Some spoke about culture itself.

• "Keep connecting to our culture, yarn with people who care."
• "A sense of love and connection."

One response stayed with us:

• "It helps through someone having cultural understanding of issues and viewing through a cultural lens."

As we listened throughout the day, it became clear that these conversations were about more than mental health alone. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, wellbeing is deeply connected to culture, Country, community, spirituality and kinship. This holistic understanding, often referred to as Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB), recognises that feeling well isn't just about the absence of illness - it's about feeling connected, supported and grounded in who you are.

We also know that First Nations young people continue to face significant mental health inequities, with the ongoing impacts of colonisation, intergenerational trauma and systemic disadvantage continuing to affect social and emotional wellbeing. Hearing community members speak about the importance of Elders, family, culture and Country reminded us just how central these connections are to helping young people thrive.

When we asked what helps young First Nations people thrive, one message came through again and again - listen to young people.

One young person shared:

• “I love this question. Listening. I think one thing about our youth is that they don’t feel heard in big spaces. I think listening, allowing them to use their voices and empowering them to use their voices. I think a lot of our young people don’t know that they have access to services, they don’t know that they can be one of those people in a big space, in a big room, and I think allowing them to use their big voices is really important.”

Others spoke about creating safe places where they can connect.

• “I think one thing that definitely helps is a space for people to form connections with other young people their age, especially First Nations, and have that infrastructure, like a safe environment.”

Many reflected on culture as a source of strength.

• “One thing that helps young First Nations people thrive is I think is that connection to community. Like you see today [at the NAIDOC event] we’ve got the mob out here, the community’s here, we’re loud, we’re proud and we’re deadly. 50 years of this, it’s great.”
• “Culture. I mean we saw out there this morning [at the NAIDOC event], seeing all the young fellas dance. You see the joy on their faces, it’s the best thing ever. Connecting with culture is so important, as a young black fella, culture is the core of who you are, it’s your soul. Creating spaces like this where we can connect back to that culture, it really fills your cup, and seeing that younger generation connect to our culture like that.”

• “Support, heaps of support from parents, teachers, everybody. Just having those options that they can grow up to be whatever they want and have someone to guide them to that, and also keep in touch with their culture.”

Together, these reflections reinforced that helping young people thrive isn't about one single program or service. It's about creating environments where young people feel connected, supported and proud of who they are.

We also asked why it's important to celebrate and learn from First Nations cultures. Many of the responses centred on respect, storytelling and understanding.

• “It’s the history of Australia and it’s such a beautiful country and whether you like it or not, it’s the history of everyone connected to Australia. Australia has a black history, and I think it’s just a really good way to learn about the real history of Australia because Aboriginal culture, it’s an inclusive culture. It’s a culture that involves storytelling and sharing, sharing through dance, and I think it’s an important time of the year. I feel like it shouldn’t just be a week, it should be important all year round, but it’s a good time to talk to the community and just learn and be open to learn new things.”
• “I think it’s important because everything was so lost during everything that was stolen, and  I think we can just learn where Australia really grew from, and how this land came to be what it is, and who looked after it before everyone else, because it wasn’t an empty land. It was home to all these amazing Aboriginal people who should be recognised.”
• “To get an education on the history of the people, and then move forward and celebrate together rather than as just one culture.”
• “I think First Nations culture, especially Aboriginal culture, is the longest standing culture in the world, and I think it’s important to learn just out of respect - we have a lot of mob on the Central Coast and to provide empathy for our culture and just respect overall for people who are working in services, who are supporting us, and I think its just a good thing to learn, even just to grow your knowledge on First Nations all over the world.”
• “First Nations people were here first, they have a connection to the land and the animals and people. They have a lot of community and spirit and their storytelling, and they’re very just connected and we can learn from that.”
• “I think it’s important to learn and share so that people are holding onto that knowledge through generations, and that way keep the circle going, young people can learn from older people who can pass it on. It’s really important.”

At batyr, we know we still have plenty to learn. These conversations reminded us that NAIDOC Week isn't just about celebrating First Nations culture - it's about continuing to listen, learn and strengthen relationships all year round. We're committed to creating spaces where young people's voices shape the conversation around mental health, and we're grateful to everyone who shared their stories, perspectives and wisdom with us.

Connecting with these incredible young people and their communities reinforced something we see across all of our work: young people often already know what helps them thrive. Our role is to keep creating opportunities to listen, learn alongside them, and work towards a future where every young person feels connected, heard and supported.

Thank you to Central Coast Health and Nunyara and Ngiyang Aboriginal Health Services for welcoming us and creating space for these important conversations.