Life Promotion and Suicide Prevention FNQ | August 2026

A new era for suicide prevention community action planning

Meeting the Collaborative | Andrea Obeyesekere

“…the invitation became much more than simply being a connector:
I became part of something quite extraordinary.”

As I prepare to finish my role as General Manager, Centacare FNQ and move into my new role as Executive Leader, Diocesan Mission & Ministry with the Catholic Diocese of Cairns, I am very grateful to remain connected to the Life Promotion and Suicide Prevention Collaborative.

My new role will take me into the broader life of the Church, where people are often walking alongside others through grief, loss, trauma and some of life’s most difficult moments. There is still so much I want to learn from the Collaborative and take into this next chapter, whilst bringing new perspectives to the conversations we share.

I joined the Collaborative in 2024 wanting to connect migrant and refugee communities in FNQ with supports and networks that could walk beside them. I knew understandings of wellbeing, life preservation and loss could be profoundly different, and that clinical responses were not always where people found healing.

I have sat alongside some of the bravest people I have ever met and heard stories that take your breath away. Every time I come, I learn something new.

“I have learnt that movements for change and social justice don’t always begin with big systems, programs or buckets of money.”

They begin with human connection, with listening, and with someone saying, you don’t have to carry this alone.

That is what the Collaborative gives us: Courage to talk, courage to listen, connection, and above all, hope.

Conversations + Connections

Linking and Alignment

The Common Agenda for Change and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and Outcomes Framework, encourages us to simultaneously view suicide prevention in discrete and targeted areas of intentional effort and, importantly, collective community movements for change.

Youth Voice

Where youth stories of experience hold influence for change.

The Collaborative considers the safeguarding of young people essential to life promotion and suicide prevention. When we explore this notion, it becomes immediately apparent that our communities and our adults share responsibilities for the safeguarding.

Last year, Tableland Collaborative members invited the Collaborative to explore youth experiences of distress from across the Atherton Tablelands. So far it has become evident that many young people are unable to find safe spaces across their relationships - personal, family, school or community.

We are continuing to explore how youth distress turns up and the conditions of distress by yarning with community members already engaged in life promotion outside of the service system and where young people naturally gravitate to.

With new Collaborative partners coming into this conversation from across the Atherton Tablelands, we are looking forward to building momentum for a collective community response in safeguarding our young people.

Continuous Communications

Intentional engagements that are foundational for community development.

It was fantastic to catch up with old friends and introduce new friends at the recent Billy’s Coffee Catch Up. CORES coordinator, Samantha joined us as a new Collaborative member and Samantha was able to make some important connections to support the community conversations in suicide prevention. It was fantastic to catch up with the Culture Care Connect teams from Apunipima and Wuchopperen as well.

National Suicide Prevention Office

Catching up with the National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) is always a treat for the Collaborative. We had a valuable conversation with Ina Mullin, Director of Partnerships + Engagement with NSPO, exploring the Collaborative’s focus areas and their connection to the outcomes framework and the national plan. Ina is always delighted to hear of the Collaborative’s intentional work that strategically aligns with the plans and frameworks on a local level.

Collaborative Changing the Narrative in Communities

World Suicide Prevention Day | 10th September 2026

Changing the Narrative on Suicide

2026 is the third and final year of Changing the Narrative on Suicide theme - a global campaign on challenging us to talk about suicide, create space for open and honest conversations and strengthen relationships that can save lives.

Please pop on to International Association for Suicide Prevention for resources and events.

Community Conversations | Collaborative on the Move

Building on the theme of Changing the Narrative, the Collaborative will be hosting community conversations exploring what changing the narrative means to us, what each of our roles are in the movement of change and how this can transpire in your community.

If you are interested in co-hosting a conversation, please let the Collaborative backbone team know with an Expression of Interest.

Cape York Focus Forum

Next meeting will be on 17 September online at 10.00am
Register here: Cape York Focus Forum – Fill out form

If you are interested in being part of the movement for change, please contact Gill via gill@beaconstrategies.com.au

Book Review | Something new to read and share

It’s not an easy read. It’s not meant to be.
It is however thought-provoking and challenging, inviting us to rethink how society understands suicide and suicidal experiences.

Alexandre Baril critiques traditional approaches that often focus solely on prevention and instead encourages a deeper examination of the social, political, and cultural forces that shape attitudes towards suicidality.

Where Baril aligns with much of our local, Collaborative conversations and focus on Bringing the Humanity Back, is his emphasis on listening to and valuing the voices and lived experiences of people who have contemplated or attempted suicide.

The book challenges us to engage with discomfort and consider perspectives that are often excluded from mainstream discussions.

Some sections are academic and complex and offer up an important contribution to conversations about autonomy, mental health, ethics, and suicide prevention.

Whether or not you agree with all of Baril's arguments, Undoing Suicidism encourages critical reflection and a more nuanced understanding of suicide.

Straight Up: A challenging but important read for anyone committed to deepening their understanding of suicide and suicide prevention.

Online, free and downloadable copy through Jstor.

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