Walk the Talk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health is a virtual walking tour of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical services and other organisations involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. It’s a “virtual tour” because I’m not actually walking to all these places; instead I’m counting the steps I do each day and using that as a way to virtually travel around the country, stopping at all of these places and, through my blog, talking about who they are and what they do. I’ll also be talking about issues specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and health in general. I also plan to talk a bit about my own health as a direct example and to hopefully help people identify with what I’m doing.
There are three main reasons I want to do this:
- raise awareness and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: more than just statistics or typical rhetoric relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, I want people to see what’s really happening out there today. This is as much about promoting the good things that are happening as much as it is drawing attention to the things that need to improve, as well as improving peoples’ understanding of what the issues are, why they’re important, and what needs to change. In doing so, I hope to make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health a priority for everyone, not just Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I want everyone to Walk the Talk.
- make a call to action to improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: the key word here being action; I’ve been involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health more than half my life now, and I’m still seeing the same discussions and debates over the same issues as when I first became involved, with minimal change or progress. Enough is enough. We need action if we’re going to see real change. It’s time to Walk the Talk.
- encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make their own health a priority: if I’m going to tell people what they need to do to improve their health and well-being, then I’ve got to lead by example. By using my own health and well-being as an example, I’m hoping I can show others that there are things they can readily do in their own lives to improve their health and well-being. I’ve got to Walk the Talk.
The virtual tour is scheduled to commence New Year’s Day 2022 and continue throughout the year. Queensland will represent the first leg of the tour, starting from Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast. From there the tour is expected to travel through the Northern Territory, into Western Australia, back through South Australia, then into Victoria and Tasmania before turning back towards New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, then finishing back on Kurrawa Beach. People will be able to track the progress of the tour through the Walk the Talk section of my blog.
While many destinations have already been selected, the tour is willing to consider stopping at any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services or organisations involved in providing health and and well-being services. Walk the Talk also welcomes any articles related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being for consideration to be included as part of the tour. Please share any ideas using the contact form.
