Developing the Resources
Overview
In 2022, IEHU supported the following activities to develop the ‘Eyecare Now, Eyecare Always’ health promotion resources:
- Participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from across Australia in a series of online creative workshops to co-design the resources through sharing of their knowledge, expertise and lived experience
- Developed culturally appropriate health promotion resources including print and digital materials for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and primary care health providers
- Planning for national rollout of the new resources alongside existing resources to support ‘Roadmap’ health system reform activities through regional collaborations across Australia
Guidance and Consultation
The development of the eye health promotion resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples included:
- An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group (workshop participants) made up of the target audience including those with lived experience
- A Project Steering Group, and
- An Indigenous-led creative agency – Gilimbaa who collaborated with the Project Leads to co-design all aspects of the resources, including its objectives, key messages, look and feel, and execution.
The following Guiding Principles were developed by the Project Steering Group to ensure that the health promotion resources were developed in a culturally appropriate way:
- We ensure that our connection and interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities comes a genuine and culturally safe space, that embraces the principle ‘with mob, not for mob’
- We recognise and respect the richness of and diversity of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples whilst ensuring mob’s world views, languages, lifestyles, and laws are respected in all settings. Furthermore, we acknowledge the impacts of social, environmental, and cultural determinants of health and healthcare
- We prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples voices in the consultation and development of health promotion resources. Our focus is consultation in a culturally safe and consensual way, ‘the right way’ when listening to and representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, families, communities, and their stories
Project Steering Group
The following members are part of the Project Steering Group:
L-R top row: Kerry Woods, Digby Mercer, Carol Wynne. L-R bottom row: Kylie Clarke, Nick Wilson and Vanessa Murdoch.
Kerry Woods | Kerry Woods (Everett) is a Palawa woman from the Plangermairreenner community of the Ben Lomond people, a clan of the Cape Portland nation in North-East coast Tasmania. Kerry has been living and working in Noongar country for the past 22 years and Yawuru county in the Kimberley for 2 of those years. Kerry has been working in Aboriginal health for the last 30 years in various roles - from working in the field, in various management roles and now in her current role as Aboriginal Eye Health Coordinator for Lions Outback Vision. Kerry has expertise in community engagement, health promotion, and developed resources and strategies to promote improved health outcomes across WA. |
Kylie Clarke | Kylie Clarke is a proud Gunditjmara, Wotjobaluk, Ngarrindjeri and Muandik woman. She was born on Wadawurrung Country, where she currently lives. Kylie’s contribution to the Steering Group draws from her leadership in community engagement programs and advocacy - in education, the arts and in health careers. She continues to live by Weenthunga Health Network’s values in her interactions: ‘Respect’, ‘Relationships’, ‘Reciprocity’ and ‘Responsibility’, by Aunty Steph Armstrong. As an aspiring optometrist, Kylie feels a responsibility to hold space for mob in the journey towards creating meaningful eye health promotion; to further ‘close the gap for vision’. |
Digby Mercer | Digby Mercer is a proud Gadigal man of the Eora Nation from Northern NSW who lives and works on Wurundjeri Country. Digby an Aboriginal Health Promotion Officer for IEHU and is co-lead on this project where he hopes to contribute by fusing his experience and interests in the creative arts industry to develop engaging and empowering resources to encourage better eye care for First Nations Australians. |
Vanessa Murdoch | Vanessa Murdoch is a proud and strong Kullilli and Wakka Wakka woman from Queensland who lives and works on Woi Wurrung Country in Victoria. Vanessa is an Aboriginal Health Promotion Officer in the Ngarrang Gulinj-al Boordup Team at EACH (Community & Social Health) since 2014. Vanessa represents EACH on the Eastern Metropolitan Melbourne Aboriginal Eye Health Regional Stakeholder Group and is actively involved in both promoting the importance of eye health and supporting access to eyecare services through the Bunjils Mirring Nganga-djak project. |
Nick Wilson | Nick is a proud Ngarrindjeri man and is originally from South Australia. Nick studied graphic design at university and has a keen interest in all things creative. From his time working as Marketing and Communications Officer with IEHU he has been involved in the ongoing implementation of the trachoma ‘Clean Faces, Strong Eyes’ and diabetes ‘Check Today, See Tomorrow’ health promotion campaigns. Nick is excited to contribute to the development of the new eye health promotion resources and is particularly interested in how they can be utilised in the digital and social media space. |
Carol Wynne | Carol was born in Ireland and has been working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in the Northern Territory and Victoria since she arrived in Australia almost 15 years ago. Carol joined IEHU in 2014 as Translation Research Scholar - Health Promotion and in 2015 she facilitated the development of the ‘Check Today, See Tomorrow’ diabetes eye care resources. As co-lead on this project she is excited to contribute her skills and knowledge of grassroots community development, health promotion and health system reform. She is looking forward to learning from and being further enriched by the knowledge and diversity of those involved in this exciting work. |
Online Creative Workshop Series
Share a journey of connections and creativity in a series of online creative workshops to develop the ‘look, feel and messaging’ of eye health promotion resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
IEHU and the Project Steering Group are reached out to connect 12- 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with an interest in, knowledge of, or lived experience in eye health (e.g. cataract) to inform key messages, themes, branding through a fun and creative journey.
The workshop participants or ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference group included: Aboriginal Health Leaders and Workers, Eye Health Coordinators/Supporters, Aboriginal Health Promotion Officers, Community Members, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with diverse knowledges and skills.
Outline of workshops:
A series of online creative workshops via Zoom between April – May 2022
The workshops with be supported and facilitated by Gilimbaa Indigenous Creative Agencyand Indigenous Eye Health and the Project Steering Group.
The creative workshops created space for:
- Connections: Meet and have a yarn with other Aboriginal and Torres Islander Peoples passionate about health promotion, eye health and wellbeing
- Voice: Share interest in, knowledge of, or lived experience in eye health (e.g. cataract) to inform key messages, themes, branding through a fun and creative journey
- Creativity: Gain insights into video storyboarding and scripting (print and digital resource materials)
- An impact: Have input into developing the ‘look, feel and messaging’ of culturally appropriate health promotion resources will reach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and primary health care providers/health professionals
Workshop #1
26 April 2022: Connections and Yarns: Overview of the purpose and creative workshops.
Overview of key messages on main eye conditions including refractive error and cataract Examples of existing IEHU health promotion resources.
Workshop #2
3 May 2022: Yarns: Key messages, themes, slogans and ‘look and feel’ of the eye health promotion resources.
Brainstorming key barriers, motivations and sharing lived experiences.
Workshop #3
17 May 2022: Yarns: Branding and imagery
Feedback on draft ‘creative concepts’ to inform the ’look and feel’ of the health promotion resources e.g. branding, logos, taglines, tone, strengths based.
