It’s Mental Health Awareness Week from 6-12 October 2014 and World Mental Health Awareness Day on October 10th. Seeing as every week is Mental-Health Awareness Week at Engage Aotearoa, now seems like a good time to give everyone an update about what’s on the horizons here.
Recovery Notes: Recovery Notes is a new series of blog articles by people with lived experience of recovery highlighting the lessons they have learned about or from their experiences. The CMHRT board of trustees are in progress with writing contributions that share the lessons they have learned from their journeys and the first one is out today. If you would like to try your hand at writing a Recovery Notes blog article, submissions are welcome from anyone with lived experience of recovery or being a supporter. Click here to read the Recovery Notes Writing Guidelines first.
Upgrading The Community Resources Directory: Engage Aotearoa went to a LifeHack Weekend earlier this year and got some help to get started with upgrading The Community Resources Directory so you can create a customised directory filled with the services for your region. The web-app is still in development and the volunteer directory editor, Cath, is continuing to add new services to the directory as we work on creating a truly nation-wide resource. You might notice the downloadable document got shorter recently – the team made the font smaller, to fit more on each page, so there’s actually more information listed than there was before. Don’t forget to keep sending your directory additions to Cath by emailing directory@engagenz.co.nz
One Year Anniversary of The Butterfly Diaries Vol 1: It has been one year since the launch of The Butterfly Diaries and the team has distributed over 700 books from Kaitaia to Invercargill and everywhere in between. Copies have been ordered by teenagers for themselves and their friends, worried family members, schools, counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, GP doctors, corrections facilities and universities. With no promotional budget and no funding outside of community donations, the team at Engage Aotearoa are pleasantly surprised that so many copies have already found wings. You can help raise awareness of the books by printing and placing a poster somewhere public or sharing one of the book reviews on social media (find them here and here).
The Butterfly Diaries Vol. 2: Engage Aotearoa continues to work on The Butterfly Diaries Volume 2 and it’s very close to publication. Volume 2 shares the stories of Jane and Tess. Jane has a history of difficult family relationships and intense emotions. Tess has a history of childhood trauma, domestic violence and dissociative identity disorder (often known as multiple personalities). Written by Genevieve McClean and Maureen Irvine, Between the Sun and the Moon, and Rebuilding Camelot tell two true stories of surviving the hardest parts of humanity and finding a way to thrive despite it all. Engage Aotearoa needs your help to publish The Butterfly Diaries Volume 2 and keep Volume 1 in print. Make a tax-deductible donation for Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Coping Kit Smart Phone App: It’s still coming! Good things take time.
