Issue #888

by Anna Dorsey, Chief Executive of headlight – a charitable trust empowering communities to support their mental wellbeing.

I’m so proud of our little trust this week.

Our locally-grown charity is making a bit of noise as we share the findings of a pilot project that started here in the Whakatipu, but could have a wide impact in terms of reshaping how we help communities to look after their mental health.

You may have seen the adverts for the GoodYarn Community workshops this past year, but what you might not know is that the project is unique to Queenstown Lakes.

The pilot idea came in the wake of seeing first-hand the devastating effects COVID had on our unique, diverse and vibrant community. We could see that there was so much more we needed to do to ensure that our local people who were doing it tough could be supported to navigate the challenging months that lay ahead. But what grew out of a crisis, has now created a new model of hope for how communities might be supported to improve and foster mental wellbeing.

The report highlights that helping communities to talk about mental health and increase their skills, knowledge and understanding can reap large rewards for their wellbeing.

It also recognises that the success of the pilot project is down to the passion and innovation of our local facilitators, who chose to use their knowledge of our local community and their experience of mental health challenges to actively help others to know how to navigate tough times. People who knew how to connect with their community and could make sure gatherings were culturally safe and at times and locations that suited. From school halls, to rugby clubs, parenting group settings and we even delivered some workshops at the kitchen table. Our team were always guided by what our community needed.

In total, 267 people in the Queenstown Lakes District participated in the GoodYarn workshops during the pilot, nearly half of whom (44%) had English as a second language. 97% of participants reported an increase regarding mental health knowledge and skills. That’s quite something.

Participants told us the most valuable information was about the signs and symptoms of mental illness, suicide prevention awareness and links to resources. We realised that this important education shouldn’t be hidden away but made accessible so our communities can be empowered to support their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around them.

We also learnt that if we empower communities with mental health education, we can create a ripple effect that has a much wider reach.

We are continuing to run the GoodYarn Community Programme in 2023 so if you haven’t made it to a workshop yet, don’t miss this chance that other communities don’t have. It may be a lifesaver.

Information about upcoming workshops is available at www.headlight.org.nz