Caroline Nilson

This article discusses the experiences of a group of Australian Aboriginal yorgas (women) in a regional setting in south west Western Australia, who participated in the group fitness and walking group component of the Binjareb Yorgas Health Program (BYHP). The BYHP was community owned and collaboratively developed and facilitated with non-Indigenous health professional researchers from September 2012 to September 2013. The study used an ethnographic action research approach guided by the Making Two Worlds Work Aboriginal health promotion framework and aimed to explore the ways in which the BYHP facilitated lifestyle changes. The group fitness and the walking group aimed to provide a culturally appropriate platform for the development of new skills and knowledge regarding the implementation and importance of regular exercise to maintain personal and family wellbeing. Seventeen yorga participants aged between 18 and 60 years consented to participate in the BYHP, which comprised cooking and nutrition classes, group fitness classes, walking group sessions, and a community vegetable garden project. The group fitness classes and the walking group classes were facilitated weekly during the school terms for the period of the study. Data were gathered in the form of participant and direct observation, group yarning (focus group) and individual yarning (interview) sessions, and works of art. Four major themes emerged: loss of traditional knowledge and practices; withdrawal due to shame; community facilitation enabling enjoyment in engagement; and experiencing a sense of place and reconnection to land and culture.

This article discusses the experiences of Aboriginal yorgas (women) participating in the health yarning component of the Binjareb Yorgas Health Program (BYHP) in regional Western Australia. The community owned project was collaboratively conducted with researchers from September 2012 to September 2013 and used an ethnographic action research approach. The study aimed to explore the ways in which the BYHP facilitated lifestyle changes. The health yarning component aimed to provide a culturally appropriate vehicle for the yorgas to develop health knowledge on topics of relevance to them. A sample of 17 yorgas consented to participate in the BYHP, which comprised of cooking and nutrition classes, group fitness classes, and a community vegetable garden project. The health yarning sessions were conducted when the yorgas came together for these three components, which were facilitated weekly over the school terms for the duration of the study. Data were gathered in the form of participant and direct observation, group and individual yarning sessions, and works of art. Three major themes emerged that included identified elements for ensuring cultural security in communication, and were: a patient way of talking with us, a culturally 'safe' way of talking, and listening to become strong in health.

This paper describes how Ennis's (2010) Super-streamlined Concept of Critical Thinking Framework (SSCCTF) has been used to frame an analysis of critical thinking development, in a study of young children who participated in a community creative arts activity. The SSCCTF provided an ideal guide during the research analysis to identify dispositions and abilities displayed by the children and map them across the framework. The aim of the paper is to explain the evidence of critical thinking dispositions and abilities in this cohort of children and interpret its significance in terms of critical thinking development.

Although it is identified that research is the most important tool for advancing knowledge, faculty face many interesting challenges when teaching research to nursing students. The challenge is to make the graduate a 'global citizen'. As consumers of research, it is expected that undergraduate nursing students graduate with a basic understanding of the research process. But, how do we engage the student and stimulate an enthusiasm for research, when generally the student is not able to see research as part of 'real nursing'. Publishing nursing student's literature reviews in an 'in house' journal, not only sparked an interest in research, but stimulated an enthusiasm to produce work of a high quality. The journal celebrated the efforts of the students and illustrated that their work was valued. By using a mixture of creative teaching methods the students were drawn into a collaborative and rewarding literature review project.

Art therapy is used as a tool for personal growth and greater self-understanding. Art enhances communication between individuals, groups and professional teams and is an effective tool to explore change. In 2006, I developed and coordinated a third year Bachelor of Nursing unit on Maternal and Newborn Health Care. The first cohort of the Bachelor of Nursing students was entering their final year. Being a small group, having shared two years together, one would have thought that they would be supportive and cohesive. However to the contrary, the group was fragmented, insular and remote, with little demonstration of compassion or empathy for one another. Knowing that the ability to communicate and collaborate is essential to working well within the interdisciplinary health team, the group needed to evolve from being distant individuals with a student mindset to a model of engagement. The project describes the changes in the dynamics of the group and personal growth of the students as a result of using art therapy as an assessable component in the unit. The students were required to develop an artwork, which reflected their interpretations, emotions and feelings about the process of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Not only did the activity develop an overwhelming change of individual appreciation for one another, but the marked change in their attitudes and development toward professional accountability was noted by lecturers and unit coordinators who taught the students in their following and final semester.

Art therapy is used as a tool for personal growth and greater self-understanding. Art enhances communication between individuals, groups and professional teams and is an effective tool to explore change. In 2006, I developed and coordinated a third year Bachelor of Nursing unit on Maternal and Newborn Health Care. The first cohort of the Bachelor of Nursing students was entering their final year. Being a small group, having shared two years together, one would have thought that they would be supportive and cohesive. However to the contrary, the group was fragmented, insular and remote, with little demonstration of compassion or empathy for one another. Knowing that the ability to communicate and collaborate is essential to working well within the interdisciplinary health team, the group needed to evolve from being distant individuals with a student mindset to a model of engagement. The project describes the changes in the dynamics of the group and personal growth of the students as a result of using art therapy as an assessable component in the unit. The students were required to develop an artwork, which reflected their interpretations, emotions and feelings about the process of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Not only did the activity develop an overwhelming change of individual appreciation for one another, but the marked change in their attitudes and development toward professional accountability was noted by lecturers and unit coordinators who taught the students in their following and final semester.