Welcome to the Endometriosis Australia November News.
I want to start by congratulating our Ambassador Ellie Angel Mobbs on being awarded two Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRA) – Best Individual Talent of the Year and Best Music Host. Ellie is a star of the airwaves at Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) and a tireless volunteer for Endometriosis Australia, hosting over 50 “Living with Endo” Podcasts. Be sure to tune in and know you’re never alone on your endo journey.
NEW AMBASSADORS
We are also delighted to welcome new Ambassadors who strongly advocate for fellow #endowarriors by sharing their own experiences living with the condition.
Christie Whelan Browne is a star of musical theatre and recently danced for Endometriosis Australia in Dancing with the Stars. She was diagnosed with endometriosis over twelve years ago but suffered in silence before receiving her diagnosis.
As a new Endometriosis Australia ambassador, Christie will use her voice to educate and spread awareness about the debilitating condition and in particular its impact on fertility, through sharing her own struggles after three heartbreaking rounds of IVF to fall pregnant with her son Duke.
Kayla Itsines is an inspirational fitness guru, with a huge profile on social media, 28 million followers on Facebook and 16.1 million followers on Instagram, and is using it to highlight endometriosis. Kayla was diagnosed with endometriosis when she was 18, and hid her experience for years before revealing it after the birth of her first child, daughter Arna, she now has a son Jaxon, and wants to empower women to learn about the signs and symptoms of this disease while improving outcomes for endo sufferers across the country.
LGBTIQA+ Women’s Health
I was honoured to speak at the conference in Melbourne highlighting the limited treatments and considerations for dyspareunia within same sex couples and research data gaps, and the need for an integrative and multidisciplinary approach to care via open communication that ensures ALL people are heard.
EMPOWERING NURSES
I was delighted to speak with School Nurses in Sydney – they are the front-line caring and comforting girls with period and pelvic pain, and critical in early detection for potential endometriosis. Endometriosis Australia is committed to empowering them to guide students and their families to get medical referrals and break the stigma associated with endo treatments including hormones like ‘the pill’.
I am so grateful to announce the 2023 High Tea Raffle proceeds have raised $14,738.80 for the Endometriosis Australia Nurse Fund. We aim to empower nurses to build patient-centred education to raise awareness for 100 nurses over the next five years.
This fund aims to educate and empower nurses and build patient-centred endometriosis awareness for 100 nurses over the next five years:
PRIORITIES
- SCHOOL NURSES
- EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NURSES
- GP AND COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSES
HOBART HIGH TEA
Saturday’s High Tea was inspiring and energising, with speakers including our Endometriosis Australia Clinical Advisory Member Dr. Leesa Van Niekerk about emotional wellbeing living with endo, Dr. Kirsten Connan FRANZCOG spoke passionately about the needs of local Tasmanian endo warriors, and Ambassador Olivia Hicks, with baby Grace, laid bare her endo journey.
Minister Hon Jo Palmer, Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence, highlighting the need to reduce stigma around women’s health. Other special guests included Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Minister for Workplace Safety and Consumer Affairs, Ambassador PJ Madam with her son, Councillor Emma Goyne with her son, and Councillor Dr Zelinda Sherlock. We are grateful to Anna Thomas for organising the event!
Volunteers
As 2023 draws to a close, we want to THANK YOU for your incredible commitment to the Endometriosis Australia community – through volunteering your time, energy and resources, to improve the lives of the 1 in 7* women, girls, and those assigned-female-at-birth living with endometriosis in Australia.
As you know, Endometriosis Australia can only advocate for our community due to your generosity and the commitment of our Volunteers. We have MANY exciting events and educational opportunities coming up in 2024. We would love to have you continue your involvement with us so if you are interested, please sign up here.
The Endometriosis Australia team is currently planning for Endometriosis Awareness Month in March 2024 – and we would love to hear from you on what you envision, and how we can host accessible and comfortable events for your community. Think School Hall, Town Hall, City Hall, Lunch room at work……Let us know via the linked survey!
In alignment with our awareness month, the ‘Endo Enlightenment Campaign‘ will once again illuminate buildings in yellow throughout Australia. We encourage you to reach out to your local councils to arrange the illumination of buildings in your community, and also explore the possibility of utilising town halls and schools for fundraising events. This initiative will help raise awareness and spark meaningful conversations in our local areas.
Stakeholder Engagement and EndoAware
As valued and long-standing members of the Endometriosis Australia community, you can get involved with Endometriosis Australia’s Stakeholder Engagement Forums (SEF) to provide advice and thought leadership relating to improving the health and wellbeing of those with endometriosis, and the broader endometriosis community. Depending on your professional experience and personal interest, you can join one or more of the Core SEFS, including:
- Community Engagement Forum
- Clinical Engagement Forum
- Research Engagement Forum
- Workplace Engagement Forum
- Support Services Engagement Forum
Register your interest here, and we will see you at the inaugural SEF kick-off towards the end of the year (details to come shortly).
In July 2023, Endometriosis Australia announced the establishment of a Workplace Assistance Program, ‘EndoAware’. Endometriosis Australia’s EndoAware Workplace Accreditation Program (‘EAWAP’) enables organisations to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to support their employees with endometriosis. Over the course of the year, we have had conversations with a wide range of businesses and organisations – and with the endometriosis community – to align the program output with what would most benefit those with endometriosis and to facilitate conversations with employees and employers about endometriosis in the workplace.
If you believe your workplace could benefit from this program, feel free to connect us (at endoatwork@endoaustralia.org) with your relevant HR representative to organise a 30-minute meeting to discuss your workplace’s needs and our alignment with our program. The link to register is here.
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