Download Powerful music video for young people launches

28 January 2015
Powerful music video for young people
launches
To encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to talk about mental health and
wellbeing, communities in the Northern Territory worked with headspace and Indigenous Hip Hop
Projects (IHHP) to create the ‘Got a lot going on’ music video.
The hip hop video, written and performed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people,
captures the broad range of issues they face, including racism, stress, drugs and isolation, but
stresses there is ‘no shame in talking it’.
View the music video here and the behind the scenes making of ‘Got a lot going on’ here.
The video was created over nine days in late 2014, with music and dance workshops held with young
people in Rockhole, Katherine, Beswick and Belyuen. Starting with just a beat, young people worked
with IHHP and headspace to write song lyrics, learn hip hop dance moves and film the music video.
Dion Brownfield, Indigenous Hip Hop Projects, said nothing is more powerful than a resource made
for young people, by young people.
“It’s in their language, it’s talking firsthand about their experience and it’s about them expressing
themselves. The sense of connection to the final product is so strong.”
“Communities will be able to relate and connect to the powerful messages in the lyrics. Indigenous
young people do have many challenges living in community and they do have a lot going on, this
music video is a testament to the power of culture, music and dance for change,” Mr Brownfield said.
An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report 2011 showed in 2008 almost one-third of young
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (aged 16–24 years) had high or very high levels of
psychological distress—more than twice the rate of young non-Indigenous Australians.
Increasingly, research findings suggest that early intervention can prevent the worsening of mental
health problems. Early intervention is most appropriate for helping young people, as adolescence is
the peak age of onset for a first episode of mental illness (Chalmers et al. 2014).
headspace CEO Chris Tanti said the video brings the messages of the recently launched Yarn Safe
campaign to life.
“The young people really embraced the process of using song and dance to express their feelings
and emotions. They weren’t afraid to talk about what’s going on for them even though they were
touching on some really sensitive issues.”
“As well as creating something that reaches young people across the country, this has been an
opportunity for headspace to learn more about the issues facing young Aboriginal and Torres Strait,
particularly in these communities,” Mr Tanti said.
The project is part of the Yarn Safe campaign, which aims to educate Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander young people about mental health and encourage them to get help at headspace centres
located around the country, eheadspace online and telephone counselling service or other
appropriate mental health services.
Yarn Safe is the first youth-led national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth mental health
campaign of its kind. The campaign was developed with a group of 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander young people from across Australia, including Elcho Island, Brisbane, Darwin, Broome,
Melbourne and Perth. Read more about Yarn Safe here.
headspace media contact:
For interviews, images or video files please contact Nadia Clancy - [email protected] 0455079803
Notes to editors:
All stories about youth mental health should include youth-specific help-seeking information:
headspace.org.au or 1800 650 890
About headspace
The primary focus of headspace is the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians. headspace
helps 12 – 25 year olds going through a tough time through a national network of headspace centres
(including Darwin and Alice Springs) and online and telephone counselling service eheadspace.
headspace can help young people with general health, mental health, education and employment
and alcohol and other drug services.
headspace was established and funded by the Commonwealth Government of Australia in 2006.
Visit headspace.org.au to find a headspace centre or access help.
headspace acknowledges it is in a unique position in the Australian youth space and recognises the
positive contribution that can be made to the lives of young people by reducing racism and other
forms of discrimination. We acknowledge the wise people of the White Cockatoo Mob as custodians
and traditional owners of the “Mimi” cultural song and dance as performed in the video.
About Indigenous Hip Hop Projects
Indigenous Hip Hop Projects is a team of artists in all elements of hip hop, media, entertainment and
performing arts. They work extensively in Indigenous communities around Australia and have worked
with over 200,000 participants in remote communities since 2006. http://indigenoushiphop.com/