AIMhi-Y

The Aboriginal and Islander Mental health initiative for Youth (AIMhi-Y) app is a new co-designed strengths-based, storytelling app that integrates education and mental health treatment into a fun, gamified and interactive experience. It was designed with First Nations young people and elders in the NT to promote wellbeing and resilience.

AIMhi-Y is a brief, supported and self-guided intervention which builds connection with country and language and embeds guidance from elders. Feasibility testing showed young people experienced improvements in wellbeing after four weeks of app use. It retains elements of the Stay Strong approach, a holistic brief intervention acknowledging Indigenous cultural and family values, which has good evidence of effectiveness and acceptability.

The app has recently been updated with new content co-designed with Larrakia, Kaurna, Tiwi, and Arrernte communities. The update features 11 new videos — including a Tiwi meditation and hip-hop video by young Arrernte men — plus seven relaxing games and five-character stories to boost wellbeing and cultural connection.

If you are interested in using the app in your service to support wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, please get in touch at info.aimhi@menzies.edu.au and/or download our AIMhi-Y support resources from the Menzies School of Health Research (www.menzies.edu.au) or Stay Strong Program (Staystrong.org.au) website .

Disclaimer: Remember to seek professional advice if you are experiencing a critical level of mental stress. This app does not provide any health or medical advice and it is not a tool to be used for diagnosis or treatment.