BADAC Cancer Calendar 2024

The Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative Limited (BADAC) obtained GICS Service Improvement Grant Program funding to produce a 2024 Cancer Calendar.

GICS is very pleased to support this grant-funded project in acknowledgement that:

• Aboriginal people in Ballarat region die younger from cancers than the broader community
• when Aboriginal people are diagnosed, the cancer is usually more progressed than in the wider community, which leads to higher fatality rates
• Nationally, cancer is the second most common cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are 43% more likely to die from the disease than other Australians (according to statistics from Cancer Council Australia)
• we know that, in many cancers, prevention and early detection save lives.

The calendar was officially launched on Wednesday 31 January 2024 and is free to the community.

Each month of the calendar includes Aboriginal artwork highlighting the impact cancer has had on the artist and aligns with the national cancer awareness months and colours to promote cancer screening and detection.

Throughout 2024, BADAC will host cancer information sessions for the community, discussing early signs and symptoms, and highlighting the importance of cancer screening. The expected outcome is increasing cancer health literacy and screening participation.

This project will be completed at the end of 2024 with the final report to be released in February 2025.

If you would like a copy of the calendar please contact Kirsten Ives, Cancer Service Improvement Facilitator, at Kirsten.Ives@gh.org.au.