Everyone needs to know about this ‘Rape Survivors Legal Guide’ – pulled together through the Wellington Community Law Centre by volunteer Julia White.
A really important avenue of tautoko for whanau.
The booklet aims to support people to navigate the legal system after rape.
http://www.communitylaw.org.nz/fileadmin/documents/Rape_Survivors_Legal_Guide_2011.pdf
How much time does your child spend watching TV or playing video games?
Would you like some alternative activities for your family?
Are you concerned about your child’s TV and/or computer use?
Do you want to be part of a cool new study called SWITCH?
The Switch programme at the University of Auckland are looking for children aged 9–12,
who live in Auckland and watch TV/play video games/use computer for 2.5 hours per day.
This is the first study of its kind in New Zealand.
If you would like to take part in this exciting study (SWITCH),
please call 0800 SWITCH or email your enquiry to switch@ctru.auckland.ac.nz
Watch the Blow the Whistle Campaign Video here.
The ‘Blow The Whistle‘ campaign is a Mental Health Foundation initiative highlighting the Rugby World Cup event as a way of drawing attention to domestic violence, one of the main causes of mental health trauma in our society today.
It is also widespread. One in three women said they had experienced family violence in their lifetimes as part of a 2004 study interviewing over 2000 women in Auckland and the Waikato (1).
Another more recent US study (August 2011) showed that if a woman was exposed to 3 or 4 types of violence (like rape, sexual assault and stalking), the rate of mental disorders went up by 77.3%: for anxiety it went up by 52.5%, for mood disorder 56.2%, and suicide attempts went up 34.7%
When it comes to big sports events like the Rugby World Cup, the amount of violence against women and children goes up! A recent report from the United Kingdom states that incidents of family violence increase by as much as 30% on the days of England’s fixtures during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (3). A recent NZ paper states ‘…for some women and children, the Rugby World Cup may bring increased risks of violence, abuse and neglect’.(4)
So the risk to mental health issue is big and it’s likely to get bigger once the Cup is underway!
What can we do?
Go to www.blowthewhistle.co.nz for more information.
References:
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and we just wanted to take a moment to send a wee reminder out about our upcoming Thriving Lives for Supporters Workshop. We think one of the reasons we have such a high rate of suicide is because we don’t have enough tools for talking about or building wellbeing and happiness and the other positive experiences associated with mental health.
Thriving Lives is a worksheet tool to help people understand how they practice mental health in their own lives and what they could add to their picture. Thriving Lives Workshops teach people to use this tool to improve their wellbeing.
Feedback on the Thriving Lives Workshop shows this approach helps people to:
We’ll be running a repeat session on October 11th. More information about that is on our website. It doesn’t stop there though. People need supportive, informed communities to help them on their way. Our next step is about training the wider community to support people to put this approach into action.
Thriving Lives for Supporters equips supporters of all kinds to use this approach in their own lives and with the people they support. Whether you are a family-member of someone who is dealing with stress or mental unwellness, a friend, a colleague or a professional who works in the mental-health sector, this workshop is for you.
You’ll be pleased to know we’ve extended the early-bird enrolment period to September 16th, so there’s a few days left to take advantage of the discounted rate.
Any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re happy to offer a group discount if there are a few people enrolling together.
Chatters is the in-house magazine for Crossroads Clubhouse. They release this Bi-monthly and the articles reflect the experiences of our community as well as the thoughts/stories/poetry of their members.
Hosted here.
Crossroads Clubhouse is an excellent service-user led support option. Find out more in The Community Resources Directory.
Enrolments for the August 17th session of Thriving Lives closed yesterday and we’re pleased to report an almost full session! Seventeen people are now looking forward to gathering in a week and a half to develop some new ways to improve their experience of wellbeing.
The next Thriving Lives Workshop will be on 11 October at Youthline House – so if you missed out this time, you can enrol in the October session any time until September 30th.
Contact us for an enrolment form.
Click the link below to read the Case Study on Engage Aotearoa in the latest issue of MindNet (issue 23), the quarterly e-journal by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
www.mentalhealth.org.nz/newsletters/view/article/23/323/case-study%3A-we-are-all-connected/
In this issue, Engage Aotearoa service-director Miriam Larsen-Barr discusses how Engage Group got started, what the programme is all about and how it effects people – among other things.
We are celebrating
It is The Coping Kete’s one year anniversary today!
We just posted the 52nd weekly strategy so you can now find a new coping strategy to try out every week of the year.
And it won’t be ending here. We have just gotten started.
Join us at the Regional Consumer Network Monthly Forum on Thursday July 21st for the official celebration and launch of our new website. Mahitahi Trust and the AKINA Peer Support Programme will also be presenting on the day. Mark it on your calendar – 21st of July 9:30 – 12:30 at Western Springs Community Garden Hall.
