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The 'A Different Point of View' forum was held on Thursday 27 October at Swinburne College, Swinburne University. The theme of mental health and wellbeing from diverse cultural and religious perspectives was selected by Boroondara Interfaith Network members at the annual planning meeting early in 2011. The key aim of this final event of the 2011 Boroondara Interfaith Network Program was to raise awareness and open a dialogue between community members and service providers on the diversity of mental health and wellbeing needs and understandings in our multicultural community.

Weeping Willow - Art Journal Rev Dr. Fiona Hill

The forum highlighted that in the context of a multicultural society it is important to recognise different cultural and religious understandings, different community and life structures, and life experiences which shape and define how individuals experience mental health and wellbeing.

Community mental health service providers, and health and community support organisations are becoming more adaptive to the different mental health needs and experiences. Institutions, such as universities, schools, local government, businesses, churches and religious groups are seeking a better understanding of these differences and needs as they support and work with a diverse community. The diversity of mental health and wellbeing is therefore a highly relevant and vast topic  meaning that the planning team for this event - including Newton Daddow and Fiona Hill from Swinburne chaplaincy, Tina Malaeb from Swinburne International Student Life, Elyse Rider and Tara Godbold from Community Planning City of Boroondara – needed to limit the discussions and presentations to three main themes. The team selected the themes of grief, trauma and post-traumatic growth, and depression and isolation as these seemed most relevant to newly arrived migrant communities, refugees, international students and are issues strongly shaped by religious and cultural beliefs, norms, practices and differences.

It was important to the team that these themes were addressed in diverse ways and that there was some role in the forum for faith or religious reflection. Presentations therefore represented service provider projects, personal accounts and experiences, research, reflective pieces, and faith practice demonstrations and explanations. The Soka Gakkai International Dark to Dawn display provided a reflective session where participants moved into the foyer space to view the banners and texts.

The forum dialogue showed that when we experience major life events and difficult situations, such as grief, trauma, depression and isolation, we draw on our different belief systems, personal strategies, community norms and culturally endorsed processes to manage the situation. Whereas mental health is often understood in social and medical health terms, many communities and individuals also understand it in the context of their religion or spiritual practice. Refugees, newly arrived migrants and international students all have specific mental health contexts and challenges as they manage their transition into a new community and culture.

As forum participant Pari Sanyu from Camcare, summarised in her closing thematic address, common themes in the presentations and discussions appeared across these topics. The theme of ‘voice’ in the form of utterance, dialogue, language, prayer and self-expression was interwoven with the theme of ’relationships’ with self, family and community, new cultural communities and groups, and  higher self or divinities/God.

A Different Point of View proved to be an important and rare dialogue in that it brought together presenters and participants from a number of different sectors as well and different faith and cultural communities. Mental health and community support service providers, cultural and health organisations, faith communities, Swinburne students and staff from the student support areas of health and wellbeing as well as interested individuals from the local community all participated.

The fullness of the discuss and the interest this forum raised in the community indicates that this dialogue is far from concluded and there is a real need for more opportunities to discuss and share stories, experiences and projects on the diversity and mental health and wellbeing in our communities.