The WA Centre for Rural Health (WACRH) has produced a short eight-minute animated educational video entitled ‘Learning Brain and Survival Brain – How experience shapes behaviour’.
The video aims to educate parents, families, children, service providers, and communities about the impact of violence and trauma on children’s developing brains and into adulthood.
A number of threads of work came together to produce this video.
One thread being the work of WACRH’s Community Development Officer Lisa Lockyer with women at the Mullewa Arts Centre using creative processes to explore their experiences of loss, grief, violence, and other hardships.
Some of the Mullewa women who were involved in this Healing Project, provided advice in a reference group on the development of the video script and animation, giving feedback on the script and meeting by zoom with the animator to comment on the video’s graphic design.
Ms Lockyer said ‘The women brought their own experience and wisdom to the production of the video’.
Community members Debra Maher and Pauline Bell were advisers on the video script and graphics.
Ms Mayer said “Our community needs these messages. Each one of us has responsibility for keeping all of our kids safe.”
“They were in survival brain and I didn’t know that then. I had no idea what they needed. Through having input into this video, I now understand them much better. I’m proud to say that since they have been with me, they have switched into their learning brain and have received a high school scholarship,” says Ms Bell of her grandchildren.
The video was launched in Mullewa on Wednesday 28 April to local stakeholders and community representatives involved in the development of the video.
The video was partly funded through a $5000 grant to the WA Centre for Rural Health (WACRH) from Rio Tinto via the City of Greater Geraldton to help prevent family violence.
WACRH Associate Professor Monica Moran said ‘The WA Centre for Rural Health thanks Rio Tinto for their generous funding to produce this video which is hoped will educate our local communities and be used as a teaching resource in a wide range of university courses where students learn about family violence.’
Additional assistance came from The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Western Australia and Healthway WA.
The concept and script of the video drew on an existing short video developed by Dr Jacob Ham from Mt Sinai Hospital in New York. With Dr Ham’s permission, this modified version has been developed for Australian audiences.
To view the video, go to https://youtu.be/A3cAhyHeXEk.
Photo caption: This image has been taken from the 'Learning Brain and Survival Brain' video and shows how trauma impacts children's brain development.
Media contact: Mia Jeffrey, Marketing and Communications Officer - (08) 9956 0225 - Mia.Jeffrey@uwa.edu.au
About WACRH: The WA Centre for Rural Health of the University of Western Australia is one of 16 University Departments of Rural Health in Australia. The main office is based in Geraldton in the Midwest of Western Australia, with a satellite office based in Karratha in the Pilbara. It aims to improve rural, remote and Aboriginal health through research, education, student support and community service activities. For more information, visit: www.wacrh.uwa.edu.au.