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Queensland Mental Health Week 2018 image by St Andrew's Catholic College Cairns. |
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Hi everyone and welcome to Queensland Mental Health Week: a week for Queenslanders to come together to put mental health and wellbeing front and centre. There are many events up and down and across the state this week—285 at last count—which promote positive mental health and wellbeing, help create understanding, and celebrate the lives of people living with mental illness. I encourage you to take part in any way you can to celebrate our collective resilience and strength.
On Sunday I joined a swell of people in the Walk for Awareness along the Brisbane River. This week I’m attending a number of events: presenting a keynote address to Child and Youth Mental Health Service on achieving balance for individuals, communities and workplaces; heading to Toowoomba for an immersive gathering of thinkers and authors at Unleash the Beast—all intent on propagating the conversation on mental health and welling. The line-up of speakers for this event is impressive. There’s the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition running all week, and I’ll also be attending the Brisbane Mental Health Expo: a promotion of mental health programs, services and organisations, and the Breaking Free Mental Health Concert. Finally, I’ll put my walking shoes on again for the Canefields Clubhouse Walk for Wellness to close out the week—knowing full well that taking time for exercise is crucial for my own wellbeing.
There are so many people involved in making Queensland Mental Health Week a success. It speaks to the commitment of those intent on improving the lives of Queenslanders. While I acknowledge many Queenslanders will experience mental health challenges at some point in their lives, it’s crucial we continue to focus on the positives. Thank you especially to our partners, MIFQ and CheckUp who have coordinated the week on behalf of the sector, Queensland Alliance for Mental Health for administering the Community Event Grants, and Open Minds for coordinating the Queensland Mental Health Week Achievement Awards, which will be announced on Friday morning.
Read our media release, suggesting the mental health and wellbeing of Queenslanders is a more important measure of our State’s success than wealth. |
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Finally, I’d like to thank Jessica Martin for her valuable contribution to the work of the Commission as Executive Director. Jess has moved to Sydney and taken up a role with the National Mental Health Commission. We wish her all the best in this next chapter of her career.
I’d like to warmly welcome Dr Leanne Geppert, who has taken on the role of Executive Director at the Commission. Leanne has more than 20 years’ experience in mental health where she has held a range of senior positions in service delivery, policy, planning and HHS service management, most recently as Executive Director, Mental Health and Specialised Services, West Moreton HHS.
As always, and especially this Mental Health Week, take care of each other.
Ivan Frkovic
Queensland Mental Health Commissioner |
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Commission staff among the Walk for Awareness crowds at the Story Bridge starting point.
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We’re pleased to announce our new Better Futures Grants Program will be open for applications from 1 November.
This program will offer grants of up to $200,000 for innovative initiatives that improve the mental health and wellbeing and social inclusion of Queenslanders with a lived experience of mental illness, problematic alcohol and other drug use, or those impacted by suicide. As well as providing successful recipients with more funds to implement their initiatives, the grants program will allow organisations more time—up to two years—to develop, implement and evaluate the initiatives.
The 2018 Better Futures grants will focus on employment and housing initiatives.
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Find out more >> |
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Introducing Eating Disorders Queensland (EDQ), a merger of the Eating Issues Centre and Eating Disorders Association. EDQ is now the largest community service in Queensland for the support and treatment of people living with and recovering from eating disorders, their carers and loved ones.
Funded by Queensland Health, EDQ will provide integrated, statewide eating disorder support services. |
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Pictured at the launch of Eating Disorders Queensland are Nikita Trott; Kris Trott, CEO Queensland Alliance; Belinda Chelius, General Manager, The Eating Issues Centre; and Dr Leanne Geppert, Executive Director, QMHC.
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A landmark book sets a new global standard for recognising the importance of peer work in mental health and the growing professionalism of this workforce. Authored by two of Australia’s leading community mental health support agencies, Mind Australia Limited and Flourish Australia, Peer Work in Australia – a new future for mental health brings together peer leaders and policy insight.
This book covers Australia’s pioneering role in peer work over the past 20 years, and offers strategies and suggestions for building lived experience and peer work into the workforce an organisation. Peer work is ultimately about people drawing on their own depths of empathy and understanding and the book argues for more organisations to lead the way by prioritising and strengthening recruitment, training, support and professional development of the peer workforce.
The Commission supported mental health advocate, Michael Burge to attend the launch of the book at Parliament House, Canberra last month.
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More information >> |
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Reducing stigma around AOD
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Free training workshops for health professionals on stigma, discrimination and injecting drug use are running in nine locations across Queensland.
Each workshop aims to support improved health outcomes for people who inject drugs and increase the quality of engagement between the person and health care service providers.
These evidence-based workshops are funded by the Commission, developed by the Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) and run by Queensland Injectors Network (QuIHN).
To book or for questions, email Niki Parry at QuIHN. |
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Strengthening mental health and wellbeing
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Queensland Mental Health Week is here!
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Queensland Mental Health Week Achievement Awards |
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Congratulations to the 30 finalists shortlisted for the 2018 Queensland Mental Health Week Achievement Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate individuals, groups and organisations working to reduce stigma and support and empower those living with mental illness. This year, two new award categories were added: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award and LGBTI Award. A record number of nominations were received this year. The winners will be announced at a ceremony this Friday (12 October).
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Meet the finalists >> |
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Recovered Futures Art Exhibition |
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Get along to the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition, a celebration of Queensland art by artists with a lived experience of mental illness. It is running all week until 12 October in King George Square, Brisbane as part of Queensland Mental Health Week celebrations.
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More here >> |
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Dr Leanne Geppert, Executive Director QMHC (left), with Kingsley Bedwell, CEO, Richmond Fellowship and some of the artists at the Friday media launch of the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition. |
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Closing out Queensland Mental Health Week is the Canefields Clubhouse Walk for Wellness at the picturesque Berrinba Sanctuary, in Logan, south of Brisbane. This 5km nature circuit is designed to create a conversation around mental wellness.
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Register now >> |
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Developing mental health leaders
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We are delighted to be hosting six participants in the Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship Program, designed to develop and support emerging leaders with a passion and commitment to mental health. From September through to November, this group, selected from more than 200 applicants, will take part in university workshops, leadership shadowing, diagnostic feedback on their own styles and strengths, and group work.
Special thanks to partners Roses in the Ocean, Neami (Nundah House), Brisbane North PHN, Queensland Alliance, Queensland Health’s Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch, Brook RED, Metro South HHS MHAOD service (Gabrielle Vilic), QNADA, and Tony Coggins who collectively are working to nurture the potential of these emerging leaders and show them the exciting and innovative work happening in Queensland.
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Learn more about these emerging leaders >> |
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This week we welcome Trina Cummins, Inaugural Director of Wellbeing and Counselling at Wilderness School in South Australia and Taylor Johnstone, Youth mental health ambassador with lived experience from Victoria, pictured with Commissioner Ivan Frkovic.
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Congratulations to Jan Kealton, former Deputy Chair of the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council, who received her award as Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia at a ceremony at Government House last month.
Jan’s significant service to community health as an advocate for people with a mental illness and their carers and families was recognised in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
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Sponsorships
Looking to extend the reach of your mental health, drug or alcohol awareness event, conference or project? Sponsorships up to $10 000 are available. Current round closes 30 November. |
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Sector grants
The Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) publishes a comprehensive list of sector grants.
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Events
Check out the latest major sector events, hosted by the Commission and partner organisations. |
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