Award winning culturally-appropriate online training

 ‘Joe’s Story’  is a real-time interactive online story about Joe, an indigenous man returning to his community with a spinal injury. Over 6 months the scenario portrayed remote indigenous life and the community health and social issues.

In 2000, five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities participated in this interactive story to undertake health and community service training.

This statewide project piloted our model, Reality Learning Interactives. A success in culturally appropriate virtual training to engage reluctant learners living within ongoing crisis and competing priorities. Engaging challenged learners, linguistically, socially and professionally, building their capacity. 

When real life merges with a fictitious virtual story, interesting crossovers develop resulting in life-changing  health and well-being practices.

Joe’s Story was further developed for other audiences, including teachers and housing officers in preparation for working within these remote, marginalised communities.

Two online school programs were also produced from the story:

• George’s Story promoting medical professions for indigenous school leavers; and
• Nola’s Diary for primary school children facing the move to rural areas for accessing secondary education.

Mary, from Joe’s Story. She is both an actor in the scenario plus in real life, an indigenous community HAAC expert. This community video captures her mid-program, reflecting on her experience of managing the virtual fictitious patient called Joe.