Wednesday, March 18, 2026

11:10 AM - 11:50 AM

Adelaide Oval - SANFL Chairman room

---

Overview

Presented by: Danielle Bament - Executive Manager, Aspire Recovery Connection. Tamara Noel - Senior Project Officer, KWY

---

Details

Funded by Adelaide Primary Health Network, KWY Aboriginal Corporation and Aspire Recovery Connection make up the backbone team for the Northern Adelaide Suicide Prevention Collaborative. The team will talk about how they have used a collective impact approach to developing the Northern Suicide Prevention Community Action Plan. Whilst the plan is for the whole region, it holds a strong focus on the Aboriginal community, who continue to experience unacceptably high rates of suicide across Australia. As such, the project has been named ‘Aboriginal Voices’ and at the heart of the project is the assertion that ‘if we get it right for Aboriginal people, we get it right for everyone.’ Grounded in Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing, Aboriginal Voices has created spaces for truth-telling, connection and healing. Through yarning circles, workshops, and community conversations, Elders, young people, families, and service providers have come together to share experiences, build understanding, and imagine what prevention can look like when culture sits at the centre, and is seen as a protective factor, rather than a risk. The journey has not been easy. It has meant listening to painful stories, recognising the shortcomings of mainstream systems, and challenging long-standing ways of working. Yet it has also been deeply powerful, witnessing community voices shape strategies and watching hope grow through connection, identity, and strength. At this conference, we will share the story of Aboriginal Voices: the lessons learned, the partnerships built, and the vision for a suicide prevention approach that honours culture, restores dignity, and strengthens resilience. By elevating Aboriginal voices, the project shifts the narrative from deficit to strength, from intervention to prevention, and from service-led to community-led.