Key Messages
PREGNACY AND ALCOHOL
DON’T MIX
When we say “Alcohol and Pregnancy Don’t Mix,” we say it with care and respect.
Supporting our community to have alcohol-free pregnancies helps our ngayapi rrala / Strong Born babies grow up with clear spirits and strong bodies. It helps keep our Culture and community strong for the future.
WE ARE PALAWA.
WE ARE STRONG BORN
As Palawa peoples, the caretakers of Lutruwita, our ways of understanding and living are deeply connected to Country, Culture, and Community.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Community knows the strength of our people—past, present, and future—comes from the health and well-being of our children. For over 65,000 years, our traditions have guided us to nurture strong born babies, making sure each new generation grows and thrives.
“We Are Palawa. We Are Strong Born” reminds us that our cultural practices and connection to Country have always been the heart of healthy pregnancies, strong babies, and loving parents.
These ways are not just stories from long ago—they are living traditions that give power to our community today. We are Palawa, a strong community with the power to shape our mob’s future, one healthy, ngayapi rrala pakata / Strong Born Baby at a time.
STRONG BORN. STRONG FUTURES
A healthy, supported ningi (mother) is the foundation for a thriving, healthy pakata (baby). Ngayapi Rrala — Strong Born, Strong Futures — focuses on the health and well-being of both ningi and pakata with a whole-of-health approach.
Strong Born, Strong Futures is a call for our community to make sure every Aboriginal child gets good nutrition, regular check-ups before birth, a safe place to grow, and that mothers are supported to avoid harmful things like alcohol during pregnancy.
It also reminds us how important it is for ningi to stay active, manage stress, and take care of themselves. Building a strong connection between ningi and pakata during pregnancy and after birth is key to every child’s health.
When ningi get strong, all-round, and culturally safe support throughout pregnancy, our pakata are born strong and healthy. Ngayapi rrala — Strong Born babies — lead the way for a strong future, giving takarilya (families) and communities the power to grow and thrive.
OUR CULTURE, OUR COMMUNITY.
THE LUTRUWITA WAY
Our Culture, Our Community, The Lutruwita Way is the heart of the Strong Born campaign. Aboriginal knowledge and ways of doing things will keep guiding us to raise strong children and support alcohol-free pregnancies.
Sharing of knowledge is our call to come together as a respected community to grow strong healthy babies.
The Lutruwita way is based on respect for our culture and our connection to the land. This will help us build a strong future, grounded in our culture and community.
SAFE PREGNANCIES
ARE MENS BUSINESS TOO
The Strong Born Campaign knows that the health and well-being of mothers and babies is a shared responsibility. Men have a very important role in giving support and care.
The message “Safe Pregnancies Are Men’s Business Too” encourages men to be involved in helping make sure pregnancies are healthy, and that strong babies are born and grow well.
In our culture, men are an important part of the family’s support. Their involvement helps create a healthy and safe place for mothers, babies, and families.
When we work together as a strong, united community—no matter our gender—we all share the responsibility to care for the health of our future generations.
By celebrating the role of men, we support parents and the whole community to raise strong-born babies with care and respect.
CONNECTED TO COUNTRY, NURTURING THRIVING CHILDREN
Country is very important when caring for mothers, babies, and families. Everyone’s connection to the land helps build a strong base for raising strong-born babies and keeping our community well.
We encourage healthy breastfeeding and support the message that fed is best. Families and the community are given the right information to make good choices about caring for babies. This helps babies get the best nutrition for their health and growth.
Healthy habits like spending time connected to Country helps every child grow strong in body, mind, and spirit.
Behind the scenes:
Aboriginal Health Worker Trainees
Take on Strong Born
Campaign Overview
The Strong Born Campaign is a national initiative launched by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) in collaboration with the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in 2023. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre will launch the ngayapi rrala/Strong Born communications and engagement campaign this year in June. This will initially be a three-month campaign, with long-term and sustainable actions embedded into health promotion practices that deepen community knowledge and understanding of safe pregnancy practices throughout Lutruwita. The ngayapi rrala campaign will aim to sensitively raise community awareness and create culturally safe spaces to promote open discussions, void of stigma, about the critical importance of safe pregnancies, the risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and the vital role of safe breastfeeding practices to ensure every child is born strong and healthy.
This campaign has been designed by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s Health Workers as they seek to empower and educate communities to nurture healthy pregnancies and positive parenting practices within the Aboriginal community. The campaign utilises soft messaging techniques within health promotion and community engagement activities to address the implications of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Through rich discussions, engagement, and communication strategies, families will continue to be supported and empowered to make informed decisions about maternal and child health. Community, culture and collective responsibility are grounded within the campaign, and will ensure the opportunity for stigma-free, meaningful conversations that create action and drive community-driven solutions across Truwana/Cape Barren Island and Lutruwita/Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Aboriginal community has embedded ways of knowing and doing, intergenerational knowledge that continues to inform women and their families of optimal pregnancy, birth, and child healthy practices that ensure each child within Lutruwita has the best start to life. By integrating Aboriginal art, traditional crafts, photography, community members, palawa kani, and images of Country, the Strong Born campaign will strengthen a powerful video narrative that celebrates We are Palawa. We are Strong Born.
