Make your own
Make your own is an online tool for Indigenous Health Workers (IHWs) to make their own poster or flyer about healthy ears and good hearing in the community.
Make your own was designed for IHWs but can be
Make your own
Make your own is an online tool for Indigenous Health Workers (IHWs) to make their own poster or flyer about healthy ears and good hearing in the community.
Make your own was designed for IHWs but can be used by anyone to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ear health and hearing. This may include, but is not be limited to:
- community workers
- health professionals
- Elders, community leaders and community organisations.
The tool is designed to be flexible so that organisations and communities can use it to suit their own needs for local health promotion projects. It is also designed to assist IHWs in communicating evidence-based, ear health messages quickly, easily and effectively.
The tool has been reviewed by the EarInfoNet Reference Group
How and when to use this tool
This tool can be used to make an ear health promotion or practice poster or flyer.
Make your own includes sample messages that are based on priority health issues associated with Indigenous ear health and hearing. The tool can be used to create locally meaningful resources with local images in local language. It is important to note that research and consultation are required to know and work well with a community in order that the messages are meaningful, relevant and effective.
Working with a community
When deciding on ear health messages, ask community members about what they already know and are already doing. This way what needs to be done can be identified.
The Make your own tool has some messages already created that may fit with what community members have told you. For example, sometimes people do not connect ear disease with hearing loss. In this case, a message to choose could be, 'Kids with bad ears find it hard to hear. Get your child's attention, and talk close-up'.
There is also an option for original messages to be written, including in Indigenous languages.
Further consultation (perhaps on a first version of the poster) could provide the opportunity for changes to the wording of messages. Working in close partnership with the community will help tailor the messages to encourage healthy behavioural changes.
Using local images
Written permission (consent) is required to use someone’s image. An example of a simple consent form is available here. Non-Indigenous health professionals may find the consent form and information on filming and photographing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (pages 19 – 23) in the Human Rights Commission’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples engagement toolkit helpful.
Getting the message out (distributing the poster or flyer)
Permission should be sought prior to posting a poster (on a notice board or a Facebook page, for instance) or handing out a flyer. Prior research and consultation will make it clear whose permission should be sought. It is also important to remove posters once an event is over.
Events and places that may offer a good opportunity to use a Make your own poster or flyer could include:
- community days
- H