None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program at The George Institute has been awarded a grant over three years to develop a new approach to reducing early life preventable disease risk and improve the health and wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The funding - part of the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund Indigenous Health Research round - will support a contemporary cultural dance pilot program to enhance cultural identity, cultural connectedness, self-esteem and physical fitness of children on the Central Coast and in Moree, a remote community of NSW. The program will be led by the Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program in partnership with Aboriginal youth, Elders and communities. It will be offered to children between the ages of 8 and 15 yrs and families experiencing economic disadvantage to address modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular and mental health conditions. To ensure ongoing community involvement and that communities’ priorities are met, our partners Barang Regional Alliance, Yulugi Marumali (Moree) NAISDA dance college, Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health services, Darkinjung Aboriginal Land council and Moree SHAE Academy will support the dance project. We also will have a youth group to ensure cultural safety for the kids. NAISDA and Barang Regional Alliance will be holding youth meetings that the children participants will be attending.
Interventions
Aboriginal contemporary and cultural dance classes will be held for two hours, once weekly during the school term for 3 years (40 classes per year) in Moree and Gosford, New South Wales. The specific content of the program has been developed in consultation with local Elders and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Reference Group who are assisting in identifying the main cultural elements for the local community. The program is holistic, incorporating multiple cultural elements to de
Aboriginal contemporary and cultural dance classes will be held for two hours, once weekly during the school term for 3 years (40 classes per year) in Moree and Gosford, New South Wales. The specific content of the program has been developed in consultation with local Elders and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Reference Group who are assisting in identifying the main cultural elements for the local community. The program is holistic, incorporating multiple cultural elements to develop cultural identity and connectedness. The program is contextualised to reflect and respect the culture of the local community and will include elements of song, dance, language, and storytelling. The two-hour classes incorporate cultural activities like painting, weaving and native food workshops. The program also includes traditional dance, song, storytelling, contemporary dance, yarning sessions to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and others. The dance classes at the Central Coast are facilitated at National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Deveopment Association (NAISDA) by their dance assistants and supervised by members of the Guunu-maana team. At Moree the dance classes are facilitated by NAISDA graduate and founder of Yulugi Marumali. At both sites cultural activitites like native food workshops, weaving, yarning circles, cultural experiences on Country and a visit from cultural advisors from the Northern Territory, are facilitated by local elders and community members and supervised by the research team. Class attendance has been recorded and will continue throughout the project.
Sponsors
The George Institute for Global Health
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
8 Years to 15 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children aged 8-15 years of age from the Central Coast and Moree (NSW) whose families experience low socioeconomic resources, economic disadvantage or who are in out of home care.
Exclusion criteria
Non-Indigenous children Children younger than 8 years Children older then 15 years
Outcome results
None listed