Building Resilience in Transcultural Australians (BRiTA) Futures training

The BRiTA Futures program began in 2002 in response to a study (Coping in a New World, 2001) that investigated the mental health needs and strengths of young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. This study highlighted the need for a group program for CALD adolescents addressing their particular needs arising out of the acculturation stressors on families such as cultural identity and intergenerational conflict with a focus on building resilience life skills.

Program aims

The aim of BRiTA Futures is to:

  • promote resilience towards the stress of acculturation
  • promote wellbeing and self-esteem
  • recognise and celebrate cultural and personal strengths as well as differences
  • teach new life skills and coping strategies
  • practice problem solving and conflict resolution
  • strengthen relationship skills and connectedness
  • build community and peer networks/supports
  • practice goal setting.

How BRiTA works

BRiTA Futures is designed for use with small groups in:

  • education or community settings
  • youth related agencies
  • settlement services
  • other relevant human service environments.

The training can be used with people who were born overseas and migrated here either recently or some time ago, with those with a recent refugee background or those who are from second or higher generation migrant families who are still dealing with acculturation issues.

Why BRiTA works

BRiTA Futures builds on the existing resilience of children, young people and adults from a CALD background and early indicators show it can do this successfully.  Analysis of the pre-program data of a total of 309 children and adolescents found that they had poor levels of wellbeing. Analysis of evaluation data showed significant improvement in participants’ quality of life and wellbeing (Mitchelson, Erskine, Ramirez, Suleman & Prasad-Ildes et al, 2010).

The BRiTA Futures Program is unique in that all of its three versions are founded on an extensive review of the national and international research literature to identify those elements of resiliency that are culturally-determined, while the content has been carefully selected to ensure that cultural issues are woven into each module, both in terms of group activities (both content and processes) as well as topics to trigger group discussions and personal reflection activities. Additionally, the content of the program is relevant to the acculturation experiences and issues for people from CALD backgrounds in Australia.

History of BRiTA

In 2004 a 10-session adolescent group-based program was researched and piloted with positive results with content specifically designed to build resilience around acculturation stress, including the development of a bicultural identity.  Evaluation tools were also developed, along with a training program for BRiTA Futures program facilitators. Over the years, the BRiTA Futures for Adolescents program has been reviewed to ensure is suitable for participants with a refugee experience and for those of the Islamic faith.

In 2008 a primary school version was published and it is currently being reviewed. View a report on the background of the BRiTA Futures (PDF 277 kB) for Primary School Aged Children and the BRiTA Futures for Adolescent program.

The last version of the BRiTA Futures program is the one for Adults and Parents which was released in 2012.

Facilitator training

BRiTA Futures trains facilitators and co-facilitators in the delivery of the BRiTA Futures program. There are currently over 545 trained BRiTA Futures facilitators in Queensland and nationally.

Adolescent and adult program facilitator training consists of two full days training.

Each version of the program has a training program for facilitators, a facilitator's manual and evaluation materials.

The Primary School Program manual is currently under review.

Partnerships

The key success to the implementation of BRiTA Futures is via the many partnerships that have been created with schools, mental health support agencies, youth services, settlement services, TAFE and community groups.

Research collaborations with the Queensland University of Technology’s School of Psychology and Counselling and the University of Queensland’s Centre for Mental Health Research have resulted in the development and refinement of evaluation tools and a research data base for ongoing data analysis to ensure the programs remain effective and outcomes focused.

Nationally, BRiTA Futures for Primary School and Adolescents is listed with the federally funded student mental health and wellbeing initiatives Mindmatters and KidsMatter as program for CALD students.

Publications

The BRiTA Futures program has and continues partnering with academic bodies to publish about the development of the versions of the program and its evaluation tools as well as the impact evaluation of the program implementation. Publications include:

  • Mitchelson, MR, Erskine, HE, Ramirez, E, Suleman, F, Prasad-Ildes, R, Siskind, D and Harris, M. (2010). BRiTA Futures: A resilience-building program for children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – Program description and preliminary findings. Advances in Mental Health (2010) 9: 243-254. (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.5172/jamh.9.3.243)
  • Khawaja, NG, Ramirez, E, Prasad-Ildes, R. (2013). Building resilience in transcultural adults (BRiTA): Developing a novel preventative intervention. Advances in Mental Health: Vol.11, Iss.3, 2013, 302-312. (https://eprints.qut.edu.au/68119/)
  • Khawaja, NG, Moisuc, O, Ramirez, E. (2014). Developing and Acculturation and Resilience Scale for Use with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations. Australian Psychologist 49 (2014) 171-180. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ap.2014.49.issue-3/issuetoc)
  • Khawaja, NG, Ramirez, E. (2019). Building resilience in transcultural adolescents: an evaluation of a group program. Journal of Child and Family Studies (2019) 28:11, 2977-2987. (https://eprints.qut.edu.au/130749/)

Last updated: 24 July 2024