Hosting a Health Action Team to Achieve Health Dividends

A Strategic Directions Compass was once, back in 2009, workshopped, designed, and adopted by Marilyn Wallace, Peter Wallace and family (assisted by Andre Grant from the Centre for Appropriate Technology).

This 'Compass' was workshopped, adopted and printed up into a a single page poster to be regularly referred to as a symbolic strategic guide picturing these cultural entrepreneurs key priorities and strategic direction,  in the ongoing pursuit of a vision of seeing Nyungkal families, lore and people restored to country.

On Wednesday, 27 August, (last week) multiple greyscale A4 copies of this poster were printed in preparation for a meeting with representatives of Cape York's regional Aboriginal health organisation (Apunipima Cape York Health Council), in the hope of Apunipima auspicing, and Bana Yarralji hosting Nyungkalwarra 'Healing on Country' type activities and programs

Looking at that Bana Yarralji's compass, then, Bana Yarralji is most clearly pointed in the following strategic direction as follows:

i.    [S]ocial/cultural:   Bana Yarralji's compass points first and foremost in the [S]ly direction, wherein Bana Yarralji is expected to favour. above all other activities, hosting [S]ocial/cultural activities on country -  in the pursuit of social/cultural dividends

ii.   [W]ellbeing/Healing:  where Bana Yarralji chooses to try to expand beyond social/cultural hosting services, then the compass clearly points them in the [W]ly direction, favouring [W]ellbeing/healing activities on country above other activities -  in the pursuit of wellbeing/healing dividends

The purpose of the meeting with Apunipima representatives, in the Apunipima board room was to explore the options with Cape Yorks premier Aboriginal health organisation for Bana Yarralji expanding into hosting Wellbeing/Healing activities from the Bana Yarralji base along Shiptons Flat Road in core Nyungkalwarra country.

Bana Yarralji therefore took their vision, and their hosting enterprise model (see earlier July post entitled 'Mikes Magic Doughnut') to Apunipima in the hope of their auspicing a Live Longer Local Community Campaign for Nyungalwarra in Nyungkal Country, and discovered that regional health organisations and regional health programs may not be well adapted to the cultural enterprise model!!

Within Apunipima and possibly Queensland Health, 'community control' over the delivery of health services and programs comes about by communities forming formally recognised 'Community Health Action Teams', and if Bana Yarralji wished to host publically funded health programs on country, they would first have to host a Nyungalwarra Community Health Action Team.

So, on the cultural enterprise journey, guided by the Bana Yarralji strategic directions compass .. while it is hard to see the income and profit in Bana Yarralji hosting a Nyungkalwarra Community Health Action Team .. that IS, never the less, exactly what Marilyn Wallace and Bana Yarralji have now undertaken to do in the persistent pursuit of their vision for the future.