Weenthunga Health Network

Weenthunga Health Network is contributing to health equity for First Nations people in Victoria through:

Increasing the Aboriginal health workforce
Advocating for anti-racism and decolonising within the health and education sector
Embedding and valuing First Nations' knowledge and practice, and
Ensuring better understanding and practice of health professionals to improve experiences, care and outcomes for First Nations people and communities

Artwork: Connecting through Conversation by Shawana Andrews

The flames represent the campfire, a focal point for sharing knowledge and listening. The circles represent communities, which have an abundance of knowledge to share.

Donate Now

Become a Member

Join the conversation

About Us

Our unique Aboriginal-led networking model values two-way collaboration, and is underpinned by relationships, respect, reciprocity and responsibility. Weenthunga takes a holistic view of health, valuing First Nations knowledge from the outset by seeing the whole self. This is a much more integrated approach to health and wellbeing than commonly underpins the Western biomedical model and as such, mainstream health services.

Weenthunga in Woiwurrung means “hear / understand”.

Services / Programs

Cultural safety and critical consciousness: Transforming individual’s and organisations’ mindsets through unpacking discomfort, power, privilege, racism, justice issues, decolonising and more. A personal, professional and organisational development opportunity.

Weenthunga’s workshops and consulting services aim to support learning, reflection and growth at an individual and organisational level. Our workshops and consulting services are delivered by a two-way facilitation team, joining Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal voice in this space. Weenthunga’s approach allows for the bringing together of diverse knowledges, understandings and lived experiences. Topics covered can be compared and contrasted from these different experiences and perspectives, resulting in a deeper and more comprehensive understanding.

Weenthunga is positioned to deliver this training due to the lived experiences of staff, as well as the experiences shared with us by First Nations health professionals and the young women in our programs (as employees and students respectively).

Improving the understanding and practice of Australian health professionals working with First Nations people, as well as recruiting and retaining First Nations health professionals, are critical to achieving equity in health. This requires mainstream health organisations to identify and challenge the way institutional racism shapes their interactions with First Nations staff and patients.

Cultural Safety and Critical Consciousness Workshop.

Aunty’s voice: Acknowledging the wisdom and knowledge of senior Aboriginal women and ensuring Aunty’s voice is amplified in health and education spaces.

Weenthunga greatly values the role of Aunties in the Aboriginal community and wider community. Across all our programs, we ensure Aunties inform our work. We’ve listened to and been guided by Aunties voices strategically, operationally, at events and when yarning with young women, staff, Members and Committee of Management.

Weenthunga has established a formal Aunty role to shape and implement Weenthunga’s way; that of working in a cross-cultural space and of keeping closely connected to culture. Whilst this role is new, it’s envisaged Weenthunga’s Aunty will bring leadership, honesty and wisdom, grounded in culture, within our organisation and network.

Aunty Steff Armstrong, a Gamilaraay woman living on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, is Weenthunga’s inaugural Aunty. Aunty Steff shares: “I am NOT an Elder, I am a mother, sister, wife and Baggi (nana). But my increasing community role is Aunt. I now see in this role I will be like the Morten Bay fig tree. To support and nourish from the inside”.

Nyarrn-gakgo mangkie: Backing First Nations young women who are passionately pursuing a career in health; from their senior secondary years and beyond.

The Nyarrn-gakgo mangkie program provides opportunities, experiences, and connections to First Nations young women in high school (years 9 to 12) who are journeying towards a health career. Our program provides long-term, holistic, relationship-based connections with participants. We strive to develop close relationships with the mothers, Aunties and families of the young women in our program. Mentoring is offered by Program Leaders, who are proud Aboriginal women and part of their local communities.

Nyarrn-gakgo mangkie in Woiwurrung means “hear within”. We come together in a safe environment to hear and understand other women’s stories. We’re supported by community and our Ancestors to listen to our own voice; to reflect. We move forward on our journey into a health career with new information, confidence, cultural knowledge and strength in our identity.

A Local Support Network (LSN) is facilitated around the young women. LSNs comprise First Nations and Australian staff from key local health, education and Aboriginal organisations. LSNs identify opportunities to support young women’s aspirations, for example, work experience, placement, tutoring and bursaries. We also work alongside our LSN to address barriers First Nations young women face (e.g. health, housing, financial hardship).

VAHENonline: Encouraging and supporting collaboration between health academics and disciplines across Victorian Universities. Working to address absent, inadequate and/or racist curriculum content about First Nations people.

In 2017, Weenthunga, with the support of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) hosted the Victorian Aboriginal Health Education Summit. Our ground-breaking Summit focused on Aboriginal health outcomes through health education and curricula in Victorian universities. The aim of the Summit was to improve Aboriginal health education in Victorian universities by promoting collaboration and sharing across courses and universities as well as Aboriginal academic leadership, Aboriginal community engagement, and professional development for academics. A key strategy that was strongly supported by Summit attendees was the establishment of an online Victorian network to improve the teaching of Aboriginal health in Victorian universities; VAHENonline brings this strategy to life.

VAHENonline is a vibrant, online platform for collaboration, discussion and sharing resources, approaches and ideas. VAHENonline contributors include community members, Academics and health professionals. The platform supports universities to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework.

One way in which Universities can decolonise is by moving away from protective and competitive dynamics and instead looking towards First Nations values and approaches, including the practice of reciprocity and sharing.

Racism is regularly experienced in Victorian health services by First Nations patients and their families, students, and health professionals. VAHENonline addresses the need for improved preparation of more than 200,000 Australian students studying tertiary health courses each year in Victorian universities to work with First Nations people in the health sector. There are few First Nations health academics, whose cultural load is real and whose role in providing or guiding Aboriginal health education is essential. Achieving systemic change in the sector requires collaboration and sharing across health courses and universities.

Member support

Connecting like-minded health professionals and students who contribute to keeping Weenthunga’s flames burning brightly.

Weenthunga has a membership of 480 health students and professionals who share our vision and are actively working towards our objectives. We support our Members through facilitating connections, resource sharing and Member events. Weenthunga has three membership options: Full Members, Associate Members and Student Members. Our Membership is open to individuals who live and/or work in Victoria.

Full Members: First Nations health professionals and Academics
Associate Members: all other health professionals and Academics
Student Members: students studying a tertiary health course

If you’re interested in becoming a Member, please click here.

Donate Now

Become a Member

Join the conversation

People

Committee

Mikaela Egan

President

Founder of The Wellbeing Connexion, a photographer and Aboriginal Community Development worker and Aboriginal Nutrition Promotion Officer (see: https://www.makiegan.com/)

First Nations: Muthi Muthi/Gunditjmara