Who we are and what we do
Mindful Margaret River is a community group of volunteers who undertake local action to support good mental health and wellbeing in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.
Mindful Margaret River works with local services, community groups and individuals to respond to community requests for mental wellbeing training, facilitated discussions in workplaces, awareness raising, and supporting community groups to build their wellbeing literacy. Mindful Margaret River does not provide clinical mental health services to individuals and does not seek to replicate or replace any existing services.
In essence, Mindful Margaret River is a local, sustainable, community response focused on supporting and building social capital in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River
What we have achieved in 2022
Workshops and Training Programs
- Pre-emptive mental health workshop for all year 9s at Margaret River Senior High School.
- Workshop for Shire staff and pre-emptive mental health care.
- Workshop for primary school parents on supporting their kids to transition to high school
- Workshops for parents of teens – Hard Talk Helps
- Workshops for frontline workers, carers, and other community members that support people dealing with mental health – Connecting through Caring workshop
- The delivery of 13 accredited training programs in Margaret River for community members for over 200 people increasing local human capacity to support people with mental health crisis.
- The delivery of facilitated mental wellbeing discussions in seven local workplaces for over 200 community members on when and how to seek mental health support and how to help others (colleagues, family, friends) if they are struggling.
- Training of Shire peer support staff
- Local supports workshop for Shire Rangers Services
Community Based Conversations
- Developed and launched an evidence-based website, that provides accurate local connection and support for our community
- Development of collaborative network of local schools, youth support services, community groups, mental health services to promote and support youth focused programs, peer support, outreach and events in the Shire of AMR.
- Ongoing collaboration with Margaret River Mail to de-stigmatise and humanise mental health issues through regular column with our volunteers as contributors. Over 37 articles (800 words) to date published in the local paper as well as being picked up by the Dunsborough, Busselton, Bunbury news syndicates. The Mail’s editor has reported our articles attract between 1000-3000 readers per post and have become a much loved and sought-after segment in the local paper.
- Delivery of eight RUOK day activities in 2021 and 2022 which involved with over 500 community members.
- Research and development of a perpetrator’s accommodation in conjunction with the Women’s wellbeing team.
Men and Isolated Communities
- Delivery of health and wellbeing program through the peer support and conversations called ‘Listen Up Blokes’ aimed at men that connect through the Men’s sheds, Rotary club, Lions Clubs and other local community-based men’s groups.
- Workshops for frontline workers, carers, and other community members that support people dealing with mental health in Connecting through Caring workshop.
- The delivery of two ‘Blokes Nights’ in Margaret River in 2022 which involved over 80 local men in mental wellbeing discussions in a community setting ranging age from 20s-70s.
- Domestic violence and local supports workshop for ESL (English Second Language) students at the MR TAFE.
- Information provision to Rangers Services in dealing with homeless or isolated community members living rough in our Shire
Youth
- Participation by our volunteers in the Margaret River Senior High School Big 10 Day – November 2021 and 2022 (2000 students participating).
- Workshops for parents of teens in collaboration with the Margaret River High School
- Workshop for parents of primary aged school children transitioning to high school
- Development of collaborative network of local schools, youth support services, community groups, mental health services to promote and support youth focused programs, peer support, outreach and events in the Shire of AMR.
- safeTALK training to all staff at the Margaret River Montessori school.
Women’s Well-being
- Initiated and supported the arrival of a perinatal mental health support group to start Margaret River- Radiance
- Supported local community members to explore and test the set up and development of a local peer support group for women who have experienced family domestic abuse.
- Carrying out a feasibility study with a view to establishing a major project to provide perpetrators accommodation in the Augusta Margaret River Shire.
- Developing a local collaboration to increase the chances of victims and perpetrators of FDV to engage in behaviour change programs as well as minimising the risk of homelessness for women and children in our Shire.