Isabelle Shaw
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Isabelle Shaw

Sydney, Australia

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIFIC AREA OF INTEREST IN YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY?

Research and policy advocacy

WHY IS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Things don’t change unless we advocate for them. Young people are breaking free from stigma to talk about mental health and are calling for change in the way we think of mental health. Through this, we are fighting for ourselves, each other, and our loved ones.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

Growing up, mental health was highly stigmatised -discussed only in relation to ‘crazies’ engaged in heinous or criminal behaviours. Now, I can have empathic, kind conversations around mental health with loved ones. But there’s still a long way to go. Although jokes about depression are common, clinical mental remains taboo.

PROPOSED FELLOWSHIP PROJECT

Project: Women of Colour Trauma Support and Advocacy

While trauma and mental health are indiscriminate in who they effect, unique barriers and concerns exist when they meet with the intersection of race and gender. Barriers to culturally competent professional help, lack of support network, and an understandable distrust of legal and social structures prevent women survivors of colour. 

Women of colour are often the most overrepresented as victims of crime, yet are underrepresented in conversations around support. They are less likely to seek support due to the aforementioned barriers. Resultantly, they are at an increased risk of mental ill health and are more likely to be victims of violence again later in their lives.

This project aims to lift the voices of women of colour survivors and advocate for changes which will ensure high quality, accessible support through an:

  • increase of women of colour engaging with support services (destigmatising amongst communities, making services more accessible and culturally trained); and 
  • increase of number of services trained in cultural competency (more specialised services as well as improving generalist services)