Mountain Writers Festival – Australia’s inaugural writers’ festival dedicated solely to the environment, themed ‘Place. Story. Nature.’ Produced by Macedon Ranges Literary Association Inc. (MARLA), a local volunteer-run not-for-profit organisation, the Mountain Writers Festival is set to be the Woodstock of the…
Image: 19-year old Aleuca Angel, R U OK? A new campaign aims to open-up conversations among young people, in light of new survey made up of over 1,000 young Australians across metro and regional areas of the country. In 2022 the organisation reached out to leading youth research organisation, Youth Insight to help gather a better understanding of how to best support young Australians. The survey consisted of even numbers of male, female and included non-binary participants. Young people aged between 12 and 25 are overrepresented in suicide statistics. In 2011, death by suicide represented 34% of all deaths of…
Linkmate is a start-up founded by David Titeu and run by a team of innovators working to positively impact the lives of people experiencing loneliness and mental health challenges. David had his first battle with mental health in 2017, and arising out of this challenging experience was the idea for Linkmate, a social network to support those in the community experiencing challenging times. “Throughout my journey as a student at uni and navigating the jump into the workforce, I was met with a lot of family related issues, loneliness and addiction and it was difficult to find someone close to…
Living with mentally ill health impacts the lives of individuals and their families. BEING – Mental Health Consumers, an independent, NSW peak organisation working with and for people with lived/living experience of mental health issues and emotional distress has been tackling this issue for 30 years. BEING has been forging systemic change for people living with mentally ill health and has pioneered achievements to ensure the voices of people with mental health issues are heard by policy makers and the community. BEING celebrated these achievements at their 30th anniversary at the NSW parliament house on 9 November 2022, with a number…
Mountain Writers Festival – Australia’s inaugural writers’ festival dedicated solely to the environment, themed ‘Place. Story. Nature.’ Produced by Macedon Ranges Literary Association Inc. (MARLA), a local volunteer-run not-for-profit organisation, the Mountain Writers Festival is set to be the Woodstock of the environmental movement in Australia, showcasing massive talent this November 4-6th held on Wurundjeri Country. MARLA is committed to our environment, the arts and building community resilience, so it is no wonder that this festival is set to combine all of the above. In an ode to environmental responsibility, the festival has committed to banning single-use plastics, printed flyers,…
Kathrine Peereboom is a world-leading disability and vulnerable persons advocate and founder of Spectrum Support. Spectrum Support provides education and training to law enforcement and first responders across the country. Her work has attracted global awards for her extraordinary achievements. “Juggling motherhood with three special needs children and being a busy entrepreneur is certainly challenging but very rewarding,” Ms Peereboom said. “I was an established corporate professional before meeting my husband and becoming a mum. “Motherhood is something I always dreamed of and we have three amazing boys who certainly keep us on our toes. “When we discovered our boys’…
The Leukaemia Foundation has re-affirmed its commitment to stand with and support First Nations Australians impacted by blood cancer. Leukaemia Foundation CEO Chris Tanti said this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!” aligned with the organisation’s own commitment to stand with Australians living with blood cancer, and particularly populations who are presently underserved, including First Nations Australians. “Many First Nations Australians face barriers to accessing treatment and support,” Mr Tanti said. “We know that First Nations patients are less likely to engage with the health system than non-Indigenous populations. “For example, First Nations Australians are 40…
THE hawksbill turtle conservation project Surrender Your Shell, which urged Australians to hand in their tortoiseshell products, has been a success with 328 items donated to help end the illegal trade. The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, Royal Caribbean Group and Australian Museum Research Institute joined forces on this ground-breaking project, with the results revealed in a new report launched today on World Sea Turtle Day, 16 June. “Surrender Your Shell has demonstrated that DNA testing of large numbers of tortoiseshell products could help authorities to track and dismantle this reprehensible illegal trade,” Christine Madden Hof, WWF’s Global Marine Turtle Conservation Lead, said. Hawksbills are listed as…
With most Australians still unaware blood donations are largely used to support cancer patients, The Leukaemia Foundation is marking this National Blood Donor Week (13-19 June) and today’s World Blood Donor Day (14 June) by calling on the national community to roll up their sleeves and donate. New research from LifeBlood has revealed that despite three-quarters (76 per cent) of Australians knowing someone with cancer, close to the same number of people (77 per cent) are also unaware that cancer treatment uses a third of all donated blood products2. The research also found that nearly half (41.2%) of those surveyed…
WHILE Melbourne’s primary health care system provides patients with quality services, these services can be difficult to access for those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, a report has found. A key finding of the 2021 report, Bridging the Health Gap, released by the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), is that the Western medical model is not culturally responsive to the primary care needs of Melbourne’s diverse community. The use of interpreters is inconsistent and underutilised, and a lack of translated materials or culturally trained advisors, makes it difficult for people from culturally diverse backgrounds to navigate the…
This month, Share the Dignity is running their March Dignity Drive with an ambitious aim of collecting 500,000 period products to help those experiencing period poverty. Donations can be made at registered collection points that are then distributed across the country through various charities. Share the Dignity founder and managing director Rochelle Courtenay said the need to address period poverty is greater now more than ever. “You look at the financial strain and you look at these major floods that have happened in two of our largest states,” she said. “Before COVID there were 3.2 million Australians who live below…
