The City of Kwinana is the latest South Metropolitan local government to sign an agreement with Mentally Healthy WA to become an Act Belong Commit Site Partner, pledging to use the preventative mental health message to support the mental health and wellbeing of Kwinana residents.
The new partnership means all nine local governments serviced by the South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) are now Act Belong Commit partners – making the south metropolitan the very first health service catchment where all local governments are aligned to this recognised mental health campaign.
City of Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams said the city’s Act Belong Commit partnership showed its commitment to helping Kwinana residents protect and improve their mental health and wellbeing.
“As in every community, a significant number of people in Kwinana struggle with their mental health.
“The message of Act Belong Commit is that there are things we can all do that help protect and improve our mental wellbeing such as staying active, staying connected with other people, and finding something meaningful to do in our lives,” Mayor Adams said.
“As a city we will share this evidence-based message with our residents and look for ways to make it easier for them to put the message into practise in their lives.”
SMHS manager health promotion and community development Richard Crane said it was wonderful to see the commitment of South Metropolitan local governments to the mental health and wellbeing of their residents.
“Local governments have a vital role to play in creating environments that support mental wellbeing,” Mr Crane said.
He said that a growing number of local governments now included Act Belong Commit in their public health plans.
Act Belong Commit campaign manager Meg Clarey said local governments had the ability to bring people together and build community connectedness, as well as provide opportunities for people to be active.
“They can also provide meaningful activities for people to get involved in, such as community volunteering,” she said.
On 18 October, representatives from all nine local governments came together for a forum hosted by the City of Kwinana and organised by SMHS and Mentally Healthy WA.
The forum explored ways in which the message of Act Belong Commit could be promoted and brought to life in the communities these local governments service.
