NCPIC celebrates NAIDOC week 3-10 July
National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities but by Australians from all walks of life.
This year, NAIDOC week is held from 3-10 July, and its theme is Songlines: the living narrative of our nation.
To celebrate NAIDOC week, NCPIC has been preparing two new resources from its Cannabis Yarns initiative, and highlighted some of its existing resources and projects specifically aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Cannabis Yarns is about sharing stories of the effect of cannabis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug by all Australians, has higher rates among Indigenous than non-Indigenous people, and can damage culture and community. NCPIC has worked with some amazing community groups and health workers to develop resources that can provide information and education.
New read-along book Billy and Pippa: and the crazy hazy grand final
This great little story-book is designed to highlight the short and long-term harms of cannabis use, and is targeted at young people. The story concept was developed in conjunction with youth in juvenile justice settings and was brought to life by recognised author, Jared Thomas and amazing illustrator, Jordan, from Dreamtime PR.
The premise of the story centres around a teenage boy who, with the help of his friends, is desperately trying to kick the weed habit so he can become the town hero. It is designed to be read across a couple of sittings, and has a handy bookmark listing short and long-term side effects of cannabis, so readers can mark their spot. The book is being pilot tested, and is currently available in read-along version online. Printed copies will be available for order once testing is complete.
Like the book? We re thinking about doing a series, so let us know!
New Quit pack for Aboriginal mothers
In response to findings from NCPIC s 2014/15 survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and in consultation with a fantastic working group of Aboriginal women and healthcare workers, NCPIC is developing a quit pack which will include quitting tools for Aboriginal mothers, and other resources designed to empower women to help prevent the uptake of cannabis in their community.
The pack includes a series of short videos (accompanied by a printed resource) presented by Nicole, a warm, caring Aboriginal woman who will guide women through a step-by-step process for quitting cannabis. The pack also includes a beautifully designed personal folder within which women can write their plans, keep a journal and monitor their progress. The resource will be available for general order after NAIDOC week.
NCPIC has lots of other free resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences:
Video stories and Artwork gallery: NCPIC collaborated with Aboriginal communities in an urban (Macquarie Fields Sydney) and a rural area (Katherine, NT) to produce two feature videos of the stories these communities want to share about cannabis and the solutions they see for more positive futures. We have combined these with artworks and stories submitted by people from across Australia, so we can all share the challenges of cannabis and work together to find solutions.
Other read-along books (printed booklets also available for order FREE): What is gunja?; Gunja and your community; Gunja and the Law; Gunja and pregnancy.
What is gunja? DVD: a DVD slide show of the four Indigenous low literacy booklets (what is gunja, addiction, the law and pregnancy). Ideal for playing in health or community centre waiting rooms.
Posters: four simple posters based on the indigenous low literacy booklets and a set of 10 x A2 Cannabis: it s not our culture artwork posters.
MAKINGtheLINK Indigenous program: an educational resource incorporating a series of activities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-aged students, to encourage them to seek help for problems related to drug use and mental health.
The gunja and the brain story A4 flipchart: a picture-filled flipchart is a valuable tool for working through cannabis use with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. With an in-depth, yet simple explanation of every area of cannabis’ effect on the brain, it emphasises the risk of mental illness, short-term effects, issues with pregnancy and social impacts.
Could it be the gunja?: a series of downloadable posters and pamphlets that aims to get people thinking about whether gunja could be contributing to health and social issues.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cannabis Withdrawal Scale: a short questionnaire that identifies the level of withdrawal symptoms in users who have either quit or reduced their cannabis use. Adapted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients/patients.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music competition: compilation of songs on CD from the finalists of the 2011 and 2012 NCPIC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music competition. More recent music competition finalists can be found on the NCPIC Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ncpic/search?query=music+competition
Factsheets and bulletins and research useful for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island audiences
