workshop session 3

3.00pm - 4.00pm Working the Mooditj Way: Talking with Aboriginal Young People about STIs

Shania Eddy (Sexual Health Quarters), Jye Walker (Sexual Health Quarters) 

Background: Mooditj is a comprehensive resilience, relationships and sexual health program designed for young Aboriginal people aged 10-15 years. The purpose of the program is to help build strong young Aboriginal people, who can have strong healthy relationships and make positive and informed choices about their sexual health wellbeing. Purpose:

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programs often fail to consider Aboriginal culture and ways of working and learning. The Mooditj program has been developed by Sexual Health Quarters (SHQ) in collaboration with many Aboriginal people and services across Western Australia over the past 20 years. Mooditj is a culturally centred approach to RSE. Target Audience: Anyone who works with young people (teachers, educators, AEIOs, EAs, school nurses, youth workers). Workshop Strategies: STI story – a Mooditj activity that uses story cards to explain the importance of getting tested, the practicality of getting a test (where to go and what’s involved) and the importance of using barrier methods.

Condom race (depending on time allocated) – participants will be split into groups to get the condom cards in the correct order. Presenters will run through the activities just like we would with young people so that participants can get a feel for how the activities might work with the young people they work with. Key Learnings: Participants will understand the need for trauma informed, culturally-centred RSE, will gain experience and exposure in running culturally centred activities, and will gain information on STIs, testing and safer sex practices. Relevance: Mooditj is a community-led program to increase the knowledge and education of sexual health and decrease the rates of STIs among Aboriginal young people.