A GROUP of indigenous students from Narooma High School collaborated with a respected street artist to create a series of murals on school grounds with a health message.
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The street art was created under the “Be part of the HIV free generation” program administered by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AHMRC).
Nine Year 7 and 8 students, chosen for their positive attitude and enthusiasm, worked with Coffs Harbour street artist Ash Johnston to create the four murals.
The artist and students workshopped the ideas for the murals and then created them over three days this week.
One of the murals features red blood cells with the message “Keep it clean…” while another features hands texting on a phone the message of ‘Knowledge is power… Let’s make it go viral”.
Sexual health project officer with AHMRC Darren Braun was there for a celebration barbecue on Wednesday where the students could show off the murals to family and friends.
“It’s meant to create awareness about blood born viruses, STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV within the Aboriginal community and also peer education, so hopefully the kids will go on to pass on the message to their friends and classmates,” Darren said.
Year 8 student Zac Campbell said he enjoyed the artistic side of spray-painting the mural and said the message to him was about “keeping yourself safe and keeping your blood clean”, while fellow student Ruby Foster said the whole project had been fun.
Katungul Aboriginal medical service applied for the mural project after hearing about it through the Wandarma Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Service in Bega.
The artist Ash Johnston had visited Narooma previously working with local youth on a fun mural on one Katungul’s mobile health vans.
