Saying Yes to First Nations Women’s Health

Preventive health messages can struggle to connect when they feel generic, clinical or removed from the lived experience of the communities they are trying to reach.

For First Nations women, health communication needs to be grounded in trust, respect and cultural understanding. It also needs to recognise the many roles women play in caring for family, community and others, while creating space for women to prioritise their own health too.

Jean Hailes needed a campaign that would encourage First Nations women to take preventive health action in a way that felt real, human and culturally safe. A key goal of the campaign was to encourage First Nations women to complete the Jean Hailes Her Health Check digital tool.

The challenge was to create a campaign that could speak to health, family, identity and courage in a way that felt grounded, respectful and true to lived experience. It needed to centre a real voice, honour a personal story and encourage action through connection.

At the heart of the campaign was Natasha’s story. After discovering she carried a BRCA2 gene mutation that significantly increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and later being diagnosed with breast cancer, Natasha chose to prioritise her health, undergo screening and treatment, and share her experience to encourage other women to do the same.

Ethnolink developed a culturally grounded campaign approach shaped around Natasha’s lived experience and the broader message of preventive health action for First Nations women.

We worked closely with Natasha to understand her story, her motivations and the message she wanted to share with other women. The creative approach was built around the idea that prioritising your health can be an act of courage, especially for women who are often focused on caring for others.

That insight shaped the campaign line, An Act of Courage, which connected preventive health action with strength, family, self-care and community responsibility.

Ethnolink led the campaign, including communications strategy, story development, creative approach and talent management, ensuring the narrative honoured Natasha’s voice and experience with care, cultural respect and authenticity.

To support the campaign, Ethnolink engaged Punchy Studio for live-action production, bringing Natasha’s story to life through a warm, sensitive and emotionally engaging hero video and social cut-downs.

The hero video developed for the campaign became the centrepiece of Day Two of Women’s Health Week, placing Natasha’s story at the forefront and reinforcing the importance of prioritising health for oneself, family and community.

Launched across TikTok and Instagram, the campaign reached thousands of women across Australia.

Most importantly, it encouraged real action, with a significant number of First Nations women completing the Jean Hailes Her Health Check digital tool.

The success of An Act of Courage showed the power of culturally informed communication to build trust, create connection and support preventive health action among First Nations women.