A participatory action research project at the nexus of health promotion and sustainability in higher education

Like many educational institutions, Deakin University has embraced the challenge of developing curricula to ensure that graduates are environmentally literate and competent to address sustainability in professional practice. Despite an abundance of literature pertaining to the link between human health and environmental degradation, the development of health-related education for sustainability curriculum has been slow. Health promotion, an integral aspect of health professional training in Australia, is considered an area of practice well suited to the action of sustainability. This article highlights the findings of a pilot project that explored which graduate-level health promotion competencies and principles for practice can be transferred to action on sustainability. Methodologically, this study offers a participatory action research process enhanced with case study design principles. Findings from the four case studies highlight that health promotion competencies are compatible with action on sustainability. The article also illuminates the themes in the literature about the value of mutually reinforcing pedagogies associated with education for sustainability and work-integrated learning. The article contributes to discussion in an emerging area of health curriculum, namely, health-related education for sustainability. It posits that health promotion is an area of the health curriculum that can support the development of competencies at the nexus between health and sustainability.

Glamour photography makes suburban stars of us all

For the last two decades, studio photographers have been trying to create photos that replicate those produced for stars and for those destined for the cover of magazines. This article explores this phenomenon from the perspective of its suburban site for the production of the sensation of fame through glamour photography.

The role of participatory arts in social change in Timor-Leste

This thesis explores the role of participatory arts in social change in Timor-Leste. Examination of five case studies of current arts initiatives indicate significant positive outcomes for program participants and community members, particularly in the dimensions of social, cultural, and personal well-being. Models developed to evaluate outcomes indicate promising potential.

Anne Scott Wilson : Video & photography exhibition

Solo Exhibition, Framed Photograhs and Video installations as part of the 'Head On Photography Festival'

A participatory workplace health and safety training program for ethylene oxide

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has regulated ethylene oxide (EtO) on the basis of its acute toxicity and its potential carcinogenic and reproductive effects since 1971. OSHA's 1984 EtO standard and its 1988 revisions focused new attention on health and safety training and other preventive measures. An EtO health and safety training program for hospital sterilization workers was developed by the staff of an independent occupational and environmental health clinic. Participatory and empowerment training methods were central to the approach. Also included were hands-on, demonstration, interactive presentation, and other methods. An EtO Health and Safety Training Manual was developed based on the training experiences. This paper presents the challenges, benefits, and limitations of incorporating participatory and empowerment approaches in the design, implementation, and evaluation of EtO health and safety training.

Participatory sensing and education: helping the community mitigate sleep disturbance from traffic noise

Purpose – This paper aims to present a project in Australia, where participants use smartphones to measure the level of traffic noise in their homes. Through the data collected, participants learn if they are subjected to sleep disturbances and, if so, understand how they can manage the issue to protect their health. The project also has a secondary purpose: the local council would like to engage its community through the exercise and be seen as acting on the community’s problems.

Achieving socially inclusive practice: analysing power dynamics in a participatory approach to service development

The paper is concerned with what works and why in relation to socially inclusive practice in diverse community services settings. Drawing on the findings from a research study involving a participatory evaluation and service development project in a large community services organisation in Melbourne, Australia, the paper asserts that organisations can become more inclusive by paying attention to the ways in which they perpetuate existing oppression and by intentionally challenging associated limiting power/knowledge formations. The study was situated in rights-based approaches to health and social development and drew on Foucauldian conceptualisations of power that see the point of operation of power as the point of resistance, and therefore containing the possibility for change. The researchers worked in three diverse service contexts: children and families experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, and older people with a history of homelessness and exclusion. The ongoing analysis of the power relations between and within the different stakeholder groups was important in ensuring that the development of the process did not reinscribe oppression and marginalisation. Within the growing body of work that theorises participatory and inclusive practices, the application of a Foucauldian framework offers new insights for anti-oppressive practice in the context of service development.

13th Dong Gang International Photo Festival: Episodes Australian Photography Now

Curated group exhibition entitled Episodes: Australian Photography Now, part of the Dong Gang International Photo Festival