Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellyhealth system, to actively choosing what to do in relation to the servicescurrently available 31 . The women came up with four options;1. Keep trying to develop an Aboriginal women’s group at the AboriginalNeighbourhood House2. Attend what ever program is provided because ‘anything is better thannothing’3. Join with Aboriginal / women’s groups off campus4. Start a women’s group ourselvesOver the next few months the women tried the first two options individuallyand collectively. They continued to meet as a group of women at theAboriginal Neighborhood House and most attended the new Aboriginaldiabetes group, computing course, Nunga Lunch and the Community Healthgardening group.Growing disharmonyThe women and I met in a focus group a few months later to evaluate theactions planned 32 . The women said the situation at the AboriginalNeighbourhood House had not improved significantly for them over the lastfew months. They spoke of continual changes of staff, including managementand staff members who were unable or unsupported to make decisionsthemselves (AWG D3). They suggested that this contributed to the lengthydelays in community requests being responded to. Communication betweensome of Aboriginal community women and Aboriginal health service staff hadbecome strained and at times erupted into arguments. Signs continued toappear without discussion such as Do not use the phone; Do not smoke here;and Do not use excess tea and coffee. Three of the women took these as apersonal attack and had responded to them by passively withdrawing (passiveresistance), ignoring them, or becoming more argumentative (activeresistance).Some of the women discussed that their home and financial situations hadworsened, leading to them no longer have access to a telephone at home. Thismade arranging appointments for family members with health and welfare31 These choices link to postcolonial resistance and transformation discussed by Ashcroft (2001a)in the postcolonial theory section of Chapter Four.32 Look and Listen again - evaluation and review172