Hip Hop & Health (H3)

We recognise that it is not always easy to engage young people in messages around sexual health. We work with young people to help them express and share sexual health information through performing arts.

Young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds are often more vulnerable to blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections than their Australian-born counterparts because of their lack of knowledge, misinformation and stigma surrounding sexual health.

We provide sexual health education sessions in a space that is comfortable and familiar to the participants – like a community centre or library. These sessions use teaching methods that do not rely on literary skills and adopt health literacy techniques. For example, educators will use picture cards to drive discussions and challenge misconceptions about HIV transmission. Participants are then asked to produce a form of artistic expression that incorporates what they have learned.

They can do this through dance, song, hip hop or spoken word – with hip hop proving to be a particularly effective medium for this purpose. In 2013 and 2014 a performance was held at Federation Square and a CD was produced to promote these messages to other young people.

To learn more about this project or to order copies of the Hip Hop & Health CD’s please contact the Multicultural Heath & Support Services (MHSS) team.