At SNDYS, we believe in giving back, which is why each month a different team member gets to choose a charity close to their heart. For every sale made, we'll donate $1 to that chosen charity.

This month our Graphic Designer, Chloe, has chosen Connectivity. This Australian not-for-profit organisation is dedicated to raising awareness about concussion and traumatic brain injury. Together, let's support this important cause and make a positive impact!

We recently had an insightful Q&A session with the Connectivity team, delving into their mission, identity, and impactful initiatives aimed at increasing awareness within the traumatic brain injury community. Here are the highlights from our conversation.

Who is Connectivity and what is its mission?

Connectivity is the only Australian not-for-profit working solely to help people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of all severities. Established in 2020, Connectivity’s goal is to be the nation’s leader in the provision, education and dissemination of consistent, trusted and reliable information of best-practice, evidenced-based information about TBI.

Our work empowers and educates the community to better understand TBI to improve outcomes for all.

 

What are some of the key initiatives or programs that Connectivity has implemented to raise awareness about TBI in the Australian community?

Over the past four years Connectivity has successfully raised community awareness and educated on TBI through: 

• The creation of the Connectivity website www.connectivity.org.au which includes detailed information on TBI of all severities, downloadable content, fact sheets and guidelines for the general public and healthcare providers, and current Australian research. More than 102,000 people have accessed information via this site.

• The creation of three education courses – a free, one hour Concussion Short Course, a free, 15-minute Sport-Related Concussion Short Course, and a 15-minute Concussion in Older Adults Short Course (specific to workers in aged care environments). Over 6,400 people have enrolled in these courses to date.

• The creation of three education campaigns for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on concussion from car crashes, falls and family and domestic violence – viewed over 110,000 times on YouTube.

• The provision of guidelines, fact sheets and accessible TBI information for the general public, healthcare professionals and sporting bodies.  

• The creation of fact sheets on concussion from domestic violence and falls, translated into 10 CALD languages.

How does Connectivity collaborate with healthcare professionals, researchers, and other organisations to further its goals?

Connectivity has an ‘Expert Committee’ made up of experts in their fields from all across Australia. From Neuroscientists, to physiotherapists, nurses, surgeons and those with lived experience of traumatic brain injury, these experts review all work completed by the Connectivity team to give it credibility, authenticity and to ensure it’s accurate. 

Connectivity also connects researchers with people with TBI and their carers to improve study recruitment, enable research co-design and empower those with a TBI. 

How does Connectivity support individuals who have experienced a concussion or TBI, as well as their families and caregivers?

Our work empowers people with the knowledge they need to manage and understand their TBI, so they can make a healthy recovery.

Connectivity has a wealth of information on the website to assist those who may have recently suffered a concussion or TBI, including a whole section on living with TBI, as well as fact sheets, lived experience stories and a research repository.  

What are some of the challenges that Connectivity faces in its efforts to raise awareness and support individuals with TBI?

Educating the community on concussion and more severe TBI can be challenging because unless a person or someone they love has suffered a concussion people don’t generally seek information on what to do if a TBI occurs. This includes how to recognise the signs, symptoms, and red flags of concussion, as well as what can happen during the recovery process.

It’s also generally assumed that concussion is something that occurs on the sporting field. In actual fact, sport-related concussion accounts for just 16% of concussion injuries. The leading causes of concussion are falls, motor vehicle accidents, interpersonal violence and workplace accidents, as well as sport-related injuries.  

Education on TBI, including concussion, is something that the whole community needs.  TBI injuries can happen to anyone. Being the first on the scene of a TBI incident and having the knowledge of how to recognise, manage and when to call for assistance are the first steps in ensuring that a person receives the care they need to recover well.

Funding, as with almost all not-for-profits, always remains a challenge! We’re continuing to reach out to the government and other organisations to partner with and support our work. Through ongoing investment, we know we can collectively make a difference for TBI sufferers.

How can individuals, businesses, or other organisations get involved or support the work of Connectivity in advocating for TBI awareness and support services?

To get involved, learn more about traumatic brain injury including concussion, and the work Connectivity does head to www.connectivity.org.au. 

• Support us – donate or fundraise
• Speak up – if you have lived experience join our lived experience advisory group or tell your story
• Leave a legacy – include a gift in your will
• Cover yourself – check your brain health during medical check ups
• Stay informed – subscribe to our newsletter
• Help with progress – connect to Australian TBI research projects