Educating Our Young People: Introducing Genomics in Schools

The GSNV is passionate about education and has been educating the general community on genetic and genomic health, particularly in the areas of the utility and impact of genetic testing, the use of health technology to improve choice and the efficacy of service delivery in meeting consumer needs, for many years.

An understanding of genomics is much more than a grasp of the technology, clinical and service outlay. Awareness of the ethical, legal, and social issues are important elements of all education efforts with the community and health professionals.

Who Are We?

Supporting people impacted by genetic, rare and undiagnosed conditions

• Not for profit
• Peak body in the health support sector in Victoria
• Building a Victoria where everyone can flourish

What Do We Do?

• Support, educate and advocate
• Build capacity and reduce burden
• Act as a credible information source for consumers, health professionals, patient support organisations, researchers, students and more

Why the GSNV?

• We have an understanding of the science, the health system, and the wider lived experience of genomic testing in healthcare
• We have the ability to facilitate a learning experience driven by interaction with experts
• We understand the messaging and transformation that Government, the health and research sectors are seeking to deliver in health through genomics

Why genomics in schools?

In increasing the awareness of the social implications of genomic technologies and the applications of the science and technology, we believe it is important to begin the education process from a young age. The GSNV educates the general community on genomics and its challenges and opportunities.

In collaboration with an experienced steering committee, the GSNV have developed a genomics education program to complement current curriculum for senior school aged students.

Enhancing the current curriculum design study

these resources have a point of difference by developing an understanding of the ‘lived experience’ of genomic medicine and the key message of the potential of personal empowerment in health and wellbeing decision making.

This program is designed to support and be complementary to study designs for science and biology, with ‘experiential learning’ as the foundation.

The program is designed to complement interdisciplinary studies including science, sociology, biology, and humanities.

Why Senior Students?

Genetic conditions can cause functional and visible differences in individuals. Some genetic conditions are easily diagnosed, and others are very difficult to unpack and diagnose. The differences in individuals relating to their genetic makeup is fundamental to the human condition but it is the social perception and understanding of this difference that influences an individual’s quality of life and experiences. The utility of genomic medicine empowers individuals to think differently about differences. We want to use this program in schools to enable a deeper understanding of why differences exists in the community, which can lead to a more accepting and tolerant society.

We aim to give students a greater understanding of how new technologies may inform and impact their own health decisions making and future choices. An understanding of genetic testing at different life stages such as family planning, pre-natal, paediatric, adolescent and adult, and the different reasons for genomic intervention such as diagnostic, preventative, and carrier risk, is essential to developing an awareness of how and why an individual may make decisions on whether to have testing or not.

We believe it is important to deliver balanced education on genomics which will adequately address the pros and cons of using this technology to allow for informed decision making and healthy debate.

Engage students with science: Translation of science to the “real world”.

• Possible Career pathways highlighted
• Upskilling future users of this technology
• Accurate information
• Increasing genetic and genomic literacy levels in the community
• Ethical and social challenges

The program

The program design is based on creativity, interaction, and real time experiential learning.

• Teachers Guide & teacher education sessions
• Creative program with guided activities worksheets and props
• Case Studies with lived experience videos

Walk through genetic and genomic healthcare pathways.

• Learning about the science, individual and familial impact, and career pathways
• Videos, discussion points, props, and activities