Transcript
STEVEN RENATA: So we came in as the digital partners to work with the messaging and using some of their proprietry workshop methods and app building technology we were able to develop something.
SARA VUI-TALITU: So this app builds on the success of English and Te Reo? (Maori language)
SR :That's correct. Part of the joy of doing this particular mahi (work) was that we had a diverse group of young children or tamariki involved in a workshop, and a large number were Pasifika and within that a large proportion were of Samoan descent.
SVT: What sorts of things did they share from a child's perspective about rheumatic fever?
SR: Well part of the workshop was around providing them some medical based information in a way that was palatable to them around some of the symptoms that you can see or identify with rheumatic fever and then some of it was around what were some of the external conditions if you like that you can be aware to help reduce the likelihood of getting it. And then lastly if you should get it, what might be some of the ways to manage this. So I guess in essence, a lot of it was around prevention and of the many messages that the tamariki or children re-purposed, what was great was their approach of using fun to talk about a serious subject matter and using song and images and so forth in a way tamariki can. It sort of brought a certain amount of joy to what many consider a really serious topic and serious condition but through fun, through relevant language at that level, through music, through imagery.
SVT : What did you do in relation to the language, like did you need to get translators on board or how did you navigate that?
SR : We started to just get through the two day workshop that we were briefed on. We did most of the workshop in English and because we did have quite a diverse group in English, you know, up to about 30-40 children, we were able to actually do a bit of culture. So we had a simplistic powhiri at the start which had elements of Te Reo Maori in there. And then we had facilitators there from different Pacific backgrounds, and they were able to use their own greetings and so forth. And then with the tamariki and children we gave them open license to speak whatever language they felt comfortable in, which was predominantly English but as the day went by, there was a lot more of their own words and their own phrases started to come out and that was really neat as it felt a bit like the United Nations around rheumatic fever and with the tamariki, we had a great time. One of the ways they learned the best was when they tell the story in their language. Now whether that is a certain level of the language, like with a simplistic level of language like English, Maori or any indigenous language, and they are then being given the opportunity to empower them and to deliver the message from their point of view and that is where the message really lands. That is where you get the engagement factor that is where you get the comprehension, that is where you get the recall and the transformational behaviour that you are really looking for.
