We chose to discuss beyondblue’s Perinatal program because it promotes positive well being and therefore impacts a wide sector of their target population, which as a public preventative health service is all Australians.
This program targets both mothers and fathers and therefore supports a large audience in this way. Furthermore, perinatal depression has been shown to have a larger effect on child development than abuse or witnessing domestic violence, meaning that programs designed to address this issue also have a strong impact on all the children indirectly affected and supported. Beyond this program, we liked in general how wide ranging beyondblue’s targets were, such as advocating for us lefties
In addition to a large target audience, this program also has a wide reach because of the many different kinds of information distribution and reseach methodologies it utilizes. From print and electronic fact sheets, to apps and online videos, the perinatal program allows the population to access the information in whatever method works best for them. They also ensure that parents get the information by putting copies in the bounty bags given to new moms at the hospital. This is important in promoting positive well being in that it connects with moms from day 1, many of whom as new moms might not know how to access this information otherwise. One particular method, the Mind the Bump app, struck as as especially helpful because it supported moms with newborns all the way through to 2 years old.
Beyondblue’s perinatal program also has an important impact on positive well being in its holistic approach; not only does it target parents, but also a large range of caregiving professionals through their online certification process. Also, in their “Just Speak Up” campaign beyondblue discussed how friends and family can best support new parents if they are experiencing perinatal depressive symptoms, therefore addressing the parent’s natural support network in a very holistic way.
Outside of agency visits, one experience that really touched us this week was our visit to the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne’s memorial to those who have served and died in Australia’s military engagements.
The first thing that struck us was how little we in the United States talk about Australia in general (as mentioned in Bill Bryson’s book) but especially the country’s role in the World Wars and other military conflicts. Conflicts such as Vietnam and the Middle East were particularly striking since it could have been argued that it did not have anything to do with them. Another element of inclusivity that stuck out to us was that in the Book of Remembrance within the memorial, those who served are listed without mention of rank or title.
Alternatively, while we do not talk about Australia’s role in various military engagements, we discovered that they provide plenty of information about America’s role. This reminded us of how ethnocentric the U.S. can be compared to other nations, and how it is part of our role as social workers to combat this, such as by doing study abroad programs.
Although we had many positive reflections of Australia in terms of their awareness of other countries and willingnness to support them abroad, we’ve learned from our time here that Australia can be similar to the U.S. in how they respond to people within the country such as refugees and asylum seekers and even immigrants in general. During our visit to Vicseg we discussed the No Advantage policy and the negative attitudes many politicians and Anglo-Australians have towards asylum seekers and other minority groups. Furthermore, during our visit to the Immigration Museum we learned more about Australia’s historic “White Australia” policy and struggles today to address its lingering effects.
Although no country is perfect in its attitudes and policies, Australia has made some exciting progress that we hope continues and also influences the U.S. along the way.
Becky and Kassandra