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 was 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 was free to the community.
Each month of the calendar included 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 hosted cancer information sessions for the community, discussing early signs and symptoms, and highlighting the importance of cancer screening. The expected outcome was to increase cancer health literacy and screening participation.
This project is nearing its completion with a final report to be released early 2025.
