A partnership approach to transitioning policy change in Aboriginal Australian communities

Aboriginal Australian communities are subjected to frequent government policy changes. Partnerships developed in a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach can assist communities to lead these changes in ways that value local knowledge and lived experiences, hold community benefits and position them as equal partners. A partnership model used a CBPR approach to support locally-driven action in two projects. The process findings revealed that CBPR processes hold a place of significance in supporting communities to achieve their goals by adding value to what people are already doing and providing a structured framework from which work. Concluded was that Community-driven participatory action research (CDPAR) vis-à-vis CBPR should be contemplated in the future. CDPAR should be conducted in a partnership framework that considers ethics and the power relationships of the working environment; multiple levels of participation in group membership; holistic structured processes for participation, reflection and action; and social and human capital

Managing top-down change with bottom-up leadership: developing a social and emotional wellbeing action framework with a discrete Aboriginal community

There is little empirical evidence about the effectiveness of community efforts, including community governance improvement and capacity strengthening tailored toward societal change within the broader structural environment. This paper presents the results of a twelve month community-based participatory research project initiated by, and undertaken in a discrete Aboriginal community in Far North Queensland, Australia. Working from the principles of community-based participatory research, a group of community-based health and social welfare stakeholders reflected on their practice, community issues and research evidence to inform a community action plan for social and emotional wellbeing. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data sourced from meeting minutes, topics work-shopped with the group, reflective group sessions and researcher observations and reflections. The importance of strengthening local governance and capacity, and taking empowerment approaches in achieving community change were highlighted as shaping successful practice

Extreme preschool : mobile preschool in Australia’s Northern Territory

The health of the population is distributed by socio-economic status and thisrelationship is greatest in those populations of greater inequity in early childhoodexperience, education, income and housing. Despite improvements in some healthand education outcomes for Indigenous Australians, knowledge has not yet translatedfrom public health and education policy and programs into equality across theAustralian population. Despite the extensive body of scientific evidenceinternationally to support the impact of early learning and care on health and wellbeingin the life course, very little high calibre research has been conducted withAustralian Indigenous populations to establish the effectiveness of early childhoodinterventions. This study examines the effectiveness of a unique preschool deliverymodel to address the need of small and very remote Indigenous populations. The keyfeatures of the intended program design include training local, Indigenous communitymembers to deliver preschool programs under the support and supervision ofregularly visiting, qualified and registered early childhood teachers from the nearestregional centre. This is a comparative, cohort study of ‘school readiness’ and healthoutcomes for 180 very remote Australian Indigenous children. It offers excellentdescriptive epidemiological baselines, and a unique mix of methodologies foraddressing a complex study of intervention effectiveness. In this paper we focus onthe complex, social and political context of very remote and Indigenous communitiesacross the Northern Territory of Australia and the challenges of educational servicedelivery to improve not only educational but also health and life outcomes

The NuMI neutrino beam

This paper describes the hardware and operations of the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam at Fermilab. It elaborates on the design considerations for the beam as a whole and for individual elements. The most important design details of individual components are described. Beam monitoring systems and procedures, including the tuning and alignment of the beam and NuMI long-term performance, are also discussed