Project Name
South Asian Women Mental Health Literacy Project and Photovoice Exhibition
Background
Through a series of consultations, the Mental Health Commission of NSW (MHC) and NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) identified women from South Asian backgrounds as priority group where there is opportunity to help increase knowledge on mental health issues.
MHC engaged MHCS to develop an initiative to help increase mental health literacy of Indian women in NSW through community engagement activities including Living Well Consultations, Skill-Building Empowerment Workshops and Photovoice exhibitions from 2018 – 2019.
Project aims
The communication campaign aimed to:
- Give permission and words to use to bring up the issue of mental illness, depression, anxiety, etc with women from Indian backgrounds and their loved ones
- Reduces stigma in discussing mental illness; that mental illness occurs in all cultures
- Encourage engagement (conversations) in women from Indian communities in NSW and those that support them
- Increase mental health literacy among Indian women in NSW
- Identify enablers and barriers for mental health literacy with women from Indian backgrounds Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration through understanding broader issues within the Indian community
- Empower Indian women with skills and tools to contextualise and define issues in ways that are culturally relevant
Community Partners
- Haathi in the Room
- Pink Sari Incorporated (PSI)
- SAHELI (South Asian Hub for Enterprise Leadership and Initiatives)
Links to resources
Living Well Mid-Term Review – Photovoice Project with South Asian Women - Video:
Engagement through Photovoice – Video:
- SBS Online Report - South Asian women are using photography to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/south-asian-women-are-using-photography-to-reduce-stigma-surrounding-mental-illness
SBS TV News video coverage of the South Asian Photovoice Exhibition:
- Mental Health Literacy Project - Indian Women: https://nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au/sites/default/files/mhcs_report_-_indian_women_mental_health_literacy_project_2018_-_12_july_2019.pdf
Key contacts:
Sam Shen: fang.shen1@health.nsw.gov.au
Jesusa Helaratne: jesusa.helaratne@health.nsw.gov.au