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Our story
Let’s Yarn About Sleep began as a ground-up movement on Kalkadoon Country in Mount Isa, with a simple but powerful idea- that better sleep can lead to better health, and that lasting change starts with listening to community voices and needs.
In Australian First Nations communities, to “yarn” means more than talking - it’s a respectful and culturally grounded way of sharing stories, building relationships, and exchanging knowledge. Guided by this approach, Let’s Yarn About Sleep brings together communities, researchers, and health professionals to co-design culturally-responsive sleep health programs, tools, and resources.
From small beginnings to national impact
The program began in 2019, with $13,000 in seed funding from a JCU Rising Star Grant. Our first major grant in 2020 (MRFF Indigenous Health Grant) focused on the Kalkadoon Community (Mount Isa) in North West Queensland.
Since then, Let’s Yarn About Sleep has grown into a national collaboration reaching 20 communities across Queensland, the Northern Territory, and South Australia. Now based at the Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, we work alongside:
- 70+ researchers from 14 leading Australian universities
- 25+ partner organisations, including community-controlled health services and research institutes
- Together, we have secured over $12 million in funding from the NHMRC, MRFF, Beyond Blue, and other partners across eight major grants.
Our approach
- Co-design sleep health programs with and for community
- Build and support a local sleep health workforce
- Develop new service delivery models suited to rural and remote settings
- Embed sleep into preventive and primary health care
By privileging First Nations worldviews and investing in local capacities, we’re laying the path toward sleep health equity, ensuring all Australians have the opportunity for healthy sleep, wellbeing, and connection.
Ways of working
Our ways of working are rooted in truth, respect, and strong partnerships. We are committed to culturally safe, community-led co-design approaches that honour First Nations knowledges, build trust, and develop sustainable solutions to promote sleep health equity.
Our Governance Structures
The Mount Isa Community Steering Group
Let’s Yarn About Sleep is underpinned by a comprehensive governance and management framework to ensure strong First Nations leadership community ownership, shared accountability, and effective delivery of this large-scale initiative. The governance structure is designed to support culturally appropriate decision-making, ethical research conduct, and meaningful translation of outcomes into practice and policy.
At the centre of this structure is the Community Steering Committee, comprising participants and community representatives from participating regions. This committee serves as the primary decision-making body, providing oversight of the program and ensuring that all activities align with First Nations perspectives, lived experiences, and cultural protocols.
Supporting the Steering Committee are three key advisory groups: the First Nations Data Governance Group, the Service Providers Advisory Group, and the Knowledge Management Group. These groups include representatives from partner organisations, clinicians, and First Nations researchers. Together, they provide strategic advice, uphold principles of Indigenous data sovereignty, guide implementation and service integration, and support advocacy and knowledge translation across community, clinical, and policy settings.
Our journey so far
Our work has been recognised with six national awards and featured in over 600 media stories, including TV, radio, and an SBS documentary highlighting community-led solutions.
But our greatest achievements are shared- in the growing networks of local champions, families, and young people who are helping reshape the way we talk about, understand, and improve sleep.
At its heart, Let’s Yarn About Sleep is about listening, learning, and walking together- creating healthier futures for all Australians, one good night’s sleep at a time.
Our Logo
"Let's Yarn About Sleep" created by Aunty Joan Marshall and Stacey Corporal
Artist Statement: Aunty Joan Marshall & Stacey Corporal
“This artwork speaks to the heart of why this project matters.
The black background represents the vastness of our skies, a reminder of the deep spiritual connection between sleep, Country, and the Dreaming. It holds space for reflection, guidance, and the journeys of our spirits while we rest.
The white and grey footprints moving across the canvas show our young people who are not sleeping well, wandering through the night and looking for help that feels right for them. Help that respects who they are and where they come from.
The inverted “U’s” in the centre stands for the Sleep Coaches, our own people, trained and supported by local services, shown as arrows surrounding them.
The flower at the centre, with its many petals, represents the research team, walking beside us and working together to grow this program strong. The Sleep Coaches are helping young people learn about sleep health and sharing practical ways to rest better; all within a space that feels culturally safe and caring.
The stars above in milky way represent our Ancestors. They watch over us, guiding our dreams and reminding us that we are never alone on this journey.
Around the edges, the four circles represent many other First Nations communities where this program will grow, in partnership with young people, families, and local leaders so everyone has the chance for a good night’s sleep.
This painting is about connection, between people, place, and purpose. It tells a story of healing, belonging, and balance, guided by our Ancestors and strengthened through community.”
