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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet KellyThe significance of our collaborative researchCo-researcher reflectionsIn early 2007, I invited the main three health professional co-researchers atGilles Plains Aboriginal Outreach Health Service to reflect on what thePAR/collaborative work had meant from their perspectives, and what impact ithad had for the developing health service. At our first meeting, co-researcherswere trying to meet a submission deadline for additional funding. There was noon-site manager at the time, and so staff members were writing the submissionthemselves. In recognition of their priorities and challenges, I assisted themwith their submission and returned again later.On the second visit I was able to meet the two Aboriginal health workers andnurse in a quieter moment and record their thoughts on butcher’s paper. Inrelation to the research process activities and outcomes they said;There was great value in talking things through. As women, we often havethe ability to work through the ideas swirling in our heads while we talkwith someone who can listen to us.We really appreciated the debriefing, particularly when there was no oneelse to talk to…. During the really difficult, confusing times, it has beengood to know that someone was listening. Sometimes it felt like othersdon’t really appreciate our work and our battles (others could includecommunity members, peers, other agencies, management, policy makersetc).The mapping exercises have been useful to see where we have come, andwhere we might be heading.The PAR process has given us an opportunity to pull things together in aconcrete but flexible way, when there is no structure and it is all swirlingaround us.It has helped as we try to pull services and pathways and systems intoplace with minimal resources.249