You are you, and I love you
A Dreamtime story that explains the Tracking Cube.
It tells the story of a boy who, with his parent, embarks on a journey where he meets helpful animals who offer assistance and guide him to return to his home with a new sense of self.
On a deeper level, the story is explaining the stages of a neurodevelopmental assessment (the Tracking Cube) offered to families with children who are being screened for FASD.
Each animal, object, landscape, and interaction in the story represents a real-life healthcare provider, service, or intervention that the family will encounter as part of the child’s actual journey through the healthcare system.
By using the language and structure of a traditional Dreamtime story, vital information is presented in a culturally meaningful form that allows healthcare providers to creatively engage and educate First Peoples families on their own terms.
Dreamtime stories are not just stories, but are writings with cultural importance for the betterment of a community.
They are also a method of remembering vital information that aids in improving one’s life by following the right processes and protocols of the community, Elders and key stakeholders.
– Dr Marjad Page
Meet the Author & the Illustrator of our Knowledge Products...
Dr Marjad Page
Dr Page is a Christian, and a descendant from the Kalkadoon, Waanyi and Ganggalidda Nation Groups of the Mount Isa and Gulf of Carpentaria regions.
Dr Page was born and raised in Mount Isa and became a doctor to help his mob.
Aunty Shirley Dawson
Aunty Shirley has been an Artist since primary school. She grew up on an outback Northern Territory Cattle Station near Tobermorey and Dajarra – a small cattle trucking town in QLD.
She has lived all her adult life in Mount Isa. Aunty Shirley descends from her mother’s people – the Eastern Aranda from the Harts Range area NT.
Useful for Health Providers & Consumers
This video was created to help explain neurodevelopmental assessment and diversity to families in a relatable Dreamtime Story, so that families understand their upcoming healthcare journey.
Healthcare providers build on this framework to initiate conversations about informed consent, and to answer the family’s questions about the assessment process. The story becomes a tool to facilitate feedback and follow-up sessions at various points during the child’s health care journey.
It’s all possible because Dreamtime stories are rich parables, densely packed with layers of cultural guidance for the betterment of a community. Elders use them to pass down vital information to children and adults alike, gradually unpacking the meaning within the story by revealing new metaphors hidden within the narrative.
In the same way, YOU ARE YOU, AND I LOVE YOU gives healthcare providers an opportunity to gradually explain challenging concepts in a way that’s engaging, accessible and memorable. It brings a sense of compassion for the challenges faced by children struggling with FASD, and helps to holistically understand the child’s strengths, not just their challenges.
