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Heather McCormack - Laugh the shame away: Take Blaktion and strengths-based approaches to Aboriginal sexual health

Event date
Tuesday 14th February 2023
Event time
1:00 PM
Event address
Online event

Please click on the link just before the start of the webinar

Further information

https://takeblaktion.playsafe.health.nsw.gov.au/

Abstract

The Take Blaktion program uses comedy sketch videos featuring high-profile Aboriginal ambassadors to engage Aboriginal young people with culturally appropriate sexual health messaging. Comedy has a long history within Aboriginal media and Take Blaktion leverages uniquely Aboriginal humour to circumvent shame associated with sexual health. The program actively adopts a strengths-based approach: it deliberately avoids content or messaging that may reinforce negative views of Aboriginal young people. Rather, it encourages creative thinking about behaviours that promote sexual health. In this seminar, Heather McCormack uses Take Blaktion as a case study to demonstrate strengths-based approaches and advocate for a different way of working in Aboriginal sexual health.

 

Heather McCormack  

Ms Heather McCormack
Senior Program Manager, NSW STI Programs Unit, NSW Health, and PhD Student, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program and Surveillance and Evaluation Research Program, Kirby Institute

Heather is a Wiradjuri woman with fifteen years of experience as a health communications specialist in the sexual health and blood-borne virus sector and a current Kirby PhD candidate. Heather’s work with the NSW STI Programs Unit brings together digital communications tools and strengths-based health promotion to improve sexual health outcomes for Aboriginal young people and other priority populations.

Twitter: @hmlittlecbigc

Opinions expressed by individuals at this event are solely of those of the individual/s and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Kirby Institute or UNSW.