Mental health starts with you! 
Human Library Event 2024

Mental Health is very complicated. Most mental health issues are caused by a combination of factors like genetics, personal experiences and lifestyle. Do you know that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects around 1 in 20 Australians and the disorder can extend into adolescence? Have you ever found that your family or friends who have lost loved one may have Process Trauma-Induced Depression (PTSD)? You may not know who have mental health issues by judging their appearance. Albert Einstein is a famous example to prove that it is possible to be successful and productive with ADHD!

Have you ever talked about how you feel after losing your job or feeling lonely all the time at home as being an empty-nester? 

Come to join us in our Human Library event to find out more with our Human Books. They share with you their stories and how they survived or healed from their wounds. Each Human Book represents a group of our society who is frequently subjected to prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion.

Choose your title, reserve your place and be ready to have a chat with them.

Bookings:  Bookings essential. Phone Azure Beach Public Library on 02 9293 2425 or click the Eventbrite to reserve your place. Each book reading session is 20 mins. Each booking allows 3 sessions maximum.

Date & time:Sat 20 Apr 2024 @ 2:00pm to 4:30pm

Age:            Young adults, Adults, Seniors

Cost:           Free

Venue:       Azure Room, Azure Beach Public Library, 44 Lighting Way, Azure Beach NSW 2100

Let’s meet our Human Books

	Eating Disorder Alma is a young actress who recovered from serious eating disorders after 7 years of treatment. Listen to her stories that how she can recover from several relationships’ breakup causing depression and leading to eating disorders.
	Anxiety Disorder Nuala is a psychologist helping young people to cope with their mental health problems. However, she also had personal experience of anxiety disorder since she was 12. Discover her road of recovery during the human library event.
	Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Herman has finished his university degree course in sports therapy in the University of Technology Sydney just last year. He has struggled through the degree course in 7 years because he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since his childhood. Learn how he lives with ADHD in his life and overcomes the difficulties during university examination.
	Process Trauma-Induced Depression (PTSD) Matilda, a young mum of 3 kids, diagnosed with PTSD a year after the suicidal death of her son. The sudden death of her son put much emotional stress on her and so traumatic that leading to her depression. Chat with her to learn how she can heal from those tearful days.

For more information on mental health, visit the links below:  

Beyond Blue 
Headspace
Mental Health Australia

Created by Josephine 

ASD Unmasked: A Human Libraries Event

 

ASD Unmasked

December International Day of People with Disability

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Collection of Stories

When: 4^th of December 2022, 12pm-1pm

Where: Library Courtyard

If you’re interested in joining us, please RSVP at the bottom of this post!

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that effects of which affects 1 in 150 people* When you think of a person with autism you might think of a boy with a fascination with trains and an avoidance of making eye contact but it’s so much more than that.

Ways ASD can affect people can include:

- Difficulty with mood regulation

- Difficulty socialising

- Sensitivity to noise, light, and certain textures

- Monotone speech

- Fixations on niche topics (also called special interests)

In order to fit in with the rest of society, people with ASD often have to “mask” which is a method of camouflaging their symptoms, but it is heavily taxing on the person and can oftentimes have dangerous consequences. So come join us as our four books reveal to us their wonderful lives and how Autism and ADHD have shaped the way they view the world.

If you’d like to learn more about autism, check out https://www.autism.org.au/what-is-autism/

Human Libraries is a concept where you can talk to another person about their experiences relating to a certain topic. It is used to break down prejudices and understand how and why certain aspects can affect people’s lives.

For more information, please go to https://humanlibrary.org/about/

 

*According to ABS 2016b. Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2015

Meet our Books!

Tom (he/him), ADHD, diagnosed as a child. 

“I’m glad I was diagnosed when I was younger. It’s given me essentially my entire life to develop coping mechanisms to manage in our society”

Katrina (she/they), ADHD and autism, diagnosed in her 20s 

“It was difficult getting my diagnosis since I’ve been masking my entire life.”

Mavis (she/her), autism, diagnosed in her late 40s 

“It wasn’t until I hit menopause that doctors started to seriously consider that I am autistic. It’s really disheartening that it’s taken so long but it really explains aspects of my life”

Theo (they/them), autism, diagnosed as a child 

“I feel that being autistic makes me more open minded to most things and gives me the ability to embrace who I am”

 Our lovely books will be available for up to 15 minutes each.

If you’re interested in joining us on our Human Libraries maiden voyage, please RSVP here.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our events manager, Chris P. Bacon, at:

Email: eventsandprograms@abpl.gov.au

Phone: 130065556

 

This event was made by Katherine Bonomini, please be nice to them.