The Mayi Kuwayu team wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As we step into the new year, our team will be taking a little break to disconnect from work and connect with family and friends. Our office will be closed from Friday 22 December 2023 until Tuesday 2 January 2024. If you have any queries, please email them to mkstudy@anu.edu.au and will respond to you as soon as we can.

As always, we are grateful to you all for supporting our work and we look forward to connecting with you again next year.

We appreciate your interest in the Mayi Kuwayu Study and welcome all new subscribers. All our newsletters can be found on our website.

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Thank you from the MK team

November of this year marked five years since the launch of the Mayi Kuwayu Study. In that time, we have heard from 13000 people.

We have learnt some really positive things: 36% of you speak Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander words or language, 85% of you have spent some time learning about culture and the best of all – that 95% of you are satisfied with your life.

This information is vital in providing insights into how culture contributes to wellbeing. The data tells us how forces other than education, employment and socio-economic position contribute to social inequity, and raises important questions about how we, as individuals, communities, and as a nation can modify these factors to improve outcomes.

We are grateful to each of you who has completed a survey and contributed to a better understanding of our culture and wellbeing.

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Congratulations to the graduates

This past week saw three of our Mayi Kuwayu team members walking across the podium to receive their Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) graduation certificates.

Gamilaraay woman Mikala Sedgwick developed the Disability, NDIS and Carer related questions in the Mayi Kuwayu survey as part of her MAE project. She has been an integral part of our team, including being one of the researchers who has contributed on the now award-winning project on everyday racism, discrimination and wellbeing.

Butchulla and Gubbi Gubbi woman Leonie Williams commemorated the culmination of her hard work with loved ones. Leonie was a key member of our team who now works for the Healing Foundation.

Muran, Kungarakun woman Kirsty Nichols celebrated the end of her MAE journey with her children. Kirsty will continue to work with our team and will soon be pioneering research on culture and wellbeing amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.

Congratulations to you all!

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Ending the year with a bang – The Mayi Kuwayu team wins award for Impact and Engagement

The Mayi Kuwayu Study team has been awarded the Australian National University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Influential Impact and Engagement for the University. The award recognises research excellence that is able to contribute to policy and resonates with the community. It acknowledges the contribution of a work towards society, culture, education and environment, beyond the confines of an academic institution.

The research team, comprising of Study Director Ray Lovett, Katie Thurber, Mikala Sedgwick and Bronwyn Wilkes, led seminal work on racism and its impact on our wellbeing. They were part of a broader team that published a world-first study demonstrating everyday racial discrimination could be contributing up to half of the burden of psychological distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.