Global Health Projects 2021
In 2021, our global health projects are focused on the areas of mental health, sexual and adolescent health, infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. Our volunteers have a passion for creating change in that specific health area, and are often backed by their lived experience or their knowledge of the field.
Non-Communicable Diseases:
Recapturing Obesity - Photovoice Competition/Exhibition
Our Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) team has produced a Photovoice Competition to promote awareness of obesity as a global health issue, and to encourage destigmatisation of it. It is recognised that poor media portrayal has led to the stigma of individuals and reduced obesity to a matter of individual choice. There is a current lack of understanding that obesity is not a lifestyle choice, instead, it is a complex issue that is a result of genetic, social, cultural and economic influences. Therefore, the team has launched a competition where individuals submit a photograph that explores their personal definition of obesity and ‘recapture’ the social, economic and cultural aspects of our modern environment that play a significant role in developing obesity. All photographs submitted will then be displayed in an exhibition. This exhibition aims to harness the power of images from photography, to recapture and reframe people’s perceptions and understandings of obesity, in a way that creates novel insights and challenges preconceived notions. We hope that this will challenge individuals to think critically about obesity and the associated social determinants of health, gain more awareness about the differing perspectives of obesity and appreciate that obesity is not a black-and-white issue.
Sexual & Adolescent Health:
Eggplants and Peaches podcast
The Sexual and Adolescent Health team aims to promote awareness of sexual health and reduce the stigma associated with it, especially amongst young people, through the creation of the Eggplants and Peaches podcast. This podcast aims to equip young people with tools, knowledge and support networks that empower them to lead the improvement of young people’s general and sexual health.
Through the 7-episode podcast, listeners will learn about the general concepts and issues surrounding sexual and adolescent health, hear from experts in non-government organisations (NGO) and academia, and listen to the voices of those with lived experience of sexual harassment and violence.
Notably, our guest speakers include
-
A/Prof Melissa Kang, AKA Dolly Doctor, author of ‘Welcome to your Period’.
-
Dr Siobhan Bourke, Senior Lecturer at Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health
-
Jason Kenna, Sexual Health Nurse at Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic.
-
Chanel Contos, Founder of Teach Us Consent campaign.
Mental Health:
Our Collective Mental Health in Frames
Our Mental Health team aims to create their global health project, Our Collective Mental Health in Frames, to provide an integrative platform for raising awareness of culturally informed understanding of mental health and wellness. They have embarked on interviewing a series of individuals from different communities, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups, those with disabilities, and the Indigenous communities. In addition to actively listening to their stories, the interviews will also be filmed and collated to create a short movie. This will then accumulate to a movie screening event, where there will be a screening of the film and a panel discussion to raise awareness of mental health and wellness across cultures.
