Mental Health Awareness month - Focusing on the Youth of Azure Beach

Libraries help spread the good words. Discover, Dream, Grow.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month - Gippsland Primary Health Network (gphn.org.au)

Did you know that in 2017-18, an estimated 339,000 young people aged 18-24 (15%) experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress.

That is why Azure Beach is celebrating the youth of Azure Beach and will be hosting a living human library event.  A living library, what is it? you ask. The Human Library was created in Copenhagen in 2000 by brothers Ronni and Dany Abergel along with their colleagues Asma Mouna and Christoffer Erichsen.  In Danish it is called “menneskebublioteket”.  The Human Library uses a library analogy of lending people instead of books.  These living books have experienced prejudice, stigma and social exclusion and they aim to address people’s prejudices by talking to them.

Next month's topic is all about life issues the youth face.  The many challenges that the youth of today face, can have a lasting impact from stressing over exams, your body, finding your feet, family break up, racism or even bullying, having someone to talk to and hear their experiences can give a better understanding that you are not alone and that there is help out there.   Azure Beach Library will be partnering with Beyond blue to bring this extraordinary human living library event to celebrate Mental Health Month.

Meet our books. 

Nyadol Nyuon

Nyadol is an Australian lawyer and human rights advocate.  At the age of 18 she became a refugee when she came to Australia in 2005 and is an Australian Commissions award winner for 2018.

Jessica Rowe

Jessica is a beyond blue ambassador, author and television presenter who is passionate about removing the stigma around mental health.  

Jason Ball 

Jason is a beyond blue ambassador and an AFL player who is a LGBTI advocate.  

Numbers are strictly limited to 25 tickets, so register quickly before they sell out.  This is a free event. 

Click on the link below to secure your spot!

👇 

https://events.com/

 

Date:    Saturday October 21st, 2023

Time:    11.30am - 2.30pm

Venue:    Azure Room 

RSVP:    Monday October 16th, 2023

For any further enquiries or questions, please one of the options below

☎️ (02) 9717 1212

📧 info@azzurebeachlibrary.gov.au 

Marijana Skoflic

Want to know more about Mental Health or the Human Library?  Click the links below. 

👇 

Beyond Blue

Learn about mental health - Beyond Blue

Mental Health

Mental Health Australia | (mhaustralia.org)

Human Library

Unjudge someone - The Human Library Organization

 Connecting Through Shared Mental Health Journeys

A human library event for Mental Health Month.

Credit to melitas on iStock.

Azure Beach is committed to promoting mental health awareness, particularly among today's youth, acknowledging the increasing prevalence of mental health challenges each year.

At our upcoming event, we're offering 5 individuals as "human books", each sharing personal stories and insights about their mental health journeys. Attendees are welcome to borrow these human books for a few minutes, listening and learning from their experiences and advice. 

Through this initiative, we aim to educate the community about the nuances of mental health struggles and offer techniques that foster positive mental wellbeing.
We're looking forward to seeing you all there!

Registration info: 

Register online HERE or ask about our Mental Health Month event at the reception desk.

Have a read about why we're doing this event here.

https://mentalhealthmonth.wayahead.org.au/

Learn about the human library here.

https://humanlibrary.org/

Event Info:

2/10/2024 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Azure Beach Library, main room.

For any other inquiries call us at (04) 1234 5678

Or email us at AzureBeachLibrary@ABPL.com

Posted by Declan Murphy.

Looking Beyond - a Mental Health Week event

Join us and help break down the stigmas of mental health among our senior friends and family with Azure Beach’s human library event Looking beyond No matter how old you are, depression and anxiety can affect you, however the stigma attached to these illnesses often prevent people from seeking help, especially senior members of our community. Because of this, we at Azure Beach would like to use this Mental Health Month to raise awareness of the issue through our human library event. Joining us will be 8 volunteers from the human library organization, who each have their own story to tell of their mental health journey. During the event, these human books will be available to borrow in order to share their unique experiences as well as answer questions about their lives, and journey with mental health. We hope that this event can break down the barriers that have been built by the stigma around mental health and allow others to see that no matter what help is always available. When 9th of October 2023 Start: 11.30am

Finish: 4pm Where Azure beach public library courtyard Booking at Azurebeachlibrarybooking@email.com While this is a free event, please book ahead to secure a spot.

As this is a mental health event, please be aware that some topics will be confronting and that this is a non-judgmental space.

for more questions, contact us here

phone number: 0900110011

email: Azurebeachlibraryevents@email.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For more information about human library events please visit the human library sites https://humanlibrary.org/ And for more information about mental health please visit these organizations Beyond blue https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ Life line https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Black dog institute https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

by Dominic Vella

Human Library Living Books: Guiding Youth in Mental Heath [FREE]

As teenagers reach the end of their childhood and begin that transition from adolescence into adulthood, that journey can often be challenging and sometimes traumatic. That transition can also often not end well, with early adulthood offering little relief. There is no shame in taking longer than others to reach your goal, or what you think is normal, or what is the minimum. There are others, millions, experiencing this transition and many more who have been through it, and thrived.

 
This October 14th, Azure Beach Library and the Human LibraryTM have collaborated to help in our small way by offering up 4 living books that can help you approach or process this part of your life. This event is aimed at individuals 15 to 24 years of age, however if you find that you are still struggling with these issues, feel free to register for a talk and 'borrow' one of our living books for a sympathetic and compassionate ear.

Event Details

• Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023

• Time: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

• Venue: Azure Beach Public Library, Courtyard

• Tickets: This is a FREE event. Registration is REQUIRED at www.eventbrite.com.au/AzureBeachLibraryEventsThisIsAFakeAddress

   

This Mental Health Month, let's help offer a safe space for others in our community to come together, share and connect and help them enjoy life, in any way or form.

To connect with us and keep up to date with this event, future events or what the library has to offer, make sure to find us at @AzureBeachLibrary on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok and Azure Beach Public Library on Facebook. 

 

 In case of emergency, please ring 000 for mental health and general health assistance and for further resources on mental health, please visit the following weblinks:

• www.beyondblue.org.au
• www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

Contact Details

• E-Mail: Info@AzureBeachLibrary.gov.au
  

• Phone: 0412 345 678

Jamie L

Trumping​ ignorance // Triumphing enlightenment​- Human Living Library

"Almost 1 in 4 young people meet the criteria for a probable serious mental illness (PSMI)" 

 Mission Australia and Black Dog Institute report. 

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, which means this is the perfect time for ​us to reflect upon the importance of a healthy mind and what it means to live with mental illness. In this society, while our attention to physical health is paramount, we often forget that a healthy mind is the driver behind our ambitious endeavour to self-improvement. 

By now, you're probably wondering what we mean by 'human living library'---a human library or book is a group of people or a singular person who has willingly volunteered to share their anecdotes and stories to complete strangers. In placing a face and voice to a story, libraries and their living books hope to enlighten 'borrowers' (like you) about often controversial topics. 

Join 4 brave human libraries as they share their experiences of the highs, lows and curiosities of mental illness- below reads a list of the kind of books available for you to borrow (off our extremely limited, one-off shelf): 

- Bipolar disorder: not all black-and-white. 

- Schizophrenia: more than meets the eye. 

- Dissociative identity disorder: seldom understood, always judged. 

- Obsessive compulsive disorder: not an adjective. 

At the conclusion of the session, you will have the opportunity to collect a free 'mental health ribbon' enamel pin as souvenir of your experience. 

Learn how you can weaponise truth and empathy to combat stereotypes, find common ground and improve your own state of mind. 

DATE: 7th of October, 2023 (First Saturday of the month). 

TIME: 1:00pm-4:30pm. 

LOCATION: Azure Beach Public Library main branch- Cove Meeting Room.

FEE: Free entry, register interest. 

To learn more and register your place as borrower, please click the button below- Be quick! spots are limited. 

For more information about mental health, please visit; Youth Mental Health- Black Dog Institute- https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/research-areas/youth-mental-health/  

K. Skelly