Queenstown charity Headlight has been working with ethnic communities to increase their mental health literacy. With increased literacy, people have a better understanding of their own mental health and wellbeing, and how to support others who are struggling with mental distress. Our ethnic communities have told us that health is one of the most important things to them. They want better health outcomes for themselves, their whānau and communities, and equitable access to services.

Headlight, formerly known as Southern Wellbeing Trust, supported local ethnic community members who experienced mental health challenges during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people did not seek support due to concerns about money or visa status, and other difficulties, the charity says. It responded by creating a community programme based on an existing workplace education programme (GoodYarn). The programme trained peer facilitators so they could educate their communities, in their own language and in safe community settings. 

We were proud to support this programme through our Ethnic Communities Development Fund. The funding allowed the charity to focus more on ethnic communities. A range of ethnic community leaders and groups did the workshops, including Filipino communities and Spanish-speaking communities.

Participants said they learnt important information about suicide prevention, signs and symptoms of mental distress, where to get support, and discovered useful resources.

An evaluation of the programme said it was “a successful model for improving mental health knowledge and skills, particularly amongst hard to reach and ethnically diverse communities.”

Headlight wants to make mental health education more accessible and equitable for other New Zealand communities. It is working with cultural groups from the Chinese and Pakistani communities to develop new language programmes. It welcomes interest from other organisations and individuals interested in increasing mental health literacy in diverse communities.

Find out more about Headlight on its website, or contact info@headlight.org.nz.