Funding win to help beat stigma around mental health in rural Victoria
An innovative new storytelling project, developed as a collaboration between Satellite Foundation, Monash Rural Health and partners, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) to help combat stigma around mental illness in Gippsland, Victoria.
Research tells us that approximately 1 million children across Australia grow up in a family where a parent has a mental health challenge. In Gippsland, this equates to 5,000 children.
The Stigmabeat Project is a dynamic, youth-led, storytelling project that aims to create positive social change to end discrimination. Stigmabeat will involve a co-production process between young people within Gippsland, Satellite Foundation, Monash Rural Health and other research partners to design and develop a digital resource that can help to identify the ways in which mental illness stigma is compounded by sexism, racism, and homophobia.
The digital resource will be used as a tool for advocacy around increased resources in the mental health service system and will be available to rural communities to use for professional development, and community education. StigmaBeat will include weekend workshops co-facilitated by young people with young people in Gippsland, featuring dialogue, storytelling, art, filming and photography.
“This project aims to generate and expand conversations about the ways in which mental illness stigma, along with other forms of discrimination, impact on young people who have parents experiencing mental health challenges”, explained Dr Rochelle Hine, lecturer at Monash Rural Health.
The grant forms part of the Story Link Project, under the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Program, a safe and supportive program that opens the door for bigger discussions around how regional communities can combat discrimination.
"We are beyond grateful to receive this FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grant which will enable us to work collaboratively with young people within Gippsland, researchers and community to reduce stigma and discrimination around mental health challenges in families. The project - Stigmabeat- will be a wonderful co-created project to amplify the voices of young people in Gippsland around their experiences of mental health and wellbeing, connection and disconnection, stigma and discrimination. We are very excited to explore together how this can be addressed to bring about positive change. Thank you again to the generous support from the Friends of FRRR," said Rose Cuff, Executive Director of Satellite Foundation.
"Monash Rural Health will be leading the research component of this project and along with our research partners, we are thrilled to be collaborating with Satellite Foundation, an organisation with expertise in building creative and innovative partnerships with young people and families to acknowledge, demystify and address mental health challenges," said Dr Hine.