5 October 2022
The Mind Australia-managed headspace services in Greensborough and Plenty Valley encouraged young people to slow down and take time to prioritise their mental health at their recent National headspace Day celebration.
The headspace services partnered with Banyule Council to host an event for young people at the Oz Tenpin Greensborough Lanes to mark National headspace Day – an annual day of awareness about the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
Young people connected with each other over games and a meal, had the opportunity to chat with qualified mental health practitioners and learn about the mental health support services available to them.
Young participants also took part in an activity created by members of headspace Greensborough and Plenty Valley’s Youth Reference Group.
The Creating Connections cards feature images designed by young people that attend the service and were developed to help young people start conversations with others. The Creating Connections cards will be available to download from the centre’s website.
“It was a pleasure to offer young people an opportunity to connect with others for headspace day,” headspace Greensborough and Plenty Valley Service Manager Kelly Bougioukos said.
“Our young people showed us that fun activities with social connection are very important and it was a great way for us to show young people we are there for them.”
headspace services are designed to be inclusive and allow for young people to seek support for challenges related to their mental and physical health, work, school or study, alcohol and other drugs, and gender or sexuality.
The Mind-managed headspace services in Greensborough and Plenty Valley have supported more than 4,500 young people since 2016.
Young people who accessed these services sought advice on a number of issues including: feeling sad or depressed, feeling anxious, or because they were experiencing problems with family and social relationships.
Mind Australia CEO Gill Callister said headspace services have played an important role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing needs of young Australians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These services have become a valuable resource in the north east Melbourne region; helping not just young people but their families and friends,” Ms Callister said.
“The pandemic has exacerbated all the existing mental health stressors that young people face, so the provision of our services at headspace has never been more important for this community. The rapid and imaginative deployment of telehealth services has been especially vital in providing support at this time.
“We are proud of the contribution we have been able to make to the lives of young people in this region and look forward to continuing to provide young people with the mental health and wellbeing supports they need in the years to come.”
About headspace Greensborough and Plenty Valley
headspace is a one-stop shop where young people and their families can access clinical and social support.
Headspace offers information, advice and support on: mental health and wellbeing; general health; alcohol and other drugs; education, employment and other services. Mind manages the Plenty Valley and Greensborough headspace centres.
To learn more about Mind Australia support services near you contact Mind Connect on 1300 286 463.
If this article raises concerns for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders can also call 13 YARN (13 92 76) a 24/7 national crisis support telephone service staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
