Kids hip hop to stop painful skin infections in the Kimberley region

Telethon Kids Institute researchers have launched the Hip Hop 2 SToP video featuring school kids participating in their SToP Trial project designed to see, treat and prevent skin infections in WA’s Kimberley region.

Made in partnership with Aboriginal community members and produced by Broome-based Goolarri Media, the video focuses on important environmental health messages to keep skin strong and healthy.

Mrs Tracy McRae, PhD student for the Skin Health team at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, based at Telethon Kids Institute, organised the filming with the Woombooriny Amboon Angarriiya Partnership (WAAPI) Initiative representing the Bardi, Jawi and Nyul Nyul communities of the Dampier Peninsula.

“The SToP Trial team have been working with nine communities throughout the Kimberley region for the past three years, identifying children with skin infections and referring them to the clinic for treatment, as well as working with local services to enhance skin health practice and prevention,” said Mrs McRae.

“The video promotes the SToP Trial’s aim of supporting Aboriginal communities and children to have strong, healthy skin, and highlights the important role environmental health plays in preventing skin infections by delivering the messages in a fun and inclusive way.

“At the beginning the kids were quite shy in front of the camera, but it wasn’t long before they were choreographing their dance moves and busting to have a turn on the microphone. 

“The end result is just fantastic, and it was such a great experience working together to produce a video we hope will help solidify healthy skin messages throughout the region,” said Mrs McRae.

The video involved students from Ardyaloon (One Arm Point), Beagle Bay & Djarindjin and was filmed over five days as part of a WAAPI youth empowerment camp designed to build the capacity of our future leaders.

Broome hip hop artist Jacob Hamaguchi assisted the kids with writing the song, explaining that music is important to everyone as a conduit, a reason to come together or a message the people want heard. The lyrics remind viewers to ‘take a shower so you smell like a flower’ and incorporates a beautiful chorus encouraging kids to ‘keep their liyan strong’, which means spirit and connection to community.

The stars of the show celebrated the video launch with their local communities over the last two weeks, with over 260 guests attending the screening in Ardyaloon.

Associate Professor Asha Bowen, Head of Skin Health at the Telethon Kids Institute, leads the SToP Trial and is thrilled to see the project back underway after COVID-19 brought everything to a sudden halt this year.

“Producing this video was the perfect opportunity to bring everyone back together and celebrate our researchers returning to the SToP Trial communities after a six-month break,” Associate Professor Bowen says.

“We are so lucky to work in partnership with Aboriginal health service providers and community members throughout the Kimberley, and filming the video was a great way to celebrate the vital work we are achieving together to reduce the burden of skin infections.”

Learn more about the work of the Skin Health team at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases online here.