A grant of $3,000 provided by Wishlist was approved to fund the development and production of shawls for the Sista Shawl Project with the aim of increasing participation in the BreastScreen Program, and clients were invited to a morning tea and shawl presentation prior to their breast screen at the Maroochydore and Gympie Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Breast Screen clinics.
Pictured: Mandy Draper (Artist) left, Auntie Christine centre, and Kylie Boyd (North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health) 3rd from left.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women and the second most common cause of cancer-related death.
BreastScreen Queensland Sunshine Coast (BSQSC) offers free breast cancer screening for women 40 years with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality through early detection.
Participation in the BreastScreen Program has been falling and in 2021 – 2022, only 51.1% of women in the 50 – 74 age group on the Sunshine Coast had a breast screen and the participation rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women was even lower at 48.6%.
The BSQSC Yarning Circle sought funding from Wishlist to co-design a Sista Shawl pilot project with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women on the Sunshine Coast, with the aim of increasing participation in the BreastScreen Program.
The project would involve Community Yarns Ups to discuss breast screening, identify barriers to screening and offer solutions, including designing/choosing a shawl to encourage women to attend.
The project aims to increase equity, access and person-centred care for First Nations women by partnering with consumers, improving health equity for First Nations women, and strengthening partnerships with community health providers.
BreastScreen Queensland Health Promotion Officer Gillian Duffy welcomed everyone and provided background to the Sista Shawl.
“We hear a lot about Closing the Gap in health and life expectancy; the Gap is made up of lots of small gaps – one of these is breast screening rates.
"The challenge is how do we encourage more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to attend for breast screening?
"One result is the Sista Shawl.
"We hope this beautiful shawl will be a reminder and an incentive for you to start conversations in the community about the importance of women’s health and breast screening.”
The design chosen for the Sista Shawl is by local Sunshine Coast artist, Mandy Draper, who attended the Maroochydore presentation to talk about her artwork “Woman’s Connection”.
Mandy explained the artwork, “This artwork represents strong resilient women as Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunties, Carers and the connection that is shared to the children that they love and care for.
The lines and waves represent the flowing love towards one another, the continuous journey that a woman experiences for her children.
The inspiration for this painting is the continuous love and strength I have for my two children.”
Kylie Boyd from North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health then gave the following speech to breast screen clients, “When you wrap yourself in this beautiful shawl, let its threads carry the warmth and wisdom of our ancestors, embracing you with their love and strength.
In honouring our heritage, we embrace a profound sense of pride, knowing that by nurturing our well-being, we uplift not only ourselves but our entire community.
As resilient women, we grasp control of our health, paving the path for others to follow.
Wear this shawl with a heart filled with pride, weaving connections with your Sistas and empowering them to prioritise their health.
For in doing so, we honour not only ourselves but the cherished families who hold us dear.
Share your BreastScreen story with your sisters, mothers, aunties, and cousins, passing down wisdom to our young girls.
Together, through our stories and support, we stitch together the fabric of wellness, closing the gap one conversation at a time.”
Wishlist Operations Manager Kath Thompson attended the Gympie presentation on behalf of Wishlist and enjoyed a lovely morning learning about the project and said she felt very lucky to be a part of it.
