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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The JNC acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work, the Gadigal and Bidjigal People of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that these lands always were and always will be Aboriginal lands. We celebrate First Nations Peoples’ connection to the land and recognise the importance of Indigenous voices and culture. We would like to advise that there may be images or videos on this website of people who have since passed.

Mental Health Month 2025

07/11/2025 in Uncategorized

This Mental Health Month’s theme was Taking Steps on Your Wellbeing Journey. When it comes to managing our low moods it’s important to remember that they can grow over time, and we can feel down or uninterested in the things happening around us. The topic of mental health can be challenging to open up about, especially for vulnerable people.

To encourage conversations around these feelings in a relaxed and comfortable environment for the communities we work with, we were successful in securing Clubs Grants from Maroubra Seals and Souths Juniors. With this funding, we organised Wellbeing Days at our regular outreach locations with a focus on mindful practices, community conversations around mental health and a shared meal.

Our outreach team is at both Namatjira and South Coogee Public Housing Estates each week, rain, hail, or shine. Through this, they’ve formed trust-first, meaningful, and connected relationships with community members. It’s because of this weekly work that our events are well attended, enjoyable, and relaxed. All staff were well briefed on this year’s theme and provided with toolkits to share with community members to encourage them to take steps on their wellbeing journey.

We were joined at these events by many of our partners, Kingsford Legal Centre, WAYS Youth Services, The Shack Youth Services, Headspace, Bridge Housing, St George Community Housing, HomesNSW and Randwick City Council. This meant we were able to provide safe and comfortable referral pathways or general introductions and information sharing. These services also provided activities for the community to engage with, allowing longer and more informal interaction. Providing the option to participate in arts and crafts during the event created a safe and enjoyable environment.

We were also joined by Aunty Maxine, who ran a weaving workshop, and Community Greening, who ran a gardening workshop. These activities are great mindful practices and provided the community and participants with tools for mindfulness to return home with.

Sitting down and enjoying a community feed is something that many who are socially connected take for granted. In 2017 Oxford University released research identifying that if you eat often with others, you are more likely to feel happy and satisfied with your life. When planning this event we identified a key goal, to provide a family style lunch for community to come together, to talk, to laugh and to be around their neighbours. For many community members, this can be an unaffordable activity and can often be intimidating. Support from Maroubra Seals and South Juniors clubs meant the community was able to share a hearty feed, in a safe and well-known environment. People came together and we saw over 70 people in attendance at each event.

A huge thank you to all our staff, partners, community members, and especially to Maroubra Seals and Souths Juniors. We look forward to our next events.