strong.