The first 2023 citizen jury in Western Sydney, hosted and sponsored by WentWest, was made up of a representative group of culturally diverse western Sydney people. This group has ancestors in Australia who possibly go back into the late 1700's, but may have arrived here only decades ago .
While working for WentWest, I facilitated this group to deliberate on the question "should we, the people of Western Sydney continue to invest in the health system in the same way as we have in the past".
Over the course of the weekend, the focus was on the evidence and how it informed their recommendations. I witnessed how they grew not only their understanding of the complexity of our current health system, but also their intensifying focus on their role in creating a future "for the public good". The system of the future - no matter their postcode - would enable equitable access to whatever creates health and well-being. They showed us that the evidence was a powerful driver for their deliberations.
A few weeks later on behalf of WentWest we convened the Western Sydney First Nations citizen jury. I enjoyed the way the First Nations facilitator brought the group together, the familiarity of being with mob, and it felt exciting. During the weekend I sensed a growing message for us, the organisers, that there was a step needed before considering the evidence. And this was the difference ...this diverse group was collectively telling us that we need to deeply understand what health means to FN people. This theme developed during the course of the weekend. I noticed less time was spent on discussing the actual presentations and more time developing the concept of WHOLISTIC health, which relates to the lens of the person within their family, within their neighbourhood, within their broader community and within their connected nations.... The protective nature of that connection. This goes deeper than right here right now. There is history to recognise, acknowledge and learn from. There are ancestors who are part of the present reality. The role of traditional gathering around food and community, of traditional lifestyle as protective of health and wellbeing.
None of this is new. In a May 2023 Summit, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women came together and, in a communique that resonates with our experiences here, affirmed:
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“The recognition that our cultures are foundational to societal and ecological health and wellbeing - Culture is essential to all existence, connecting us to kin and Country and keeping our identity strong.
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Placing care at the heart of policy design - Policies informed by First Nations conceptions of care will form healthier, safer and more just societies.”
We find it interesting that the big ticket items for both juries - beyond the cultural parameters of health and wellbeing for First Nations communities - had a lot in common. Well-informed citizens, whether FN or not, want to reinvest our health dollars into ensuring our kids, and families, are systematically nurtured during the tender early years to be able to thrive at school and find meaningful education pathways to become the professionals of the future. However, the value of relationship-based, connected and integrated care is at the top of the list for how we go about designing health and social care - without siloes, and with the long game in mind rather than the politicisation of these fundamental human services needed for health and wellbeing. So much more to share, and to feel the potential of growing these 2023 voices into a permanent ca in WS.
I feel changed by the 2023 citizen juries. Our next co-design adventure is to work with all our citizen jury participants to build the permanent ca that will sustain the citizens' voice over time. We have started this process formally, and i am excited and nourished.
This year I am independently enjoying time to speak with colleagues around NSW and Australia about how we might access community-driven momentum for change more broadly across the primary care landscape. Relationships blossom into partnerships with diverse communities when we take responsibility for providing high quality information about complex human concerns, in a safe space with people from all sorts of backgrounds. This is the pathway to deep understanding of community needs and expectations.