Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network (SSPAN) and Firefly Bay & Basin received a COVID-19 recovery grant to provide community training and resilience.
Working together, Firefly Bay & Basin and SSPAN have designed a three-pronged program around resilience. The grant will provide funds to support SSPAN to foster community connection, mental wellbeing, healing, and recovery and empower members of the community to support family and friends in crisis.
SSPAN will hold conversations around suicide and deliver anxiety seminars for parents and teachers of primary school children experiencing wellbeing challenges.
Firefly will deliver the DRUMBEAT program to parents and carers of young people experiencing anxiety with the goal of improving family experiences.
Small Steps will provide parents and teachers with valuable skills to support our young people.
SSPAN have engaged Julie Leitch from WayAhead Mental Health Association of NSW to deliver 4 Small Steps seminars to Bay and Basin parents of primary school students and teachers. Firefly will work closely with 8 local schools and P&Cs to ensure the seminars are promoted and reach as many families and teachers as possible.
This is a brilliant opportunity in a regional area to have professional support in this way, not something you would get access to normally outside of the city.
Carolyn, Firefly Coordinator
The Small Steps seminar covers signs and symptoms of anxiety, different types of anxiety disorders and how they present, evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders, referral and treatment options, stressors including COVID-19, and natural disasters. For more information visit http://understandinganxiety.wayahead.org.au/small-steps/
DRUMBEAT is a fun and engaging way to support parents and carers with children experiencing anxiety
DRUMBEAT sessions are for parents and carers of children experiencing anxiety and will help them better manage the wellbeing of our young people. The sessions commence on 24 February and will support parents and carers who are feeling isolated in caring for young people in their return to school and will enable them to share their concerns, explore solutions, and increase communication and connection skills.
The program will run for 10 weeks and the use of WDOs is supported. This program is delivered by trained community volunteers in association with Firefly Bay & Basin. To learn more, visit https://holyoake.org.au/drumbeat/about-us/
Conversations about suicide
As part of the Shoalhaven City Council recovery grant, SSPAN will be delivering 6 discreet sessions for adults to learn practical skills and acquire knowledge to support someone in crisis. The course is evidence-based and fully accredited through Mental Health First Aid.
The course is delivered in 4 hours for those people unable to attend a full two-day course and will be held in various locations around the Bay and Basin.
If you wish to run a conversation or host one at a workplace or local venue, please reach out to the team.
Firefly Bay & Basin and Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention Network are gratefully supported under the Shoalhaven City Council Community Grants COVID-19 recovery stream to deliver this project
If you are interested in any further information on this project contact Christine on 0401 777 342 or wendi.hobbs@health.nsw.gov.au
Following enthusiastic community requests, our annual Come Try Me Day is back! See you on Saturday 12 March 2022
Young people, find your spark with the Free ChangeMakers program sponsored by Uniting.
