Life Ed Queensland CEO Michael Fawsitt says reaching Indigenous school communities is one of the highlights of the program year – Life Ed playing a vital role in promoting more equitable, positive outcomes for students in all parts of Queensland.
“We receive such positive feedback from our visits to First Nations communities, and our goal is to strengthen the relationships with these communities even further,” Mr Fawsitt said.
“That’s why we’ve engaged co-design and consulting social enterprise organisation YLab to help review our current program model, delivery methods and community relationships particularly in North West and Far North Queensland to ensure we continue to engage with First Nations communities in ways that are meaningful, impactful and culturally appropriate.”
Central Queensland Life Education made the much-anticipated annual visit to Woorabinda State School in Term 4, 2022, the only primary school in the remote Aboriginal community.
The CQ educator team has developed an amazing relationship with the school and community, which is located 170 km southwest of Rockhampton on the traditional lands of the Wadja Wadja / Wadjigal and Ghungalu Aboriginal people.
“We have visited Woorabinda every year since 1993, only missing a face-to-face visit in 2020, due to COVID,” says Central Queensland Life Ed educator Dr Liz Hills.
“The Woorabinda school motto is ‘Proud and Deadly’, with the school values – ‘We are deadly by being - kind, strong, respectful’,” Dr Hills explains.
“Life Ed’s work supports the school’s goals in so many positive ways. By equipping children with the knowledge, skills and strategies they need to make safe, healthy and respectful choices, we’re able to empower children now and into their futures.
“One of the highlights of our visit for me, was meeting with the Director of Nursing at Woorabinda Hospital so that I could understand the current community health issues and inform her of what I’d be focusing on in the Life Ed sessions. Collaboration with other community stakeholders is an important part of the whole-community approach we aim for and acknowledges that it ‘takes a village to raise a child’,” Dr Hills said.
In January 2023, educators Jordan and Anne flew to Palm Island Aboriginal Shire, and Bwgcolman Community School, to work with children from kindergarten to Year 12.
Key modules themed around health, safety and social and emotional wellbeing, were presented to primary students, while 110 students in Years 4 to 12, embraced the Talk About It program, learning about relationships and sexual health education.
Our visit to Doomadgee State School, in March this year, broke records. Not only was the region experiencing its biggest floods in a decade, but our educators also engaged with the largest group of Doomadgee students in seven years of taking the program to the remote community.
Program Delivery Manager Sue Osmond says the school community was thrilled that Life Ed could reach them despite the flood challenges.
“The children are always excited when we arrive in Doomadgee, but this year’s visit provided a much-needed diversion after weeks of flood isolation,” Ms Osmond said. “It was so encouraging to see that the children had retained important health and safety messages from previous visits and were keen to engage in new learning.”
Sue and educator Lisa delivered sessions to children from kindergarten to Year 10. Younger grades loved the new module, The Inside Story, which uses an engaging audiovisual narrative to help explain body systems and how to stay healthy. High school students benefited from drug and alcohol education.
“Our focus was on empowering the students with knowledge about what the body needs to be healthy – water, nutrients, oxygen – but also looking at how alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs can affect the lungs, heart and other organs,” Ms Osmond said.
“We can’t wait to return to Doomadgee again next year. It’s such a rewarding experience.”
