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This is today, so why not take some time to check in on your own mental health and see how you’re doing? In aid of this, I went along to the Festival of Now in Rundle Park yesterday where the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
The festival celebrates mental health and well being in South Australia by bringing the community together through a range of activities and a reminder of the services available to them. So the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia was joined by Centacare, Mental Illness Fellowship South Australia (MIFSA), who also provided some fab beats, Headspace and Uniting Communities for people to talk about their sexuality and gender identity. And there was face painting, juggling, cooking, a magician, animals, art, planting and of course, the Mindshare Poetry Awards.
This slot was hosted by Geoff Goodfellow and Melbourne-based poet Sandy Jeffs, both of whom shared some of their own work with a focus on mental health and the challenges it can pose (here you can read Sandy’s The Madwoman in this Poem). Alas, I was not fortunate enough to win an award despite having both a short and long poem shortlisted in the ‘Emerging Poet’ category. However, the wonderful Rachael Mead swept the board in the ‘Established Poet’ category, winning both the short and long poem award, so a huge congratulations to Rachael, who found out by me messaging her immediately after!
It was a good day, with a strong sense of community and togetherness to promote mental health wellness, because we should talk about this and openly share, no one should suffer alone. So here’s to a mentally healthy day, and for every one that follows 🙂
Mental Health Week will run from Sunday 4th to Saturday 10th October with World Mental Health Day celebrated on 10th October.
Coordinated by the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia, the week aims to educate and engage people about mental health through interactive events across the state, including an official launch, community festivals, art exhibitions, music, theatre and seminars. The ABC will once again highlight mental health through its Mental As production, a series of television, radio and online programs to get the conversations happening.
The Festival of Now, to help celebrate World Mental Health Day, will be held in Rundle Park, Adelaide on Friday 9th October, bringing the mental health community together to showcase the creativity used in the healing journey and reduce the stigma still associated with this multi-faceted condition.
And I have been fortunate enough to have been shortlisted for a Mindshare poetry award, with winners announced at the festival and invited on stage to share their poems with the crowd.
So please mark this important week in your diaries and join in wherever you can to help promote a positive approach to mental health and if needed, maybe even improve your own. 🙂
J V Birch 