Support for rural mental health programs

Funded through FRRR's In A Good Place program, grants of up to $20,000 were recently awarded to support mental health initiatives across Australia.

The Mullewa Community Resources Centre Inc received about $19,000 for its Melody, Mates and Mental Health program which will use music events to raise awareness about what mental health services are available.

The resource centre's volunteer and event organiser Julie Freeman said it was one of the bigger grants the organisation had received over the years.

"Often, out in rural areas, you don't get a lot of opportunity to hear live music and we know music is something that is extremely good for people's mood and bringing people together," Ms Freeman said.

"There are a lot of really good mental health services out there, but unfortunately people don't necessarily access them, so one of our key goals is to raise awareness about what mental health services are available in a non-pressure environment.

"People are often very shy about engaging with mental health service providers and that often comes from a stigma being attached to mental health problems.

"But this way people can come along to one of our concerts and nobody is going to know if they are there for the music or to find out what help is available, and then in their private time they can go and seek that assistance.

"So it allows people to find the help they need without feeling exposed."

With typically only a narrow band of live music genres available regionally, Ms Freeman said the program also aimed to bring a few different styles of music to town for locals to enjoy.

"We have made some tentative approaches to a few musicians and we're looking at getting a combination of classical, jazz, contemporary and country musicians to play at our concerts, with the last one to be held at Mullewa's town hall."

Despite WA looking relatively COVID-safe, Ms Freeman said the pandemic had probably impacted the mental health of people much more than they realised.

"Many of us feel like we have cruised through COVID in WA but the world is a pretty unsettled place at the moment, so it would be a pretty resilient individual that didn't feel something out of this year," Ms Freeman said.

The first Melody, Mates and Mental Health concert is expected to kick off early next year, with details to be posted on the Mullewa Community Resource Centre Inc Facebook page.

"We have a goal to kick off in late January to early February with our series of concerts before everybody gets busy with seeding, so it will be a nice way to start the year," Ms Freeman said.

The Shire of Goomalling received just under $20,000 for its 'Maangart Yorga' program, designed to increase social participation and connection by providing culturally appropriate workshops for vulnerable Aboriginal women and girls, South West Counselling Inc received about $17,500 to provide "mental health first aid" and suicide awareness training to local rural communities, while a $20,000 grant for the Centecare Family Services will support a Men Connect Support Group.

FRRR chief executive officer Natalie Egleton said it had been encouraging to see so many community groups bring forward solutions and projects to "help create new opportunities for personal growth, increase access to care and improve social connectedness in these regions".

"This year has had tremendous impact on the mental wellbeing of people in remote, rural and regional Australia, which is reflected in the number of applications we received," Ms Egleton said.

"It is clear that rural communities recognise the need for early intervention and social connection in their communities - and finding new ways to do that despite living with a pandemic - and projects that will help create new opportunities for personal growth, increase access to care and improve social connectedness in these regions."

The next round of In A Good Place grants will open mid-2021.