Wagga schools are being invited to take part in a day-long workshop organised by Melanoma Institute Australia to educate students and teachers about the importance of sun safety. Photo: Melanoma Institute Australia.
Local schools are being asked to take part in a new student ambassador program to promote the importance of sun safety.
Organised by Melanoma Insitute Australia (MIA), the program will provide an education program at Notre Dame University, alerting students to the dangers of poor sun safety.
“This program is so empowering as it spreads the critical sun safe message to such an important demographic, and leads to peers educating peers,” said MIA CEO Matthew Browne.
“Ninety-five per cent of melanomas are caused by overexposure to UV radiation, and we know that sunburn during childhood greatly increases your risk of developing melanoma as an adult. Initiatives like this that reach a younger audience will not only benefit the teenagers themselves but hopefully will also ripple through to generations to come.”
According to the MIA, Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world with a new diagnosis being made every 30 minutes and a death occurring every six hours. Statistics by MIA show that melanoma is the most common cancer affecting 20- to 39-year-old Australians.
The workshops provided by the program are designed to teach Year 8 and 9 students how to change behaviours around sun safety at schools and the importance of taking the necessary steps to protect themselves and their peers.
In addition to learning about the dangers of sun exposure, how to minimise their risk of developing melanoma and how to encourage changed behaviour in others, students will also develop their presentation skills through a workshop with studio director of Speaking Out Wagga and speech and drama teacher, Katie Riley.
The program, which was successfully piloted in Sydney in 2018, has spread further afield and in addition to Wagga Wagga, is also being held in Perth and Hobart.
This year’s SunSafe program comes as Australia focuses on melanoma and the dangers of tanning, with MIA’s co-medical directors, Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO, using their 2024 Australian of the Year acceptance speech to call for urgent community action to prevent melanoma.
“There is nothing healthy about a tan. Nothing. Our bronzed Aussie culture is actually killing us,” Professor Long said.
“We call on advertisers, and social media influencers – stop glamourising tanning, or using it to sell or entertain. And our fellow Australians – when you see it, call it out, and demand change.
“Imagine the outcry if smoking was still glamourised like this,” Professor Scolyer added.
“We must elevate sun safety to equal status as other lifesaving safety measures like seatbelts and helmets.”
The SunSafe Student Program will be held in Wagga Wagga on 10 September. Schools have until 9 August to register for the program and can do so by visiting the MIA website.
Loading ...
