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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet KellyIdentifying and mapping services, gaps and possibilitiesAll participants were invited to be involved in the action phase of the research.Those who chose and were able to become actively involved were one nurseand two Aboriginal health workers, with others joining in on particular events.Other staff members, managers, and Aboriginal community women werepositioned as stakeholders, who assisted occasionally. One of our firstcollaborative activities was a mapping exercise that identified what serviceswere available at Gilles Plains, what the clients’ needs were, where resources,referral points and possibly supportive people and programs were, and howthey could become involved at Gilles Plains. Our mapping exercise took placeover time in a variety of settings and styles; outside under the tree on bigpieces of butcher’s paper, if the weather was enticing, inside on the whiteboard, or in exercise books in people’s offices. Mapping in this way enabledinformation to be shared visually and audibly accommodating differentlearning, sharing and knowledge styles. Everyone present participated in thecreation of the maps, writing words, drawing connecting lines, groupingtogether similar concepts, and clarifying points with different colours. Throughthis process a collective understanding of what was working successfully, whatneeded attention, and where the gaps and possible additional resources were,developed. In addition to client needs, and organisational priorities, key healthdocuments and health directives were added. At a time when managers wererapidly turning over, this mapping exercise became a localised strategic planfor these health professionals.The importance of celebrating successesAn important aspect of the mapping was identifying and celebrating successes,rather than focusing solely on the gaps and difficulties. Aboriginal women inthe community consultations highlighted the need for celebrations to help stopthe burn out, for staff and for community women and a really important part ofour work, celebrating culture, celebrating the successes, even small ones. Onewoman simply said if it is positive, then celebrate it (community consultation 3& 4). Co-researchers in this Collaboration Area identified a variety ofsuccesses ranging from the popularity and success of clinical services providedby Aboriginal health workers, doctors, and nurses, to a well attended health234