In the remote Aboriginal community of Wurrumiyanga on the Tiwi Islands, the number of men registered with the corrections department has halved in the last two years, thanks to a locally-run healing program.
On Wednesday, the Our Men Our Healing evaluation report was launched, examining the role of healing programs run by local men in the three Top End communities of Wurrumiyanga, Ngukurr and Maningrida.
In remote areas, intergenerational trauma is compounded by geographical isolation and inconsistent delivery of support services. It leads to disempowerment and low self-esteem, alcohol and drug use, family violence, economic disadvantage, incarceration, and suicide.
The Healing Foundation's Professor Steve Larkin said all three communities showed an improvement in men's family relationships, engagement with the community, and their families reporting a greater sense of safety and support.
He said the programs had achieved rapid results because they were tailored by local people.
Kevin Baxter, a community leader from Wurrumiyanga, said he was proud of the program.
"I want to reach out to the young men and make sure they understand violence and how they deal with it," he said.
Cultural connection was crucial to give men confidence, he said, and they often went fishing or camping to clear their heads and talk.
"We talk about who we are, what we have ... It makes us strong," he said.
"It's important that we show joy and happiness to our children.
"We want to show that drinking and smoking and doing negative stuff is not the right way."
Paul Djolpa McKenzie from Maningrida agreed that culture was key.
"You have to be mentally strong and spiritually strong," he told AAP.
"Without that you're a broken person, and if you've got a broken mind and a broken spirit of course you're going to get angry and forget about the most important aspect of your culture."
Mr McKenzie said the Maningrida program has only been running for six months but there has already been a discernible change.
"We would get lonely without it; the program is helping us be better men," he said.
* National domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT. In an emergency call triple zero.
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