PhotoYarning study finds six “building blocks” of wellbeing for First Nations youth

A national qualitative study has asked First Nations teenagers what supports their wellbeing and found a consistent set of themes that centre connection, safety, and belonging.

The peer‑reviewed paper, Understanding wellbeing from the perspectives of First Nations Australian youth: Findings from a national qualitative study, reports 172 First Nations young people aged 12–17 took part in PhotoYarning sessions, sharing more than 550 photographs across 17 yarning circles.

PhotoYarning is described in the study as an adapted form of the Photovoice method, designed to support youth participation and story‑sharing through photos and yarning. National Indigenous Times reported the approach involved young people taking photographs of everyday life and then explaining what mattered to them in yarning circles.

In the published analysis, researchers identified six connected wellbeing themes, described as “building blocks” for supporting and maintaining wellbeing for First Nations youth:

• having a sense of belonging
• feeling connected with others
• receiving care and self‑care
• doing activities you enjoy
• working towards goals and achievements
• having access to safe spaces

The study’s participant profile shows most participants were female (69.8%), and the largest shares were from Western Australia (33.5%) and Queensland (29.4%).

The researchers also flagged a limitation: many participants were connected to a school, sports group, or community group due to recruitment pathways, which may mean the findings do not reflect the full range of youth perspectives – particularly for very remote communities.

The study is intended to inform the development of a national wellbeing measure for First Nations youth that could be used across systems such as health, education and community services. The journal paper also states the findings will directly inform item development for the new WM2Y wellbeing measure.