Interactive Video – Covid and Flu – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

Murray Public Health Unit and the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District have been engaging with community leaders to create culturally appropriate video messages about COVID-19 vaccination for multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

This project aimed to increase access to culturally appropriate and motivating information about COVID-19 vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural communities.

The project delivered messaging in a format that reflected the values and cultures of the communities engaged with. Healthily and participating health industry partners and community groups invited community leaders to record culturally appropriate video messages using Zoom, which were sent by SMS directly to patients that were eligible for a vaccination or booster via their trusted GP.

The Project

Between 6 April 2022 and 30 June 2022 (12 weeks), this project achieved the following:

Established a Project Advisory Group (PAG) with First Nations and Multicultural community representatives.
Engaged a First Nations project officer.
Engaged seven Primary Health Networks and 4 Community Health Offices.
Filmed 39 community leaders speaking in 14 languages including English.
Produced 16 Interactive Packages.
Recruited 31 Practices and Aboriginal Medical Services.
Sent the packages to 10,978 patients due for a vaccination or booster.
Achieved SMS open rates (link in the SMS was opened) ranging from 15% to 47%.
Developed functionality to automate the sending of a second (nudge) SMS message sent only to recipients who did not open the link in the first message.

Four community leaders, organised by Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District recorded COVID-19 vaccination messages in six languages (Arabic, Dinka, Turkish, French, Swahili and English). The messages were set up in an interactive package enabling recipients to choose the language and speaker message to view.

Video by Hussam Sarif:

Arabic https://vimeo.com/724293703
English https://vimeo.com/724294536

Video by Betul Tuna

Turkish https://vimeo.com/723580950
English https://vimeo.com/723581775

Video by Jean Marie Mupenda

Swahili https://vimeo.com/722812438
French https://vimeo.com/722815263
English https://vimeo.com/722790296

Video by Deng Madeng

Dinka https://vimeo.com/723626289
English https://vimeo.com/723624820

Interactive package link (full video and messaging)

Interactive Video - Covid and Flu

	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District acknowledges the Yorta Yorta People of the land which comprises the Goulburn Valley. We pay respect to tribal Elders, past, present and emerging and we celebrate their continuing culture and acknowledge the memory of their ancestors.
	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District is a peak body whose mission is to promote and represent the social, cultural and economic well-being of ethnic communities in the Goulburn Valley Region through the provision of quality and innovative settlement, refugee support, community development, and information and advocacy services.