Targeted Outreach Project Local Champions and QDN staff attending Mental Health Week Events

Mental Health Week was from the 9 to 17th of October and this year’s theme was ‘Take time for Mental Health’.

The Targeted Outreach Project - Local Champions and QDN staff attended many Mental Health Week events during the week, including the Ipswich and Brisbane Mental Health Week Expo. The Local Champions and staff provided information on the Targeted Outreach Project and the QDN Peer support groups as well as general QDN work.

The Ipswich Expo was held at the Riverlink Shopping Centre and QDN’s Local Champion Peter Tully spoke at the event on the impact the National Disability Insurance Scheme has had for him. There were around 30 stalls with services providing information. The QDN Representatives had an activity called ‘Spin the hand of the self-care clock’, so expo goers could spin the clock hand and wherever it landed they had to take the time that day to achieve the self-care activity. They also handed out affirmation cards for people as a lucky dip.

The Brisbane Expo was held at the Brisbane Powerhouse and Uncle Joe Kirk performed a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony to acknowledge and respect the land the Expo was being held on. There were live performances from the local choir, sessions run by Fitness in the Park, drumming workshops and chill out zones. There were around 50 or more information stalls of services that support people specifically around mental health and QDN’s Local Champion, Willie Prince engaged with many individuals about the impact NDIS has had for him and the importance of visualising and acknowledging disability within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. Attendees also had the opportunity to get vaccinated at the event.

As part of the Targeted Outreach Project, our Local Champions are working in their communities to help more people join the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Our Local Champions help people with disability to learn more about the NDIS, decide if the NDIS is for them and how it can support them and connect with the Targeted Outreach Project team, who can link them to free assistance to access the NDIS through the Assessment and Referral Team (ART).

For more information on the Targeted Outreach project head here https://qdn.org.au/our-work/ndis-targeted-outreach/

 

A man in a wheelchair, another man on a mobility scooted and a woman on a mobility scooter. All wearing QDN hats. There is a table with a QDN table cloth and a QDN banner next to it and a girl standing behind the table with a QDN polo shirt on.