We hope that by promoting ongoing connected-ness, by injecting a flavour of normality to exceptional circumstances, and by tackling negative coping methods, we continue to contribute to better mental health in the community.

(Browse HCR COVID19 resources and communications advice)

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In partnership with Geraldton Local Drug Action Group, we are supporting the community to develop local radio and video messages around healthy pregnancy, highlighting that no alcohol is safest when planning pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding. In addition, we are also working with services to raise awareness of the support available for mothers that are struggling during pregnancy and encouraging them to seek the help they need. With 50% of pregnancies unplanned, and the heavy drinking culture in Australia, we are supporting a wider strategy in changing this dangerous drinking culture.

Sadly, people with FASD have a life expectancy of 34 years of age, with the leading cause of death being suicide (Thank & Jonsson, 2016). Without support, secondary issues develop such as school failure, addiction, mental health illness, unemployment, homelessness and incarceration. We want all mothers to be supported throughout their pregnancy to give their babies the best start in life. Here are some of the messages that have been developed:

https://vimeo.com/391421566

Additional resources: https://www.nofasd.org.au

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Some of the ways in which we support the SDG’s include:

• Working with partners in Tana River, Kenya, to promote peace by providing verified and reliable information through community media, reducing the conflict that in the past has developed through fake news.
• Encouraging communities in the Mid West of Western Australia to develop localised media campaigns around health and wellbeing.
• Promoting women’s equality through community radio in Pakistan.
• Empowering health services to provide critical information on water sanitation in India.
• Promoting indigenous practices that support the environment and sustainability of the land and sea.

Most importantly, partnerships are vital (goal 17) to ensure we are able to support and empower communities around the world.

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By Dane Waters

The first week of April was very significant for the community of Geraldton. Local services, businesses and community got together to launch an awareness raising week full of events to shed light on the devastating impact of family violence. In Australia, 1 in 6 women have experienced physical or sexual violence and 1 in 5 have been sexually assaulted or threatened. These statistics are even more alarming at the local level. So in response to this, the Geraldton community joined together to make a stand together to say violence is never okay.

Numbers and statistics do not convey the wider impact that family violence has within the community. They don’t represent the fear of a woman (and often their children) in hiding from their abusive partner, or of the wider family scared for the safety of their daughter, sister or grandchildren. Statistics do not capture the worry of the family violence counsellors who have helped deal with an incident and are constantly worrying if that person is okay.

Health Communication Resources Inc. stands with the Geraldton community and all other communities to say violence is never okay. We have been first responders and seen the devastating impacts of family and domestic violence. We will continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness of family violence in the community by using the powerful tool of community media.

For more information about the project, check out https://communityrespectandequality.com.au/

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Last week, Dane and I provided radio training at a camp for high achieving 10- and 11-year-old students who live in rural communities throughout the Mid West and Gascoyne. One student lived 200kms away from the nearest town on a cattle station with his family. It was a great opportunity for students to come together and socialise with other students of their age-level, as well as extend their learning. We facilitated a workshop to develop community service announcements (CSA) for Radio MAMA, who broadcast throughout the region. You could tell these students were from the ‘outback’ when their messages where around the themes of fire and road safety and environmental conservation. One student living on the coast in an area where many tourists visit developed this CSA around protecting coral and reef systems. We have never come across anyone so expressive!

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Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of family violence than in the general population. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2018 report found Indigenous women were 32 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family and domestic violence than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women are also less likely to report abuse.

Indigenous people in Australia often have higher risk factors for family violence such as poor housing and overcrowding, financial difficulties, unemployment and social stressors. However, it needs to be clear that the perpetrators of this violence are both Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.

Recently, an Aboriginal Elder spoke to me of his concerns of violence against women in the community. It saddened him, as traditional Aboriginal culture respects women as the givers of life, as nurturers, the same way Mother Nature gives and nurtures us. Both should be respected.

However, it’s evident after not only speaking with this Elder, but many more communities across the Mid West and Gascoyne of Western Australia, that the intergenerational trauma of the invasion of Australia has caused a major impact on the life and culture of the one of the oldest cultures in the world.

At HCR we work with Aboriginal communities to support them to develop their own health messages and campaigns which help deal with many of the risk factors for domestic and family violence. This approach allows local people to share their knowledge in a culturally relevant way for their local community.

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On average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience violence at higher rates than non-Indigenous women (Our Watch, 2017).

With family and domestic violence a major issue worldwide, in Australia, and the area we work in the Mid West of Western Australia, we jumped at the chance to help a local women’s health organisation with a community campaign. The local project called Community, Respect and Equality, run by women’s health organisation, Desert Blue Connect, identified local champions in the community who wanted to speak out against family and domestic violence.

We worked with the champions and helped them develop radio messages that were broadcast on local community and commercial radio stations. I also had the privilege of working with one of the champions to record a video for social media (see here).

There is something very powerful when community come together and work towards positive change.

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I had the privilege of meeting Jason at Royal Perth Hospital, after a local partner organisation, the Western Australia Centre for Rural Health (WACRH), at the request of Jason, asked HCR to produce a film sharing Jason’s story.

His words “There is no future, that’s it, at an early age I’m going, 36 years old and I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” were a harrowing reminder that Jason only had weeks to live due to complications relating to diabetes.

Jason was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 19, and due to lack of information and mismanagement of the condition his health deteriorated. He lost his vision because of glaucoma, developed foot ulcers that wouldn’t heal and had heart and kidney failure which ultimately led to his death.

Knowing he didn’t have long left to live, Jason wanted to share his story urging Australians to look after their health, especially looking at their alcohol consumption. He stated that if he could go back in time he would “never have touched the bottle (alcohol).”

Jason passed away nine days after the video was filmed, and what happened next is a testament to how powerful one person’s message can be.

Honourable Ken Wyatt, Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health, launched the film Passing on Wisdom: Jason’s Diabetes Story at an event on Saturday 9th December, where reporters from various commercial stations were present.

That night, Jason’s story was shared on all the commercial WA state news programs, as well as some at a national level. His story was shared on a few of these commercial stations’ Facebook pages, with over 49 000 views, 470 shares and 440 likes or interactions. ABC Radio National shared Jason’s story, as well as the National Indigenous Radio Services and the Community Radio Network. To make his story more accessible we developed a radio component, which many community stations have broadcast. Jason’s story was published on several news sites.

From what started as a low-key production intending to be shared within Jason’s family and their networks, the film ended up travelling far and wide and reaching more people than anticipated. I even received a phone call from a community station in Yarralin (a small remote Aboriginal community, 705kms from Darwin) thanking me for producing a radio component as it meant their community had access to a powerful message that affects many Indigenous Australians.

Although Jason has passed, his story will remain and hopefully inspire us all to assess our lifestyles and improve our health to live life to the fullest and enjoy time with our loved ones. His story has reached across Australia, and will continue to be a powerful tool to raise awareness about diabetes. The video and radio component would not have been possible without funding from WACRH, support in its launch from Honourable Minister Ken Wyatt, and most importantly support from Jason’s wife and family.

Image: Left to right: Lenny Papertalk from WACRH, Minister Ken Wyatt and Celeste Larkins

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