Firstly, if you haven’t seen the ‘Strong Choices’ video, watch it now on YouTube! It’s an amazing video that combines music, humour, animation and local role-models to talk about the negative effects of social media in remote indigenous communities.  Most importantly, it does it in a way that actually tells an interesting story that people can relate to and understand, then share with their friends and family via Bluetooth, which is the nugget that makes this video so special.

I’ve been told one of the most popular ways for people in the bush to share photos and videos with each other is via Bluetooth. Although the idea seemed strange to me at first (turning on my mobile’s Bluetooth and being ‘discoverable’ by anyone around me), after visiting the community of Milikapiti on Melville Island (part of the Tiwi Islands), I reckon it’s an innovative use of technology that people living in remote communities have adopted in order to stay connected with each other.

So it then makes perfect sense for the mob behind the Strong Choices video to cut it into 30-second ‘Bluetooth-able’ episodes, focusing on specific issues such as understanding that what people do in the ‘digital country’ can have real consequences with the law, what people can do to keep themselves safe online, advice about respecting themselves and their culture, and the long-term effects of their ‘digital footprint’, which I think is one of the most beautifully conveyed images in the video.

And what better way to start the viral spread of the Strong Choices messages than to get local Tiwi Island music group and stars of the video, B2M, to share the video via Bluetooth at their music gigs and enlist AFL NT football players to share it via Bluetooth at their games.

The real magic behind the Strong Choices video are the mob who came up with the idea and the people they knew who could help make it happen. I was extremely fortunate to meet these amazing people and have a yarn with them about why the Strong Choices video was made and the impact it has had on the Tiwi Island community; including members of B2M, NT Department of Justice (who commissioned the video), FaHCSIA , Australian Federal Police, AFL NT, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT (AMSANT), and Skinnyfish Music, (who produced and championed the video), and Telstra (who are proudly supporting the TVC release of the video as part of our commitment to cyber safety and indigenous communities).

I hope you enjoy watching the vlog report filmed at the launch of the Strong Choices TVC campaign on the Tiwi Islands and it makes you think about your digital footprint… are you proud of the mark you’ve left behind?

Related links:

• Flickr image gallery: Check out our photos from the Strong Choices TVC media launch at Milikapiti Shire Hall, Tiwi Islands.
• Help your kids be safe online: Read Telstra’s Internet and Cyber-safety guide for tips and advice on how to stay safe online.
• B2M on Myspace: Listen, follow and learn more about Tiwi Island music group B2M on their MySpace page.
• Telstra’s Reconciliation Action Plan: Learn more about what Telstra is doing to help Indigenous communities.
• Strong choices media release