This work tries to elaborate public health approaches to increase the school attendance rate of indigenous students. It is approximately 50.000 years ago that the first humans settled down in this part of the world. Scientists and archaeologists assume that the first aboriginal people moved from the Indonesian archipelago down to Australia. The sea level was significantly lower than today and the ancestors of the native Australians could move to the country in small boats. Ancient Australia was an inhospitable and harsh place to live. However, the indigenous population was able to colonize the continent, but sparse. Scientists estimated the maximum population to be 900.000 people.
Their culture was shaped by a strong spirituality, which is still important for today’s aboriginal peoples. The first European discoverers arrived in the 17th century. On the 22nd August 1770, Captain James Cook declared the east coast of Australia to be a British colony. Over the next few years, the European settlers started to take the land from the aboriginals and create a western nation, while the number of indigenous people was reduced significantly. Since those days, integration and protection programs were launched to increase the health and life of the so called first-nation people. Although, key factors like the child mortality or the life expectancy are still significantly different in indigenous and non- indigenous communities. To reduce those differences, the Australian government started the “Closing-the-Gap” initiative, created in 2008. The main target is to close the gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous people within one generation.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Background
- The early aboriginal history
- The health in our modern 21st century
- The preferred approach
- Health Plan
- Health Plan – The history of the first nation people
- Health Plan – Aboriginal life in modern Australia
- Why should we focus on the school attendance rate? – The role of the social determinants of health
- How many Students don’t go to school?
- Why don’t the students go to school?
- The Indigenous community of Mataranka
- The Health Plan
- The analysis of the current situation
- Important organizations
- Health approaches
- Health Plan
- The restructuring of classes
- Cultural awareness and the anti-bullying campaign
- The educational campaign
- The reduction of alcohol use
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This work aims to analyze the current situation of school attendance rates among Indigenous students in Mataranka, Northern Territory, Australia, and to develop a comprehensive health plan to increase those rates. The plan focuses on addressing the social determinants of health that contribute to poor school attendance, including cultural awareness, bullying, and alcohol consumption.
- Social determinants of health and their impact on Indigenous communities
- The role of education and school attendance in improving Indigenous health
- The importance of cultural awareness and anti-bullying campaigns
- Strategies for reducing alcohol consumption in Indigenous communities
- The development of a multi-faceted health plan to address the challenges of school attendance in Mataranka
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter provides background information on the history and health of Indigenous Australians, highlighting the significant differences in life expectancy and child mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. The chapter also examines the role of social determinants in shaping Indigenous health outcomes.
The second chapter explores the importance of school attendance for Indigenous children, discussing the link between education and health, and the data on school attendance rates in various regions of Australia, including the Northern Territory. The chapter also examines the reasons why Indigenous students may not attend school, including school factors, family factors, socio-economic factors, and student factors.
The third chapter focuses on the Indigenous community of Mataranka, providing a demographic overview of the town and its inhabitants. The chapter also analyzes the factors that contribute to low school attendance rates in Mataranka, setting the stage for the development of a health plan.
The fourth chapter outlines a health plan designed to address the identified issues in Mataranka. The plan includes four key approaches: restructuring school classes and lessons, promoting cultural awareness and combating bullying, launching an educational campaign, and reducing alcohol consumption.
The fifth chapter delves into the restructuring of school classes, emphasizing the importance of practical learning and incorporating Aboriginal culture and philosophy into the curriculum.
The sixth chapter discusses the cultural awareness and anti-bullying campaign, highlighting the role of the Lowitja Institute, the Never Never Museum, and Reconciliation Australia in supporting the campaign.
The seventh chapter details the educational campaign, focusing on its message of promoting the value of education to the Indigenous community and the role of Plan International in supporting the campaign.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This work focuses on key concepts such as Indigenous health, school attendance, social determinants of health, cultural awareness, anti-bullying, education, alcohol consumption, and health promotion. It examines the challenges faced by Indigenous students in Mataranka and proposes a comprehensive health plan to address those challenges.
- Quote paper
- Elo Q. Paradise (Author), 2020, Possible Public Health approaches to increase the School Attendance Rate of Indigenous students in Mataranka, Northern Territory, Australia, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1003205
