South Sudanese Australian co-design project announced as a finalist in Premier’s Awards

South Sudanese Australian communities face complex challenges, including those shared by many migrant groups.

South Sudanese Australians have also experienced increasing attention from the media, public and political spheres, in a way that has at times been divisive, racist and harmful to their outcomes in Australia.


4 September 2018


The TACSI team

“What they (the public) see on TV is what they think you are”

Young South Sudanese Australian man

In 2019-20, TACSI worked with South Sudanese Australian communities, providers and government to develop and trial ideas to improve mental health.

Using co-design methodologies informed by community development practice, we worked with South Sudanese Australian communities, the state government and health provider cohealth to understand the obstacles and opportunities facing the community, so that solutions to these issues could be designed and tested.

We also worked with and commissioned award winning South Sudanese film director, producer, and writer EzEldin Deng to create a video summary of the project insights.

 

Importantly, the project governance group had a community majority, as well as government and cohealth participation, a collaboration which ensured the project was in line with community needs while balancing feasibility.

We recruited six South Sudanese Australian co-designers who worked with TACSI social innovators. Co-designers identified and developed solutions with, created culturally safe experiences for and advocated for their community, and continue to share insights from the project.

Read more about our South Sudanese Minds hero initiative here

“I thought I knew everything about my community, but this project changed that”

Flora, a South Sudanese Australian co-designer with TACSI

We co-designed four initiatives

Together, we co-designed four initiatives to improve outcomes that focus on supporting people and building resilience so that when challenges arise they have the support and strengths they need to negotiate their way through.

The four initiatives below have the support of Community members and leaders, and are currently looking for resource partners to fund, start up, trial and deliver them.

This project is now a finalist in the Victorian Premier Design awards.

 
Insights and Opportunities with the South Sudanese Australian Community of Western Melbourne
Insights and Opportunities with the South Sudanese Australian Community of Western Melbourne

Two of the young South Sudanese Australians –Nanchok and Aguang – are having conversations with potential partners to support the continuation and scale of the ventures. Send an email to hello@ssamind.org if you’re interested in a partnership.

You can also read more about the project in our South Sudanese Minds showcase report.

We're social
Get in touch

ADELAIDE
Level 1, 279 Flinders St
Adelaide SA 5000

SYDNEY
1/145 Redfern Street

Redfern NSW 2016

Subscribe to our newsletter
Be the first to hear about TACSI events, resources, our big ideas, and new projects.
© 2024 TACSI
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the lands in which we work and live on across Australia. We pay our respects to Elders of the past, present and emerging. We are committed to collaboration that furthers self-determination and creates a better future for all. Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
At TACSI, diversity and inclusion is more than a statement; equality and accessibility are guiding principles embedded in everything we do. We strongly believe that it’s the collective sum of all our communities differences, life experiences, and knowledge that enables both ourselves and our partners to come together to tackle complex social issues. That’s why we’re committed to having a diverse team made up of people with diverse skills from all backgrounds, including First Nations peoples, LGBTIQ+, mature-age people, and people with visible and non-visible disabilities, regardless of sex, sexuality or gender identity.