Student Placement Delivers Real-World Learning and Community Impact

Charlie and Mia are 4th-year Nutrition and Dietetics students from Griffith University on the Gold Coast. They have spent the past eight weeks in Taree on their Food Systems Placement under the guidance of the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health, Port Macquarie. During this time, the N&D students collaborated with the Biripi Women’s Group through Biripi Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre (ACMC) to co-design, implement and evaluate a 3-week pilot cooking and nutrition education program. In consultation with the women, this program was named Galbaan Cook & Yarn. Galbaan is Gathang, the traditional language of the Biripi people, which translates to ‘women’ in English. 

Yarning was an integral element of the program's design, ensuring cultural relevance, community ownership, and alignment with local wants and needs. The three interactive sessions delivered focused on building confidence, knowledge and practical cooking skills to support healthy meal planning and preparation. Recipes and educational yarning topics were identified and agreed upon by the women, which supported the co-creation of a cookbook that was made available to them at the end of the program.

Positive verbal and written feedback during and after the program indicated high satisfaction with the program delivered. Session-specific data showed increased confidence in preparing meals using leftovers, improved nutrition awareness, and increased reflection ondietary behaviours. Key lessons the students took away from their placement were the importance of early and ongoing co-design, flexibility in program delivery, and the central role of culturally appropriate methods such as yarning.