Students reaped the benefits of a ‘Student Health Check Day’ in a joint initiative between Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation, RWAV, Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, Optical Superstore Wodonga and the Bright Medical Centre. The event was held in March 2018.
Each year, students from Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation spend several months based in Bright. These opportunities provide pathways and support for employment and business development, relative to their future within the Thamarrurr Region. As part of the first-ever ‘Student Health Check Day’, students were given a screening for eye health. In total, 715 health checks were delivered: a preventative step in student eye health.
The experience in Bright is reciprocal for the students and for the community. It sees Indigenous students attending Bright’s P-12 College to experience a different culture. They are involved in sporting activities, participate in the Mount Hotham school ski program and engage in a range of educational, health, employment and cultural learning initiatives. Following a health and fitness program free of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, the students train and play football with the Bright Football Club.
The second part of the experience is related to training and employment. The students work at the Dumu Café, within Bright, and learn how to prepare and cook food, waitress, make coffee and how to operate a viable business.
The Bright community was carefully chosen to provide a nurturing environment for the students to feel included and supported. The program facilitator has strong connections to the area and the local community is very supportive of the Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation. Similarly, the Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation welcomes the opportunity to share their culture with the schools in the region, strengthening their cultural identity and gaining valuable cross-cultural learning experiences through engagement with the local community.
A huge thank you to Andy and the students of the Thamarrurr Youth Indigenous Corporation, Optical Superstore Wodonga, Norman and Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service and the Bright Medical Centre for making the ‘Student Health Check Day’ such a success!
