Aragung buraay: culture, identity and positive futures for Australian children: Dharawal language: aragung  = shield for war, protection; buraay  = child.

This document explores the significance of culture and identity in promoting positive health outcomes and wellbeing for Australian children and adolescents, with a particular focus on Indigenous peoples and marginalized groups. It emphasizes the importance of policies that respect and support cultural practices and identities. The document also highlights the lack of national indicators for measuring cultural wellbeing and suggests including measures such as cultural pride, language proficiency, experiences of racism, and the impact of cultural wellbeing on health outcomes. It further discusses the concepts of resilience, social determinants of health, and cultural determinants of health and wellbeing, emphasizing the role of cultural practices and connections in building resilience and improving outcomes in various aspects of life. The document stresses the need for a collaborative, inter-sectoral approach to address the complex drivers of wellbeing and ill health, and recognizes the potential benefits of Indigenous perspectives and practices for mainstream systems and social determinants. It also emphasizes the principles of self-determination, freedom from discrimination and assimilation, and collective rights, and suggests the need for alternative measures of wellbeing that capture people's feelings about their lives and cultural identity. The document was funded by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth). [Extracted from the article]