The 2025 Indigenous Suicide Prevention Forum highlighted the vital role of grassroots, community-led initiatives across Australia, bringing together a diverse range of voices and lived experiences.

The event fostered collaboration between experts, community leaders, and practitioners, strengthening connections and shared learning. Attendees were particularly inspired by the next generation of leaders, with a youth keynote from One Percent Program Founder Dante Rodrigues, MC Bianca Hunt, and a youth panel led by AIPA Committee Member Mark Nannup (Yamatji/Noongar).
 

A strong focus was placed on cultural healing and wellbeing throughout the Forum, with activities including art therapy, an On-Country walk and mullet haul with the Gamay Rangers, and a cultural cruise with Tribal Warrior. Trauma-informed yoga, weaving, and grounding bodywork further supported participants, creating a culturally safe space for reflection, connection, and solutions-driven conversations.

These elements combined to ensure the Forum was not only informative but also restorative, continuing to affirm the importance of culture in strengthening suicide prevention efforts in First Nations communities.
 

In 2026, the Forum will evolve into the Indigenous Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Forum to reflect the need for a broader conversation. While suicide prevention will remain central, the expanded focus acknowledges the wider mental health challenges faced by First Nations peoples, including social and emotional wellbeing, culturally safe care, systemic reform, and community resilience.

By embracing a wider agenda, the Forum will continue to provide a leading platform for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and culturally grounded solutions, while ensuring discussions address both the immediate and underlying drivers of Indigenous mental health and suicide.