This issue
Many schools across Australia
are taking advantage of MindMatters PD and support to improve mental health and
wellbeing for their students and school community. Schools are reporting
significant outcomes through embracing the MindMatters whole school approach. Some of these
reported outcomes include; improved staff knowledge and understanding of mental
health, increased early referral of students at
risk of mental health issues by staff improvements in academic achievements,
improvements in referral pathways, increased student levels of resilience,
improved post-vention approaches. More student
and school outcomes will be shared at the next National MindMatters Recognition event in December
this year. The Hon Minister Mark Butler, Minister for Mental Health, will be presenting awards at this high profile event.
Professional Learning
The first MindMatters webinar
was held on August 11, 2011 - Whole Student Approach. It was facilitated by our QLD Project Officer, Jane Taylor and proved to be a successful method of delivering PD.
There are plans for further trials of such webinars. Click on the PDF below, to view the feedback graphs from participants. ** Resource id_90924906428903834705:Graphs.pdf not found in tag {resource id_90924906428903834705:Graphs.pdf} **
Suicide prevention
MindMatters has played a role in providing evidence to
parliamentary committees and contributed to other forums regarding the ongoing
role of MindMatters in suicide prevention. Eg The House of Representatives Standing Committee
report-July 2011 titled Before Its Too
Late, Lifeline on-line article, Suicide Prevention Australia position paper, Medical Observer,
Discussion Paper for the Inquiry into Early Intervention Aimed at Preventing
Youth Suicide Dec 2010.
Key CollaborationPrograms MindMatters is working at the national level with;- Inspire Foundation and ReachOut
- Black Dog Institute and HeadStrong
- Beyond blue and SenseAbility
to map and align resource development, professional development and ensure common and up to date information is provided to schools. The MindMatters framework is being used as the organiser to demonstrate where each resource and initiative fits within a whole school approach. Issues MindMatters was invited to provide comment on the topic of suicide prevention in schools by L.I.F.E. (Living is For Everyone.) You can read the article and comments hereService Providers MindMatters continues to value relationships with service providers and other experts in the mental health filed across all states and territories e.g.headspace, CAMHS, School Link, COPMI etc.
Student Empowerment National Update
Young people are
leading the way across Australia in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing
in their school communities
Taking action with young people leading mental health
promotion and prevention doesn't always look the same and this has been very
clear over the last 3 months with many highlights.
Students from Staughton College in Victoria joined with
MindMatters Youth Empowerment Facilitators to present a 2 day student led Youth
Empowerment Workshop to 4 schools in July. It was a wonderful experience for
all involved with learning for those facilitating and participating
click to read more Schools participated in the Taking Action workshop where they used data to determine where they would focus their energy. After having a chance to practice facilitating activities, students had a clear plan as to how they were going to promote positive mental health in their communities.
All of these schools are well on the way to MindMatters recognition as a result
of participating in the Youth Empowerment Process Implementation sequence of a
Level Two Planning Workshop, Student Empowerment Focus Module, Youth
Empowerment Process Workshop and Taking Action. Can't wait to hear what has
happened as a result. Well done to all students and staff who
participated.
Across the other side of the country students from Mount
Barker Community College facilitated a YEP workshop for students from North
Albany and Katanning High Schools. It was a great couple of days with Katanning
following up with a visit to Mount Barker for their wellbeing day. It's very
positive to have schools who have been participating in the process for
sometime supporting and mentoring schools beginning the process. Katanning Senior High School will
be participating in the Taking Action workshop soon to continue planning for
what students and staff are going to do together to lead mental health
promotion in their school community.
Partnership work in
South Australia
Work continues in a number of
regions as part of the roll out of the Youth Empowerment Process in
partnership with Centre for Health Promotion, SA Health through headroom.
Nazareth and MaryMount Catholic schools who are well on their way to
MindMatters Recognition have continued their journey of empowering young people
being involved in a YEP workshop. Seaton High School have been busy Taking
Action and Bowden Brompton Community School have been using the work they
started last year to engage students in mental health promotion activities as
part of teaching and learning. Nuriootpa
and Kapunda High Schools in the Barossa Valley have started the process with
the Student Empowerment module completed and dates being planned for a YEP workshop.
It is fabulous to also have a number of students being able to provide feedback
to the Centre for Health Promotion on some new draft headroom pamphlets as part
of the partnership with them, and we look forward to more opportunities to work
together in the future.
Opportunity to speak
with Minister Butler
The Inspire Foundation recently held an online forum with
the Federal Minister for Mental Health, the Hon. Mark Butler. This was a fabulous
opportunity for young people to be able to log on and speak with the Minister
about particular issues around mental health that concern young people today.
It was awesome to see a number of MindMatters Youth Presenters logged in and
also current students from schools around Australia who have been part of the
YEP process in their schools.
Thanks to Inspire we were also able to have two of our youth
facilitators meet face to face with other young people from Inspire to talk in
detail about some of the issues that young people are dealing with, but also
about the work that MindMatters already does to promote positive mental health
and wellbeing. Well done to Gemma Frampton and Dayne Spencer on representing MindMatters on the
evening. Strong interest
The regional
approach and pre-commitment of principals and leaders from schools in the Youth Empowerment Process is proving to be very successful. It is becoming a significant entry
point to a whole school approach. Most states and territories have
engaged in this process in some way. In fact, MindMatters staff cannot keep up with demand. We are exploring ways to meet this growing
demand. We are in the early stages of planning a national schools youth mental
health and suicide prevention symposium with several partners.
Would you like to be involved in the Youth Empowerment
Process?
Would you like to have young people leading mental health
promotion at your school?
If so contact your local state or territory project officer
or email Cathy Venning, MindMatters National Project Officer cathy.venning@pa.edu.au to find out
more
Aaron Ken has left Principals Australia to make use of
the knowledge and skills he has developed over the last 5 years with
MindMatters, to work with SHineSA. We wish him every success. We welcome Mr Simon Fewings to the role of Community Partnerships Officer at MindMatters.
Simon Fewings was born in Adelaide and is a proud Koori Man. He
has family connections in New South Wales and Queensland. Simon resides
in Mildura, Victoria with his partner and four children
click to read more Simon
worked at TAFE as Department Manager, Program Coordinator, Teacher,
Liaison Officer and Support Officer. He has also worked with a local
service provider to develop and implement programs and at Principals
Australia on the Dare to Lead project. At Dare to Lead Simon developed
and delivered Professional Development for school leadership, and
engaged school leaders in projects that aim to improve outcomes for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, delivering some dramatic
improvements. Simon is very
active in his community playing Rugby League, sponsoring Touch Football
Teams and leading trips away. Simon is also an elected community
representative to the state government on education and the president of
the board of management for a local Koori Community organisation.
Since Simon has started his new role, he
has focused on developing his understanding of MindMatters as a framework,
familiarising himself with the Communities do Matter module and learning about
the Indigenous projects in Armidale, Tamworth and Central Australia. This has already involved travelling and meeting some interesting people. Highlights have included;
meeting Garry Creighton from the Yaamanhaa Men's Group while he was visiting Adelaide; learning of
MindMatters work in Central Australia from Vanessa Houltby; and delivering professional
learning with Annette Bulling in Port Lincoln. Moving towards the end of the year, Simon
is looking forward to being involved in all planned Communities do Matter Focus
modules and attending the Australian Indigenous Education Conference in Darwin
in November.
All states and territories have accessed Communities Do Matter training.
Of special interest recently is the significant work occurring in three
remote communities in Central Australia. This involves Anangu youth
workers and Education workers leading mental health promotion and
suicide prevention in their own communities - in language - in a
sustainable way.
Feeling Deadly not Shame 2011 For
further information on these and other MindMatters Community
Partnership workshops, contact Robyn Hearl, National Resource Development Officer 08 8394 2116 or at robyn.hearl@pa.edu.au or visit the website
Hunter New England Mental Health Hunter New England health has received funding to run a randomised control trial based on MindMatters in the Hunter area. This is a 4 year trial and builds upon a pilot study in the same region that showed promising results of a resilience based whole school approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing in relation to reduction of alcohol and marijuana use and other health risk behaviours. This will add to the significant evaluation already conducted on the MindMatters initiative over the years.
Youth Health 2011, Sydney, Nov 9-11, 2011 | The 8th Australian and New
Zealand Adolescent Health Conference, 3rd IAAH Asia Pacific Conference
Find out more here!
3rd Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium Find out more and register here Want to be a MindMatters school? The MindMatters Recognition Process is designed to acknowledge schools and school leaders who are working in focussed and strategic ways to improve student mental health and learning outcomes using the MindMatters framework. In November 2010 sixteen schools were recognised as MindMatters schools. Details of the event and the schools involved are available on the website
HAPPINESS & ITS CAUSES 2012 
It will run 1 & 2 March 2012 at Sydney Town Hall, a little earlier in the year than usual.
We are delighted to have Dr Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology and Professor Peter Singer, renowned philosopher and ethicist already confirmed for next year!
Previous MindMatters E-Newsletter links
| 
