In a Good Place grants empower mental health initiatives

Media releases: 12 November 2019

Over $100,000 in grants awarded across rural, regional and remote Australia

Bendigo, 12 November 2019: Eight 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 projects will share $100,725, thanks to support from CCI Giving, the charitable foundation of Catholic Church Insurance (CCI).

Over a million dollars in grant funding was requested in this third round of In A Good Place, highlighting the need for mental health interventions across rural, regional and remote Australia.

“This third round saw an increase in the number of applications using art-based activities as a tool to encourage community engagement around mental health and resilience,” said FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton.Successful applications include a safe space to enable mental health conversations at the Julia Creek Dirt & Dust Festival – an area of Queensland deeply impacted by drought and flood; creative community workshops and an interactive theatre performance addressing mental ill-health and substance abuse in Hopetoun, Western Australia; and a series of targeted workshops for adolescent and adult men, focusing on improving mental health and reducing the risk of suicide in Kimba, South Australia.

“Training and skill development, particularly Mental Health First Aid, was also a strong theme. It’s been well-documented that people living in rural, regional and remote Australia don’t have the same access to health services as major metropolitan centres. This includes a lack of early intervention services, and often there are long waiting periods for services in neighbouring communities. These grants will help communities to really take charge and be as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to taking care of their own.”

Roberto Scenna, CEO of CCI and Director of CCI Giving, said that his organisation was pleased to provide funding for another round of the In A Good Place program.

“It’s vitally important that every single one of us feels empowered when it comes to our mental health. The unfortunate reality is that societal pressures and factors such as where you live mean that that’s not always possible. These grants will make a real difference throughout rural, regional and remote Australia.”

The next round of the In a Good Place program will open in February 2020. Keep an eye on FRRR’s grants calendar for the details.

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

Organisation	Project	Location	Grant
Apostolic Church Australia, as the Operator of a PBI	Building a Stronger You Support students as they transition from primary school to high school, to build personal, social and emotional resilience and promote positive self-esteem to enable them to fully engage in education.	Bourke, NSW	$10,000
Parkes High School P&C	Parkes High Mental Health Awareness Day Provide an inclusive day for high school students to engage with mental health professionals to encourage positive mental health and support self-help seeking behaviour for themselves and their peers.	Parkes, NSW	$6,750
Julia Creek Dirt and Dust Festival Inc.	Have a Yack in the Outback Raise awareness and provide opportunities for conversations about mental health, and encourage help seeking by creating a dedicated meeting area at a key outback event in a drought and flood impacted region.	Roma, Longreach, Richmond, Julia Creek, QLD	$10,000
University of South Australia	A mental wellbeing program delivered in partnership with community-based men’s mental health support groups and rural South Australian football clubs / leagues Support a series of targeted workshops for adolescent and adult men, focusing on improving mental health and reducing the risk of suicide.	Kimba, Cleve, Tumby Bay, SA	$19,900
Huon Valley Council	Mental Health Community Response Build the capacity of the Huon Valley community to respond to and prevent suicide, and promote mental health through the delivery of Mental Health First Aid training to community members and groups.	Dover, Cygnet, Huonville, Geeveston, TAS	$9,255
Beyond the Bell Great South Coast	Live4Life Southern Grampians Build community capacity to support youth mental health and build community capacity through the establishment of the Live4Life model within the Southern Grampians shire.	Hamilton, VIC	$16,340
Youth Affairs Council Victoria Inc	Deadly Yarning & Learning:  Our Mental Health Support the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people by providing culturally competent Mental Health First Aid training and supporting the establishment of a community of practice to provide ongoing support.	Swan Hill, Robinvale, VIC	$13,480
Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council	Raving About Mental Wellness Provide opportunities for conversations around mental health and wellbeing through creative community workshops and an interactive theatre performance addressing mental ill-health and substance abuse.	Hopetoun, WA	$15,000