Monday, November 24, 2025
By Peter McCullagh
Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services has launched a new social media campaign, ‘Make Your Mango Season Sweet’, aimed at reducing self-harm and suicide during the region’s mango season.
The campaign responds to a long‑standing pattern in the tropical north and the Northern Territory where mango season, locally known as the “silly season” coincides with a rise in self‑harm and suicide in some Indigenous communities.
It’s believed this increase is likely linked to a mix of seasonal and social factors: the start of the hot, wet weather, crowded or substandard housing, and all‑night social gatherings.
Led by Gurriny Yealamucka’s Culture, Care Connect team, the campaign uses staff voices and local community influencers to open conversations about mental health and emotional support. Messaging encourages people to reach out, speak up and listen to friends and family who may be struggling.
Make Your Mango Season Sweet is about starting safe, non‑judgemental conversations and letting people know where they can get help. It’s community driven and timed to be most visible when people need it.
The campaign directs community members to Yarrabah’s Crisis Community phone list and other local support pathways. It will run on social media through the festive period and into the new year, a time the service identifies as high risk for some community members.
Staff at Gurriny Yealamucka are being asked to back the campaign by sharing approved posts, talking about the initiative with clients and community members, and ensuring they know local crisis contacts and referral pathways. Staff members are urged to watch for warning signs in family and colleagues and to respond quickly and compassionately.
The Culture, Care Connect team is coordinating campaign assets and media. For more information or to request materials and the Crisis Community phone list for Yarrabah, staff are asked to contact the Karren Doolan.
Gurriny Yealamucka says Make Your Mango Season Sweet aims to reduce harm this season by combining trusted local voices with clear information on where to get help, helping to keep the community safer through the mango season and beyond.
