Indigenous Development Action Program

The Indigenous Development Action Program is a Community Health project developing a range of activities and assignments that guide community health work, and recognition within a formal qualification.

Snowy River mouth at Marlo

Outline

Through a partnership between Mibbinbah.org, Ngarn-gi Bagora Indigenous Centre at La Trobe University and the Department of Public Health at La Trobe University, this project is using funds from the Australian Federal Government's Commonwealth Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) to develop a range of publicly accessible media, project modules and assessment services. These are intended to guide people in becoming active and effective community health workers. For those who successfully complete such work, there will be opportunities for assessment and recognition within a formal course of education.

Plan

There are three parts to the Indigenous Development Action Program:

1. Places: The design of modules that guide an orientation to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander community health programs
2. Practitioners: The production of published media on What is a public and community health worker?
3. Partnerships: The development of partnerships for a formal recognition scheme for work done in the modules and community health programs

Our overall aim is to create and maintain safe environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking a tertiary education around community health practice. We are approaching this aim through the development of flexible learning and assessment modules, mentoring and role modelling and industry partnerships. The overall principle is that people should have the option to spend more time working within their own communities, being guided by a wider community of practitioners, and have options for formal learning assessment and recognition from an institution of tertiary education.

The initial phases of this work is being done by staff and students from the Department of Public Health at La Trobe University, working with Mibbinbah.org and the Ngarn-gi Bagora Indigenous Centre at La Trobe University, using grant money from the Australian Federal Higher Education Participation and Pathways Program. This work is being conducted within the overall project of Community Health. We are using Wikiversity as a primary development platform so as to ensure transparency of process, diligence in format and archiving of documents, and a Commons-based aproach to development.

Places

This is the first part of the Indigenous Development Action Program. It focuses on the development of three modules for emerging and practicing health workers to be more culturally aware. The first module introduces participants to the history and status of Aboriginal people in Australia, prepares an Acknowledgment of Country, and collects information on Indigenous health projects. The second module investigates Aboriginal health projects further, helping to develop and maintain a directory of services. The third module arranges for practical placement within an Indigenous health service.

For more information see Place of learning (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People) (working title)

Practitioners

This is part two of the Indigenous Development Action Program. It is the production of media and information that explains the scope of work for a public and community health worker. Staff, students, alumni and partners to the Department of Public Health at La Trobe University are asked to initiate this phase with video and other media resources within the normal course of their project work and assessment activities. The best of these resources will be used within a webpage and in outreach work to Introduce people to scope of public and community health work generally.

For more information see What is a public and community health worker?

Partnerships

This is part three of the Indigenous Development Action Program. It focuses on establishing partnerships with Indigenous health agencies who will welcome emerging practitioners for their practical learning. It is also about confirming an understanding with institutions of education who will recognise evidence of learning from this and offer Recognition of Prior Learning and/or Accelerated Learning pathways.

For more information, see the related section in each of the modules on Place of learning (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People)

Resources

People

Roles and bios here for Jack, Rick, Susan, Casey and I, and whoever else joins in...

• Rick Hayes - Project initiator and supervisor
• Jack Bulman - Project leader
• Casey Bulman - Administrator and assistant
• Susan Chong - Manager
• Leigh Blackall - Document handling, media production, education specialist

Budget

The existing budget, based initially on the HEPPP grant, but edited as new funds come in

Funds

Awarded

• Australian Federal Government's Commonwealth Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP)

Applications

• Sidney Myer Fund - Education Program

Funding opportunities

A list of the grants we have the best shot at, and the beginnings of an open application for them

Documents

• Shared drive
• Original proposal
• Project plan
• Project calendar
• Grants calendar
• Meeting notes
• Meeting recordings

Project report

Due in January 2015