Grants awarded to get rural people In a Good Place

Media releases: 4 June 2019

Bendigo, 4 June 2019: Seven projects that support and encourage good mental health practices in rural, regional and remote communities have received grants from the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal via the In a Good Place program.

“The applications we received confirms that there is significant need when it comes supporting good mental health in rural, regional and remote communities,” said FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton.The projects will share $99,275, thanks to support from CCI Giving, the charitable foundation of Catholic Church Insurance (CCI).

“Mental ill-health doesn’t discriminate based on whether you live in a rural or metropolitan area. The difference is that those who live in rural areas often struggle when it comes to finding the help they need; at the time they need it. This could be due to geographic location, a lack of resources or access to mental health services, cultural barriers or stigma.

“Through our programs, we’ve seen increased requests for support around mental health across the country. This isn’t surprising given the compounding impacts of the long-running drought, floods or cyclones, as well as economic factors, which can lead to increased stress and social isolation.

“These factors also mean that usual community fundraising options to support local initiatives are simply not available, making programs like In a Good Place increasingly important.”

Ms Egleton says that the projects funded support community-based, non-clinical, and accessible mental health information and support. This includes indirect education via community events, and proactive resilience programs, in schools and the wider community.

Among the recipients is a project involving a series of community activities to bring community members together to reduce social isolation, build stronger interpersonal connections, and create awareness of good mental health practices, following a high-profile local tragedy. The aim is to help people recognise that it is ‘okay not to be okay’ and to provide information about where to access help when required.

Roberto Scenna, CEO of CCI and Director of CCI Giving, said that it was inspiring to see communities responding to mental health challenges in ways that suit them best.

“The funded projects might be for information sharing, skills and capacity building but it’s these non-clinical approaches to mental health care that can assist people at their most vulnerable,” said Mr Scenna.

The next round of the In a Good Place program will open in early July. Keep an eye on FRRR’s grants calendar for the opening date.

The complete list of locally-led projects that have been funded this round is below.

Organisation	Project	Location	Grant
Blue Mountains Women’s Health & Resource Centre Inc.	Creative Connections Build the resilience of female students experiencing depression and anxiety through participation in an eight-week resilience program using art and cognitive based therapies.	Katoomba NSW	$2,970
Clarke Creek State School P&C Association	Clarke Creek Chaplaincy Support additional Chaplaincy services to assist students and families across three communities to continue to recover from the damage from Tropical Cyclone Debbie, flash-flooding and ongoing drought conditions.	Clarke Creek QLD	$10,000
Moranbah Primary P&C Association	Supporting students at risk across three Moranbah State schools Build the capacity to support Chaplaincy services to assist students, families and staff across three schools to access social, emotional, educational and spiritual support within the school environment.	Moranbah QLD	$15,000
Operation Flinders Foundation Inc	Exercise 5SA19 – Mannum Community College Team Build the capacity of the Mannum community to support local at-risk youth students to participate in a remote outback intervention program, and support their reengagement with the local community on their return.	Mannum SA	$20,000
Mallacoota Community Health, Infrastructure and Resilience Fund Inc (CHIRF)	Building the evidence base – Effectiveness of Teen Clinics Develop an affordable and appropriate community-led evaluation model to investigate the effectiveness of the Teen Clinic model in addressing the health and wellbeing needs of young people living in small rural towns.	Bega Eden Merimbula Narooma NSW Mallacoota VIC	$20,000
Robinvale Network House Inc	Be SAFE Increase awareness of good mental health and reduce stigma through a free community forum featuring a high-profile speaker and local services.	Robinvale VIC	$11,553
Westonia Community Resource Centre Inc	United we care – United we conquer Strengthen community resilience and increasing social connectedness through a series of community activities, culminating in a whole-of-community celebratory event.	Westonia WA	$19,752