National headspace Day 2019
Today is National headspace Day, which puts the issue of young Australians’ mental health in the spotlight.
National headspace Day draws attention to a significant issue in our region, and encourages young people to discuss their mental health and take steps to improve their wellbeing.
Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien, encouraged young Australians in Wide Bay, to take part in National headspace Day by attending a local event, by talking and sharing ideas with family and friends, and by learning tips to help build and maintain a healthy headspace.
“About 560,000 Australian children and adolescents are estimated to have a mental illness, and one in four young Australians aged 16 to 24 experiences mental illness in any given year,” said.
There’s an estimated 20,744 young people in Wide Bay, and each year, about one in four of them will experience mental health issues. Our community knows the importance of helping youths stay mentally well, and this is reflected in the Morrison Government’s commitment to improving mental health outcomes for young people and adults.
Since 2006, headspace has supported more than 520,000 young people to strengthen and manage their mental health. In 2018-19, Headspace Gympie helped 236 youths, with more than 840 sessions, and we are looking forward to Maryborough’s headspace opening so it can extend its program to even more young people.
“Young people need to look after their mental health and wellbeing on an ongoing basis. To help with this, headspace National has released wellbeing kits, with seven tips for a healthy headspace.”
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said the Morrison Government was committed to supporting headspace, and to “giving young people access to services early in life, to help reduce the duration and impact of mental illness,”
“I want our young people to know they are not alone on their journey, and that headspace is there to deliver quality frontline support and coordinate the right interventions for people who are at risk,” Minister Hunt said.
“In 2019–20, the Government will provide almost $120 million across the 111 headspace services across Australia, and we committed $111.3 million over seven years in the 2019–20 Budget to expand the headspace network to 145 services by 2021.”
For more information on the day and how to be involved, along with the digital wellbeing kits, visit www.headspace.org.au
Follow headspace on social media and share your favourite tip using #headspacetips and #headspaceday
