CHETRE has been successful in the application of MRFF/NHMRC grant

CHETRE has been successful in the application of MRFF/NHMRC grant.  The 2020 Closing the Gap report states that progress towards better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must include harnessing the strength of culture as an underlying determinant of good health. Our research team is built on strong connections to, and representation from, Yuwalaraay, Yuin and Gamilaraay traditional owners and knowledge holders of the North-western and South Coast regions of NSW.

The project will take a strengths-based approach by working through existing community-led initiatives operating in these regions, that seek to enhance enculturation through strengthening connections to Aboriginal cultural landscapes (physical landscapes of cultural significance), practices (ceremony, medicines, foods), and languages through walaay (cultural camps). The walaays will act as study interventions where we will use a range of quantitative and qualitative methods to understand how they are linked to processes of cultural resilience building, and if and how this impacts health and quality of life.

The project will also collaborate with policy makers and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, to iteratively develop an evidence-informed Model of Cultural Resilience that aims to create linkages between health systems and cultural initiatives through shared goals, communication, and pathways; and to inform how cultural resilience can be enhanced and supported.  (Dr Aryati Yashadhana)