Late last year, SabrinasReach4Life became an affiliated Suicide Prevention Network in Darwin as part of the Wesley Lifeforce Member network program, which supports the establishment of Suicide Prevention Networks in a wide variety of community settings throughout Australia.
SabrinasReach4Life has with the passionate commitment of many, achieved recognition for community based activities it has initiated in the Darwin region to help in a small way, reduce deaths by suicide. The Committee and partners of SabrinasReach4Life are dedicated and persistent in their efforts to support, raise awareness and advocate for those at risk of suicide and for those impacted by suicide loss.
We believe however that more must be done to address the persistent barriers to reducing the suicide rate in the NT, which remains one of the highest in Australia. To achieve this outcome, the best ideas are informed by those with lived experience and time in the sector and should collectively be utilised to advocate for the services and solutions that will deliver the results we aspire to achieve. The World Suicide Prevention Day events over the last few years has also supported the belief that we are “stronger together”. The active engagement of community members, professional groups, government and non-government agencies collaborating to help reduce suicide in our community will no doubt assist in helping keep vulnerable people safe and supported.
With this in mind, SabrinasReach4Life hosted the Darwin Suicide Prevention Alliance Inaugural Meeting to discuss the scope to establish an Alliance in Darwin of likeminded organisations to present a unified and clearer voice to achieve this outcome. The recent announcement by both the Federal and NT Government indicating a significant investment in mental health and suicide prevention and postvention gives us all much to look forward to. It is also our intention to invite national, international and local speakers in suicide prevention, intervention and postvention at these meetings in order for all of us to learn and be appraised of what is working (or not working), where government might be investing and how, and what opportunities can be identified or created that are mutually beneficial to all those who work in the sector.
If you would like more information on the DSPA (Darwin Suicide Prevention Alliance) please contact SabrinasReach4Life.
Kind regards
LDiLembo
SabrinasReach4Life
Chairperson & Founding Director