Professor James Smith, Director of the NT Division of the FCMHW, has teamed up with MOVEMBER for its Social Connectness challenge for a program “Adaptation of an online mental health and wellbeing education and support intervention for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in Australia”.

MOVEMBER has partnered with 11 teams internationally (including 3 in Australia) to look at fresh, innovative technology-based ideas to address the problem of loneliness, isolation and improve social connectedness in men and strengthen their overall mental health. MOVEMBER’s focus were men who are at greater risk of social isolation because of where they live, their socio-economic status or cultural background.

Prof Smith he will co-lead the program with Dr Bep Uink from Murdoch University and Associate Professor Garth Stahl, at the University of Queensland, and with Advisor Professor Daphne Watkins, from the University of Michigan.

The project aims to adapt and trial an interactive, online program known as the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) project (www.ybmenproject.com). YBMen (developed by Professor Daphne Watkins) provides social and educational support and connectedness via a private social media group, on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. The project was originally developed for young Black college men in the United States and is currently being tested with other groups of young men of colour in the US. Through Indigenous leadership and co-design processes, this innovation will aim to adapt and contextualise the YBMen program to meet the needs of young Indigenous males across Northern Australia. Contextualisation will include consideration of cultural, geographic and gender characteristics; and will identify relevant prompts from social media and popular culture that can be used throughout the program to discuss issues relating to social connectedness, mental health, and masculinities.

For more information see the MOVEMBER funding announcement.