New names for old friends

To kick off a new year, we’ve changed some things around here. As of 1 January 2021, our HCR teams in the UK and Pakistan are operating as ‘Amplifying Voices’. Our Australian team will continue to be known as Health Communication Resources, and we continue to work together as an international family.

The Amplifying Voices teams have got a new name, new logo, new colours, new websites, and new stories! But why the change?

Health Communication Resources (HCR) was founded in 1996 as a health promotion organisation. The WHO defines health promotion as "the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health”. You could say, health promotion is amplifying voices - its what we've always done! The names Health Communication Resources and HCR have a well-established history among Australian public health service providers, and among the aboriginal communities in Western Australia where we work, so in Australia we will continue as Health Communication Resources or HCR.

However, the UK and Pakistan teams work in different contexts and had identified a need for a name that helps people to visualise how media projects help communities bring about changes in wellbeing, peacebuilding and resilience. The name ‘Amplifying Voices’ does paint a picture of communities being equipped to speak out and be heard in order to take the lead in their own development.

Different names, same family

Health Communication Resources (HCR) and Amplifying Voices (AmpVoices) continue to be part of the international HCR family.

HCR and Amplifying Voices continue to pursue our shared vision together as we seek to see communities live life in all its fullness, free from poverty, injustice, and conflict.  

Our vision and values remain unchanged, we continue to be a family sharing a common commitment: we’re taking the same approach in using community-centred media to further our mission.

Whether in Australia or elsewhere, our role is to come alongside communities and listen. It’s then we can empower people to find what media solutions work in their local contexts. We help train partners and community members on how to use tools and strategies to their full potential so that the communities themselves can champion positive social change. This is our approach in every community-centred media project.

Why focus on community-centred media?

A typical community-centred media project brings together community members, service providers, and media organisations to create content. The media content can be anything from a social media video talking about protecting our mental health to an informal chat where a community member shares their story. It’s designed to tackle issues that are raised by the community. This, in turn, gets people talking about their ideas and opinions and helps people hear others’ hopes and concerns. 

Our partners then use trusted communication channels to broadcast or distribute the content, to help them play a key role in mobilising inclusive, community-led initiatives. What’s important is that the community members play a key role in designing and voicing the messages and content.

Health communication happens best by amplifying community voices. Amplifying local voices is a proven, effective way to mobilise local resources for health communication.

What’s next? 

As an international family we are currently working with eight projects, where community-centred media is making a positive impact. Exciting developments are happening in each of them, and we’d love to keep you updated as part of our supporting community! You can subscribe to sign up for our monthly newsletter, or help get more people involved by clicking the share link below. Go and do the same on Amplifying Voices UK and Amplifying Voices Pakistan site.

Thanks for joining us in this new chapter of the HCR International Family.

Measuring value in complex situations

By Dane Waters

How do you evaluate whether you are making a difference? Working in the space of social change we are often working with complex issues with complex environments making evaluation challenging, even though it’s more important than ever. HCR’s approach is to build community media partnerships with community stakeholders (community organisations, community media and community members together) who then work for change together. A simple theory of change would suggest if we develop positive community media partnerships then these partnerships will help drive positive social change.*

However, how do we determine if these partnerships are adding value? A challenging question that we are continuing to ask. One way is if the community organisations report that the relationships with us at HCR are providing value. What could this look like? Possibly a simple comment from a partner that they value the partnership or evidence when the organisation or community member continues the partnership.

Recently we have had several positive indicators which suggest we are building these community partnerships in the Mid West, Western Australia. One of these was a community stakeholder who purchased tickets to a community event and asked us to come with them as their VIP because of all the assistance that we have provided to them with health promotion for the community. Another, was a nomination for a state wide award in recognition of our valued contribution and support for a young people’s mental health organisation.

While they don’t explicitly say we have made significant changes to complex issues, it does say we have community members and stakeholders who value our skills and knowledge when it comes to addressing complex health and social issues. Even more so, they value our proven commitment to helping tackle complex community issues.

(Dane pictured at the Youth Focus Make A Difference Awards Ceremony)

 *We acknowledge this is a simplification of a complex issue and doesn’t completely represent change for complex issues, however, it is written this way to help build understanding.

Violence is never okay

Day 10 of #16DaysofActivism

By Dane Waters

The keystone to transformational development is building trust and relationships. At HCR we endeavour to build trust with all people we work with, as we walk alongside communities. Trust is critical and particularly highlighted when working on family violence and women’s empowerment issues. In the Mid West, Western Australia we are continually confronted with family violence issues. Women who we have built trusting relationships with, come to us in all levels of distress due to family violence. As the Family Law Act 1995 in Australia states:

Domestic and family violence occurs when someone tries to control their partner or other family members in ways that intimidate or oppress them. Controlling behaviours can include threats, humiliation (‘put downs’), emotional abuse, physical assault, sexual abuse, financial exploitation and social isolations, such as not allowing contact with family or friends.

Women who have shared their stories with us have experienced controlling behaviours from physical assault to financial exploitation, and when victims come to us we support them to seek appropriate services. All women and men need to be empowered to stand up to all types of intimidating behaviour. Alongside supporting individual women, we also work with community champions and local services to develop community media strategies to help provide critical information to those in need with regards to family violence. This includes recording and broadcasting community service announcements about services available. We are passionate about working on this issue and making a stand, because violence is never okay.

All women and men need to be empowered to stand up to all types of intimidating behaviour.

Women: The Givers of Life

Day 7 of #16DaysofActivism

By Celeste Larkins

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of family violence than in the general population. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2018 report found Indigenous women were 32 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family and domestic violence than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women are also less likely to report abuse. 

Indigenous people in Australia often have higher risk factors for family violence such as poor housing and overcrowding, financial difficulties, unemployment and social stressors. However, it needs to be clear that the perpetrators of this violence are both Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.

Recently, an Aboriginal Elder spoke to me of his concerns of violence against women in the community. It saddened him, as traditional Aboriginal culture respects women as the givers of life, as nurturers, the same way Mother Nature gives and nurtures us. Both should be respected.

However, it’s evident after not only speaking with this Elder, but many more communities across the Mid West and Gascoyne of Western Australia, that the intergenerational trauma of the invasion of Australia has caused a major impact on the life and culture of the one of the oldest cultures in the world.

At HCR we work with Aboriginal communities to support them to develop their own health messages and campaigns which help deal with many of the risk factors for domestic and family violence. This approach allows local people to share their knowledge in a culturally relevant way for their local community.  

At HCR we work with Aboriginal people and support them to use their local knowledge, culture and language to develop health campaigns for their local community.

Wanggamanha (speaking) Wajarri

By Celeste Larkins

Last week we were invited by the Bunidyarra Irra Wangga Language Program to a language workshop in Mullewa (about an hour’s drive east of our base in Geraldton), held at the Mullewa Aboriginal Arts Centre. The language program aims to preserve, revitalise and maintain Aboriginal language and culture. It was a great opportunity to observe the workshop and hear from local Mullewa people, some of which could speak Wajarri (the local language), and others who had not learnt it because of past government policies.

During the workshop, we had the privilege of trying bimba, a traditional bush food, also known as ‘bush lolly’, which you get from going out bush. 

Celeste enjoying some bimba.

To support the work of the Irra Wangga Language Centre, we help the community record their language for broadcast on the local Aboriginal community radio station, Radio MAMA, which we did in Mullewa.

We drove three hours onto Mount Magnet which is Badimaya country (a different language group). There we went to the District High School which started a language program this year in the school teaching both Wajarri and Badimaya. Due to family connections, many students are Yamaji or have Yamaji links (who speak Wajarri), as well as Badimaya. We met teacher Mrs Roslyn Little, who had a kindy (4-year-olds) and Pre-primary (5-year-olds) class while we visited. The students loved their language class, and with the help of their teacher, were able to record some great radio messages using Wajarri words. We aim to go back next school term to do more recordings in Badimaya. Have a listen to the radio messages the students recorded below. 

Empowering stories

By Dane Waters

One of the many strengths of community media is being able to record local stories addressing local issues. A great example of this is in Geraldton, Western Australia, with a video project aimed at addressing the stigma of mental health and suicide.

We are helping the Geraldton Suicide Prevention Action Group to share their personal stories about mental health to raise awareness in the region, as well as promoting a big project they are working on (the videos below say it all). By utilising social capital in the community, the story is spreading with more and more people hearing about the project and the reason behind it. As the project continues those involved are gaining confidence in spreading their story, which is empowerment in action.

To follow this journey, check out the Geraldton Suicide Prevention Action Group Facebook page here.

The Power of a Voice

By Celeste Larkins

Jason Bartlett, one of the powerful voices of the Bartlett Brothers (a well-known Indigenous band), a husband and a father of two daughters, sadly passed away in 2017.

I had the privilege of meeting Jason at Royal Perth Hospital, after a local partner organisation, the Western Australia Centre for Rural Health (WACRH), at the request of Jason, asked HCR to produce a film sharing Jason’s story.

His words “There is no future, that’s it, at an early age I’m going, 36 years old and I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” were a harrowing reminder that Jason only had weeks to live due to complications relating to diabetes.

Jason was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 19, and due to lack of information and mismanagement of the condition his health deteriorated. He lost his vision because of glaucoma, developed foot ulcers that wouldn’t heal and had heart and kidney failure which ultimately led to his death.

Knowing he didn’t have long left to live, Jason wanted to share his story urging Australians to look after their health, especially looking at their alcohol consumption. He stated that if he could go back in time he would “never have touched the bottle (alcohol).”

Jason passed away nine days after the video was filmed, and what happened next is a testament to how powerful one person’s message can be.

Honourable Ken Wyatt, Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health, launched the film Passing on Wisdom: Jason’s Diabetes Story at an event on Saturday 9th December, where reporters from various commercial stations were present.

Left to right: Lenny Papertalk from WACRH, Minister Ken Wyatt and Celeste Larkins

That night, Jason’s story was shared on all the commercial WA state news programs, as well as some at a national level. His story was shared on a few of these commercial stations’ Facebook pages, with over 49 000 views, 470 shares and 440 likes or interactions. ABC Radio National shared Jason’s story, as well as the National Indigenous Radio Services and the Community Radio Network. To make his story more accessible we developed a radio component, which many community stations have broadcast. Jason’s story was published on several news sites.

From what started as a low-key production intending to be shared within Jason’s family and their networks, the film ended up travelling far and wide and reaching more people than anticipated. I even received a phone call from a community station in Yarralin (a small remote Aboriginal community, 705kms from Darwin) thanking me for producing a radio component as it meant their community had access to a powerful message that affects many Indigenous Australians.

Although Jason has passed, his story will remain and hopefully inspire us all to assess our lifestyles and improve our health to live life to the fullest and enjoy time with our loved ones. His story has reached across Australia, and will continue to be a powerful tool to raise awareness about diabetes. The video and radio component would not have been possible without funding from WACRH, support in its launch from Honourable Minister Ken Wyatt, and most importantly support from Jason’s wife and family.

Please help the project by watching the video and sharing it with your friends and family.

The Yalgoo Emu Cup

By Celeste Larkins

We have just arrived back from attending our second Yalgoo Emu Cup. Last year the sun was shining, so much so that one of the Radio MAMA staff members got heatstroke. There was definitely no heat stroke this year! We arrived to rains and a freezing cold wind, but that didn’t stop the community from having fun. Children were playing in the paddle pools (I shiver just thinking about it), jumping on bouncy castles, making their emu costumes and getting involved in the organised games. One community member said “The rain is good, it brings us all closer together, not just in terms of distance”.

When the storm hit, the whole community was huddled together underneath cover, except for some children who embraced the rain. Dane and I helped Radio MAMA do a live broadcast from the Emu Cup. We chatted on-air with lots of children, a well-known Indigenous hip hop artist, Bryte MC, as well as lots of community members including a gentleman who came to Australia from Chile as a political refugee 30 years ago! Even though the fireworks had to be cancelled, it was still a great event. Dane and I love how we are able to involve community people to be part of radio.

Barry from Radio MAMA, and Celeste broadcasting at the Yalgoo Emu Cup.

The highlight of the day was the stunning headline act, The Merindas, an Indigenous R&B soul group who sing a lot of motown hits, but have also just released an original song. They make their own costumes and are genuine down to earth people. Even though they were exhausted from a whole week of work-shopping with children from Geraldton and Yalgoo, they agreed to meet me on Sunday morning at 8am, so I could interview them about how they got to where they are today. The recorded interviews will be broadcast on the show I host on Radio MAMA, On the Road, which uses music and yarning to connect the Mid West and Gascoyne. If you ever want to tune in you can by selecting ‘Listen Live Geraldton’ at http://www.mama.net.au/. The show is on each Monday at 11am.

Celeste with the very beautiful and talented Merindas!

* Yalgoo is a town in the Murchison region, 499 kilometres north-north-east of Perth, Western Australia. 

Mental Health Week

This year Mental Health Week was from 8th-15th of October. During the week communities hold programs and events to raise awareness of mental health, with a focus on suicide prevention. Suicide is a leading cause of death for males and females aged between 15 to 44 in Australia (ABS, 2008). Almost eight Australians take their own lives every day (ABS, 2016). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are twice as likely to die by suicide (ABS, 2015).

Our HCR team, Dane Waters and Celeste Larkins, based in Geraldton, travel to communities in the Mid West, Murchison and Gascoyne and support the community to address local issues through community media. They know too well that mental health and suicide prevention is a main issue in all the communities they work, particularly for Aboriginal people.

Along with the continuing work HCR do to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention in rural and remote WA, in the lead up for Mental Health Week, Dane and Celeste assisted the local Geraldton suicide prevention working group to develop community service announcements (CSAs). These were broadcast through Radio MAMA and Meeka FM.

HCR also supported an event held in Geraldton, and were part of an outside broadcast put on by Radio MAMA. Community members and service providers participated in the broadcast. This ensured information not only reached Geraldton, but also Mullewa, Meekatharra and Carnarvon.

If you want more information on mental health visit: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ or see your local GP.

Dane in the middle recording the Drumbeat circle. Drumbeat is a program that can be used as part of therapy for someone with a mental health illness.

A talented bunch...?

In the Mid West, HCR works primarily with community radio stations and partners who rely on community radio for communication support. HCR has had dealings with the community radio broadcast sector over a number of years because we greatly support the role of community-run radio stations, such as the Mid West Aboriginal Media Association (Radio MAMA). Stations such as these are an important cultural and social asset in regional and remote areas. And so we are happy to offer our support to the sector in another way. Our own Ross James has been appointed to the assessor pool of the Community Broadcast Foundation. The assessors voluntarily commit some time to independently consider and provide advice on grant applications from community radio stations. Thanks go to Radio MAMA for sponsoring Ross in his appointment as their representative.

(Cheeky note from Editor: The CBF announcement stated, “This talented bunch will start in their new roles on 1 July”. We note they didn’t mention Ross hee hee).

It’s National Youth Week, so why should we celebrate the youth of this nation?

By Celeste Larkins

The youth of Australia are important to society and its functioning. They are our next generation of tradespeople, teachers, doctors and lawyers, so they need our support. The years of youth can be a time of struggle, dealing with family issues or friends, as well as pressures to ‘fit in’ at weekend booze parties. Then there are schooling pressures and the looming question of ‘What will I do with my life?’. Most of us probably remember this awkward stage in our lives.

If we believe the portrayal of the news headlines youth are all drug-taking, alcohol-abusing, party-crashing, stealing, abusive and disrespectful. Really?

Last week, I was with a group of female teenagers who are disengaged from school. They are part of a program that tries to motivate students to learn in ways that are more relevant to their situation.

The youth coordinator from the Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) asked me to help the girls develop radio messages promoting the GRAMS youth day, a fun day for youth to access services appropriate to their needs.

Initially, we had concerns that the teenagers wouldn’t be interested in designing radio messages, especially as it was the last week of school and we had limited time. But the teenagers couldn’t contain themselves with excitement. Some were shy but everyone made sure that all were involved in the message development process. It was lovely to see these young people looking out for one another.

As we went around helping each group, they shared with us their ideas and took on board any suggestions we made. After recording, they all were proud of themselves, especially those who were shy and struggled initially, and eager to hear the messages broadcast. Afterwards, their teacher told us that she was amazed at what the girls did in the hour and how engaged they were in the activity.

These young people were polite and respectful, eager to be involved in developing messages promoting the GRAMS youth day to their peers. We hope we get a chance to do more of these workshops with the teenagers.

If ever you wonder what is to become of the next generation, remember those who are trying to help themselves and their peers develop into compassionate people. Celebrate our youth. They give so much back to all of us. And, on a final note, just to let you know, it wasn’t so long ago that I was a teenager, which I am pretty chuffed about!

Watch the video below with the messages that the group developed:

Bipolar: A lived experience from diagnosis to recovery

By Celeste Larkins 

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It is estimated that 45% of Australians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.  In any one year, around one million Australian adults have depression, and over two million have anxiety.

The odds are high that during our lifetime we will be affected by mental illness, either through friends and family, or by experiencing it ourselves.

Research shows that there are similar rates of mental health issues in rural and remote areas of Australia, when compared with metropolitan areas.  However, the availability of mental health services in rural/remote areas and the ability for people living in those areas to access these services differs significantly from metropolitan areas.

HCR and partner Radio MAMA in Geraldton, Western Australia, have been working on a grass-roots project with the Mid West community to reduce stigma and break down barriers to seeking professional mental help.  HCR has been recording the stories of community members who have a lived experience of managing and recovering from mental illness.  These stories are broadcast on Radio MAMA, throughout the Mid West, aimed at connecting with listeners and giving them a greater understanding of the complexities of mental illness.

Listen to this inspiring interview with Cathy, who shares her story of living with bipolar and her journey to recovery.  It is by sharing these candid stories and encouraging an honest dialogue about mental health that community radio can give hope to those touched by mental illness.

If you think that you or any of your friends/family are experiencing symptoms of mental illness, please seek professional medical advice from your doctor.  For more information on mental health, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit their website: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Sources:

1.Beyond Blue (2015).  The facts: Depression and Anxiety are Common Conditions.  Retrieved from, http://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts

2.The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (2013). Mental Health in Rural Areas.  Retrieved from, https://www.ranzcp.org/Publications/Rural-psychiatry/Mental-health-in-rural-areas.aspx