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Shire supports program to boost youth mental health
Posted 7 May 2019
Mentally Healthy WA’s Act-Belong-Commit team is visiting Newman on Thursday 16 May to run a fun and interactive workshop with young people to teach them how they can boost their mental health and that of those around them.
“This is a great opportunity for the young people of our community to actively take steps to protect their mental health with these workshops tailored to the needs of people aged 16-24,” said Shire President Lynne Craigie.
“Our youth are incredibly important to us and to the future of the Shire of East Pilbara, so we are pleased to support this workshop and believe it will be an excellent benefit to the young people in our community,” she added.
Young people aged 16-24 are the most at risk of developing a mental health problem, with one in four young people experiencing a mental illness each year in Australia.
However, according to Darci Miller from Mentally Healthy WA it’s not all bad news, “there are things young people can do to build their resilience and ward off mental health problems” she said.
The ‘Youth Connectors’ workshop is based on the Act-Belong-Commit principles for good mental health, and aims to empower young people to help their peers get involved in mentally healthy activities.
”The idea is that young people who become Connectors will be a local source of information on how to get involved in activities known to boost mental health, like sports, arts and volunteering” Ms Miller added.
“We know that young people are most likely to turn to their friends for support when things aren’t going so well, which is why it’s so important that we upskill young people to support each other and encourage each other to do things to be mentally healthy” said Ms Miller.
Young people are encouraged to get involved in the Act-Belong-Commit Youth Connectors workshop on Thursday 16 May from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Square at the Edge.
If you would like to find out more information about the Youth Connectors workshops or register contact Act-Belong-Commit Youth Connectors Project Coordinator Darci: (08) 9266 9791 or Darci.Miller@curtin.edu.au.
