Although these communities are experiencing concerns with teenage pregnancies and questionable parenting practices, Indigenous youth are not being offered important life education in a way that they can understand or relate to. The educational tools used are frequently outdated and not engaging enough to capture the participants’ attention. They do not consider or incorporate the necessary elements of adolescent or Indigenous learning principles nor the language or literacy needs of the participants.
Current pregnancy and parenting information directed at these communities is very ad hoc, frequently offering little in the way of factual, evidence-based information nor respectfully incorporating any elements of traditional or cultural practices. There is also minimal or no training offered to staff and community members working in these areas, which may assist and support them to offer a quality life education package on pregnancy and parenting.
Many young people are unaware of the support services available in their community and how or why they may be accessed.
The Core of Life program (hereafter referred to as COL) was initially developed in Victoria in 1999 in response to a community and school based request for a more comprehensive education source for teenagers.
Demand increases from Indigenous communities prompted COL to modify and redevelop their systems, tools and training to suit this specific group of clients. Working within Indigenous communities has now become an integral element of the National program.
The target group for COL is primarily youth aged 14-17 many of whom are at risk of early pregnancy or parenting. In an Indigenous setting this is often reduced to as low as 12 years of age.
COL identifies birth as being central to cultures and families and is a unique, ‘hands on’, health promotion/prevention/early intervention program created by midwives. It was designed to empower male and female adolescents with information on pregnancy, birth and parenting a newborn. The program responds to local communities’ needs for promoting awareness of the potential short and long term consequences of pregnancy and parenting. This in turn will help improve outcomes for our young and future families whilst promoting connectedness within each community.
The education sessions also provide an opportunity for young people to develop skills and knowledge in: parenting, child development, community resources, and life skills to increase their self esteem and positive decision making. The program supports the health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding, demonstrates the risks of exposure to harmful substances and focuses on an outcome of improving health status and building resilience and the resultant reduction in social and emotional problems.
Program Managers build on existing initiatives in some regions and Shared Responsibility Agreements in other areas increasing the capacity of the community to provide education to local youth. This information sharing is critical in empowering Indigenous youth, in particular those in at risk groups in any given community, to make informed, responsible decisions.
Key ingredients necessary for effective implementation of COL in rural or remote Indigenous community:
- extensive preliminary promotion, liaison and networking with key community members
- comprehensive needs analysis
- fluidity and flexibility around training approach and timing
- discussion, negotiation and respectful consideration of program content and manner of delivery that incorporates traditional/cultural practices and addresses language/literacy needs
- community development approach
- sound support for both implementation phase and follow up
- ongoing support for modification and replenishment of resources and training.
For further information about COL’s community engagement strategy please download this Promising Practice Profile.
COL is also engaged in a series of cross cultural events. Theses events engage not only youth & families but also a wide cross section of key stakeholders across a given community/region aiming to draw upon the groups passion, wisdom and skills in planning a special days for a groups of young women/girls attending.
These events create a unique cultural learning environment and experience that is informative, inspiring and empowering, reflective of the powerful journey and huge responsibility that comes with becoming pregnant and learning to be a parent.
In joining together young/old and Indigenous/Non Indigenous, great communication and sharing can take place, fostering a community of understanding and respect in our parents of the future.
