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Young people taking positive action for mental health

Posted 24 Apr 2018

Last week, over 200 young people flocked to Atkinson forum at Curtin University to celebrate Youth Week WA 2018 and to learn all about being mentally healthy.

Act-Belong-Commit hosted a Youth Week Brunch on 19 April, with live music, a DJ, free pancakes, and guest speakers – including a guest appearance from Lara Filocamo, AFLW Fremantle Dockers player during the 2018 season, writer and newly appointed ambassador to Act-Belong-Commit.

Lara spoke about her experiences living with bipolar and what helps keep her mentally healthy; “Being a part of a team, writing my book and my nursing job keeps me busy and provides me with a sense of purpose.” These are all consistent with the Act-Belong-Commit mental health promotion message.

The brunch also included guests from Headspace, Youth Focus, Helping Minds, Curtin Volunteering and Curtin Stadium, who all have one common goal – to encourage young people to get involved for their own wellbeing.

Many who attended signed up to attend Act-Belong-Commit Youth Connectors Workshops, which aims to train young people to better support their peers when they are going through a difficult time; “The Youth Connectors Project has trained over 300 young people across Western Australia so far,” said Program Coordinator Darci Miller. “We know that peer to peer training is the best way to support young people as they often go to their friends for help when things are tough.”

Habiba Asim, a trained Youth Connector, spoke at the brunch event about how the program has helped her to better support her friends to boost their mental health and wellbeing. “Act-Belong-Commit is a positive way to talk about mental health which can make it more comfortable for some people.” Miss Asim said. “I encourage everyone to come along to the workshops and learn more about it!”

The event was made possible thanks to a grant from the Department of Communities.