Mosman Council Youth Services have been working to improve mental health outcomes for young people in Mosman through innovative programs in response to increasing mental health concerns as a result of COVID-19, and a major consultation conducted in 2020-2021.
Over 300 local young people participated in the consultation which highlighted mental health as the highest concern for local youth, initiating a more targeted approach to preventative activities that aim to foster resilience, improve social connection and wellbeing.
The team has aligned a variety of programs that already existed within the service and initiated several new programs which aim to improve resilience, connection and wellbeing. New programs include Aunty Time with local indigenous organisation the Gaimaragal Group, utilising First Nations perspectives to challenge toxic cultural ideas and stereotypes and provide a space for young people to share stories and open discussion to support wellbeing and foster resilience. The program was previously piloted in June 2022 and will return due to popular demand, including an Ochre ceremony, wellness weaving and rock art symbol painting to create a welcoming space to talk through issues in a supportive environment.
A Year 12 and Beyond program is also being delivered to support students commencing the HSC year, in partnership with Phoenix House Youth Services and PeerLink EnactusMQ. The program will work through topics to support challenges for the incoming Year 12 cohort including workshops on Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle Balance, Resilience Building, Navigating Relationships and Pathways Post-HSC.
Existing programs such as the Green Thumbs youth volunteer gardeners, and the Dungeons and Dragons social group have also been aligned to improved mental health outcomes for participants with programs measuring impact in the areas of social connection, wellbeing and inclusion, with significant levels of improvement being measured across these domains for participants since the start of the year.
The 2020-21 youth consultation also identified a need for a greater understanding and upskilling of the community that support young people on a day-to-day basis through targeted training delivered to youth supports (such as teachers), parents, and community stakeholders such as sporting coaches and youth pastors, and the team has commenced a mapping process to identify community members best placed to undertake Youth Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention training.
For more information about Mosman Youth Services or if you would like to read the consultation report, visit mosmanyouth.com.au
