Greetings,
At the last Church Council meeting Peta led devotions and as part of this raised the issue of mental health being something of great concern for many young people. Since then I have been doing some more reading. While mental health issues are not confined to young people, approximately one in three people aged between 15 and 19 are deeply concerned about it.
Each year Mission Australia, through the Australia’s largest annual youth survey, ask young people aged 15 – 19 about their values, aspirations and concerns. In 2018, its 17th year, there were 28,286 young people who participated in the survey. The survey found that 30.9% of young people were extremely concerned or very concerned about mental health.
Groups like Headspace have identified that more than 75% of mental health issues develop before a person is 25. For this reason, they aim to provide tailored and holistic mental health support to 12–25 year olds, focusing on early intervention. It is frightening to read that they have provided over 2 million occasions of service while helping thousands of young people in Australia.
So how can we be part of the solution to this problem? We can raise awareness of issues, share stories and help remove the stigma often associated with mental illness. Let’s Chalk About Mental Health is an event which aims to promote all of these things. It will be held on Saturday 31 August at The Hub, 20 Westfield Drive, Doncaster, in conjunction with Manningham Uniting Church.
“After losing my mother to suicide at the start of this year, mental health awareness has been an interest for me.”
These are the words of Catia, a young woman who is one of the people behind the Let’s Chalk About Mental Health event.
If you want to know more, please pick up a flyer from the table inside the door. Let’s work hard to make a positive difference in our community by making it a place where people feel safe and welcome.

Blessings – Rev Heather.