Council has secured a small grant from Barwon Health to run activities in the Shire during Mental Health Week 2018 (7-13 October).
For the first time, this year’s event will form part of Victoria’s inaugural Mental Health Month with the aim of bringing the community together for the cause of 'better mental health for all.'
This year’s theme for Mental Health Week in Victoria is ‘Youth Mental Health’, so our Youth Development team will work with secondary school students at Bannockburn P-12 College and run a full-day mental health program involving mindfulness workshops, mental health first aid training and physical activity sessions.
We seek to promote mental wellness, reduce the stigma around mental health struggles and raise awareness of early warning signs because mental health in young people is major concern in Australia. Youth Beyond Blue reports that:
- One in seven young Australians experience a mental health condition
- Around one in 35 young Australians aged 4-17 experience a depressive disorder
- One in fourteen young Australians (6.9%) aged 4-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2015.
Council is extremely grateful to Barwon Health for supporting Council to offer this program to local young people.
For more information, please contact Council on 5220 7111 and ask to speak with Mark in the Youth team.