August 2022

It’s amazing that in only a few months a number of things have been occurring for us at One Door. Our Schizophrenia Awareness Week in May was a great success! I’d like to extend my thanks to all the speakers, who informed and educated us on topics such as 'Peer Facilitated Self-Management', 'Mental Health Education for Primary Healthcare Professionals', and 'How Can We Advocate to Government?' There are links below to catch up on the recordings if you couldn’t be there in person. I'm already looking forward to next year!

I've been touched by hearing the stories of people impacted by the natural disasters that occurred around NSW and the impact of loneliness in these communities. This comes on top of the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on people’s mental health - many of us are worn; many of us are struggling. One Door seeks to make a difference beyond our services – a mission that speaks from not only my heart, but the Board and staff of One Door. I believe we all have a role in supporting our neighbours and those that we don’t know in our community, as well as our friends and relatives. This is why One Door has supported two wonderful initiatives with a purpose to make a difference in these impacted communities.

The first initiative we recently supported is up in Murwillumbah which has been greatly affected by the floods. We are getting behind Deep Listeners (https://deeplisteners.org/) in the establishment of the Recovery Conversations’ Café. Deep Listeners is about enabling conversations to build connection within communities. They have been training community members and will be hosting a Recovery Conversations’ Café. I look forward to sharing more into the future on the impact of this project.

The other initiative One Door will be piloting soon will be Community Circles Australia (https://communitycirclesaustralia.com.au/). While I was on sabbatical leave earlier this year, I had the opportunity to volunteer with Community Circles Australia. A Community Circle brings people together to help an individual to live a more connected life and supports them to do what matters to them. We see the establishment of Community Circles going beyond our funded services to build capacity into the community in supporting people impacted by mental illness. I look forward to our organisation working with Meredith Coote from Community Circles Australia and watching the impact that this initiative can have in our community.

I’m also excited to announce that our Wellness Walk (wellnesswalk.org.au) is coming up in the week between Monday 3 October and Sunday 9 October 2022. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Wellness Walk and we will be returning to our iconic walk from Government House and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday 9 October. One Door also invites our communities across Australia to walk or run anytime, anywhere during that week to raise awareness for people living with mental health concerns. Please join me either in your own community or on the day!

Until next month!
Kathi