Through its advocacy, education and social change programs, Jesuit Social Services supports people and communities experiencing disadvantage and injustice.
In 2023, Leading Hand was engaged to produce a new resource for this not-for-profit organisation: the Support After Suicide Hub (SASH), an online forum and resource hub for LGBTQIA+ people who have experienced bereavement by suicide.
In consultation with the Jesuit Social Services team and Lived Experience Advisory Group, we designed and built a new website that is immediately welcoming and engaging but not visually overwhelming. A key element is a chat forum that enables users to find and talk to professionals and other individuals in similar situations.
We created a system of displayed ‘tags’ on Resources and Real Story pages to provide quick and easy search. Key information about experiencing or managing bereavement can be downloaded or shared straight from the webpage to maximise access and reach.
Importantly, chosen illustrations needed to represent the full diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community, including people with disability, those experiencing homelessness, and First Nations people. We developed many iterations of each figure in our colourful cast of characters to make sure we captured and accurately represented a variety of minority groups.
SASH is now a much-used resource in Jesuit Social Services’ growing suite of support services, providing the LGBTQIA+ community with a place to talk and engage with one another over this complex and painful experience. We are very proud to have played a part in bringing this important hub into existence.
