Victorian Transcultural Mental Health Forum 2025 reflective piece

By Erin Hill , Senior Workforce Development Facilitator, Consumer Perspective

When I entered the Djerring Flemington Hub on the 6th of Nov to attend the VTMH Forum 2025 Practice and Research Innovations Towards Culturally Responsive Systems, I was struck by a welcoming sense of connection followed forlornly by a twinge of dismay. In a crowded room of people I could see so many familiar faces, some former colleagues, other people I had seen in online spaces… the kind of familiarity that lags a few beats as you struggle to render their face in three dimensions. As I snaked my way between the tables and made eye contact with our dapper Master of Ceremonies, I elicited a wry smile from the corner of their mouth as they introduced us all into the space. The sense of feeling welcome swelled. It was only when I settled at my table, mouthing apologies at those around me, that a sneaking lament crept into my awareness. Why is it always the same group of people attending these events?  

A pinch-me moment for me was watching Indigo Daya as the first keynote speaker. A person whose words I had pored over endlessly, especially early in my Lived and Living Experience career, it seemed a full circle moment to be witnessing them speak for the first time. I was inspired all over again, with the exploration of “abolitionist perspectives” which had always felt too extreme for my meek-and-mild-mannered sensibility. I had always assumed that to be an abolitionist meant to want to “burn the system down to the ground”. I was challenged to think that we could abandon the system not as an act of destruction, but as one of creation. By building services, ways of connecting and supporting one another, and systems that better meet the needs of those who use them, we could ‘abolish’ the current system by leaving it to languish unneeded by a cohort served by something different. A system not so much burnt to blackened cinders, but instead slowly turned grey over time.  Graphic recording by https://debbiewood.com.au/Graphic recording by https://debbiewood.com.au/Graphic recording by https://debbiewood.com.au/Graphic recording by https://debbiewood.com.au/

The second keynote speaker Kathomi Gatwiri PhD spoke about their work creating the “Racial Dignity Framework”. This framework challenges us as individuals and as services to pinpoint exactly what precipitates moments where people experience “dignity”, the confirmation of their personhood. A simple, human truth was baked into the genesis of this framework, that sometimes it is easier to identify something by its absence. Having the antithesis of racial dignity spelled out in the “Racial Indignity Framework” was sobering but offered real-world examples of the impact of not recognising a person in their entirety, and in their full humanness. I was struck by the realisation that it is the accumulation of seemingly inconsequential interactions that contributes to a persons’ sense of being met with dignity or not. Far from loud, bombastic and one-off actions that speak to individual valour, the most impactful things we all can do are (to steal a line from William Wordsworth) “little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love” 

The rest of the day built on the foundations set by these keynote speeches. Presentations on community gardening and boxing-meets-journalling reminded me that grassroots action can pack the greatest punch. A presentation from interpreters highlighted that no matter how many languages we speak, we can all be rendered mute if we fail to reflect on why our work is important. And examples of putting research into practice showed that sometimes near enough is good enough, and its certainly better than not trying at all.  

As the Forum concluded, to the sounds of rapturous (if polite) applause, calls to please return your name badges, completed evaluation forms and for goodness’ sake don’t let the catering go to waste, I found a line from VTMH’s Manager, Adriana Mendoza, closing address replaying in my head. She said, “We are humans supporting humans, and that is a massive responsibility”. And as the room slowly emptied, with fond farewells echoing on hardwood floors, hands resting on forearms to signal one-last-remembered-thing, and conversations that continued after the day was done mere meters from the function room door, I was left asking one question. How can we share this massive responsibility so that it rests more squarely on everyone who works in the mental health and wellbeing sector?  

Read more about Erin Hill.

_

It’s a sentiment that sits at the centre of the Spotlight on multicultural communities, reminding us that a truly responsive system depends on everyone stepping in, not just those already in the room.

Read more about our Spotlight.