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Hip hop stars to inspire Indigenous students
One of Australia’s hottest hip hop bands, The Last Kinection, will perform at a special University of the Sunshine Coast event aimed at encouraging more Indigenous teenagers to consider careers as health professionals.
As well as performing, the band’s brother-and-sister team of Joel and Naomi Wenitong will discuss their future careers as health professionals, with Joel already studying to be a doctor and Naomi considering a degree in dentistry.
The USC Healthy Pathways Symposium will be held at USC on Saturday 24 September from 3-7pm.
It will also include a presentation by Indigenous psychiatrist Dr Derek Chong from Logan City Hospital, and a guided tour of USC’s state-of-the-art facilities for Paramedic Science and Nursing Science.
Organiser Melody Muscat said Indigenous high school students and their families from across South-East Queensland were welcome to attend the event.
“This symposium aims to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Years 10-12 in North Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and hinterland, Cherbourg, Gympie and Bundaberg with the opportunity to learn about pathways into allied health programs offered by USC,” she said.
“Although the symposium is aimed at Indigenous students, other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who are considering careers in health are welcome to attend also.”
Ms Muscat said some of the gap between Indigenous health and that of the general population could be overcome if there were more Indigenous health professionals.
“There are many different types of health jobs: from dental assistants to dieticians, physiotherapists to paramedics, nurses to neurosurgeons, occupational therapists to sport and exercise scientists, and biomedical researchers to health promotion officers,” she said.
“The symposium intends to inform Indigenous students how more Indigenous health professionals can contribute to improving the health and life expectancy of our people by outlining how we can work together to increase the size and capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce.
“Busy hospitals and health clinics depend on health workers for everything from treating patients to creating community health programs.”
Ms Muscat said the USC campus appealed to Indigenous students because of its size and location, the fact that it already has a significant population of Indigenous students and provided specialised support services through the Buranga Centre.
For more details about the Healthy Pathways Symposium, email Melody Muscat at mkm005@student.usc.edu.au or phone 0438 014 078.
— Terry Walsh