Referred to as a Deadly Minds Matter Community Event, this was a celebration of what the participants have learned throughout the Deadly Minds Matter program–a 10-week enrichment program run within Shooting Stars, which focuses on mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.
Family, friends and spectators were welcomed as they cheered the girls on, and got involved with the fun throughout the day. In addition to the Collie Senior High School Shooting Stars participants there on the day, Koolbardi Kindilink also came along with the Amaroo Primary School students and really little ones.
The event opened with a Welcome to Country, involving a smoking ceremony by Ernie Hill Jnr and Natasha Dawson Ugle.
There was a round robin netball competition, but was much more to the event than netball – with a range of attractions and activities to engage with, it was a celebration of community, culture and empowerment. The day also included a weaving workshop with Stevie Anderson from Pipi Weaving, as well as bouncy castles, face painting, art and craft activities, the Old Macdonald’s Farm petting zoo, food by Tailored Grazing, an awards presentation, and stalls set up to engage with participants and community members. The team from South West Aboriginal Medical Services (SWAMS) were there running two of the stalls, and Jacinta Walton from the Kids Research Institute of Australia was also in attendance.
A key purpose of Deadly Minds Matter Community Events like these, is creating the opportunity for local health service providers to come along, run activities, share information and engage. This is to build familiarity and make it easier for the young individuals to reach out to these services if and when they are needed.
The event is the culmination of the 10-week Deadly Minds Matter program, where participants have been learning about positive social and emotional wellbeing skills, including tools for emotional regulation and preventative mental health strategies for responding and adapting to challenges.
Collie Shooting Stars Program Coordinator, Chloe Ugle has shared some of the highlights and outcomes of the program:
“The participants have been building up their understanding of how to regulate their feelings and identify safe people when needed. I’ve noticed they’re more likely to reach out to myself or other safe people in their lives to talk about things rather than bottling them up. I could also see that the participants really enjoyed getting to know each other better as we were working through the program content, and they’ve further developed their skills when it comes to communicating with each other too.”
Major partner of Shooting Stars, Newmont, was represented at the event, joining the crowd to cheer the teams on and celebrate all that the participants have learnt and achieved.
Events like these take place across the Shooting Stars sites in Western and South Australia. The day prior to Collie’s event, a similar event took place in Geraldton.
Photos; J Bylund.
