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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellygrief and loss that young Aboriginal women and men deal with from an earlyage, and the fact that there are less Aboriginal adults to support higher numbersof Aboriginal children. Experiences of intergenerational trauma, lower socialdeterminants of health and lower life expectancy among family members wereexperienced alongside higher levels of ill health, suicide and health comorbiditiesaffecting the way young people view life and make decisions.Education staff identified that many young Aboriginal women often needed alittle more support to achieve the same outcomes as their non-Aboriginal peers.This was thought to be linked to personal, family and community experiencesof discrimination, colonisation acts and exclusion on a daily basis. BothAboriginal and non-Aboriginal co-researchers identified that while mainstreamAustralia can ignore colonisation, young Aboriginal people cannot, because itmakes up the fabric of their daily lives.To counter this disadvantage, the school set in place specific strategies tosupport young Aboriginal women through to achieve higher levels ofschooling. They were encouraged to develop wider friendship circles, engagewith employment and training opportunities and envision a positive future. Byimproving young Aboriginal women’s education and employment outcomes, itwas hoped that the young women would be able to improve their socialdeterminants of health and avoid the health impacts of poverty.Our collaborative activities aimed to further enhance young women’s healthand wellbeing, self image and ambitions by utilising and furthering strategiesthat worked. For example, the young women were invited to bring anon-Aboriginal friend to the Aboriginal Women’s Health Day to furtherunderstanding and reconciliation across cultures. At the school expo wespecifically invited Aboriginal workers from each agency to be involved, topromote positive Aboriginal role models in health, education, sport, healingand tertiary studies. Their involvement challenged colonising stereotypes ofAboriginal people at a time when Aboriginal communities were feelingparticularly vulnerable due to negative media portrayal of Aboriginal men andyoung men.294