This week started off like your typical Monday – we fed wallabies, kangaroos, and emus! We took a trip to Phillip’s Island and got to meet all of these animals and more. We also attended the “Penguin Parade” at sunset and got to see groups of little penguins (that is the actual scientific name – they are the smallest breed of penguin in the world!) come in from the ocean to burrow for the evening. It was a special day and we had some great weather, as well as a wonderful tour guide, Peter AKA Outback Billy.
Anna and her roo friend: They are one of the cutest animals either of us have seen! They are extremely friendly and are not afraid to get close to you…. especially when you have food!
Mama kanga and her joey popping his head out of the pouch
Emu
On Wednesday, we visited the Lighthouse Foundation and Institute. They were an impressive organization that serves homeless youth who are aging or have aged out of the system. What I found most impressive was the fact that they were specifically trauma informed in their practice. I took a trauma and crisis class this past spring semester and my professor hammered into us the fact that we need trauma-informed systems. Lighthouse clearly has an understanding that the vast majority of homeless youth have trauma backgrounds – often severe – and that if trauma-informed programs are not part of the equation, things won’t add up. Additionally, another aspect of the organization that impressed me was how they want to change the face of how kids are cared for and take a holistic approach to health care. I am a strong believer that health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and that is something that this organization also believes in. It was amazing to get to gain insight from a carer, who has fostered several adolescents within the program. I believe their approach, which is to provide lifelong membership to their “clients” is compassionate and sorely needed in our current American system. The structure of their program involves caring for up to four kids in a home with a primary and supporter carer is amazing and from their success rate of only losing one kid in 24 years, extremely effective! Ensuring children spend time, not in institutions, but in “normal-looking” homes with carers more apt for long-term relationships is a key to transformation and support for homeless youth. As a Big in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, I have learned the importance and effect of having a long-term relationship with my little. The influence of a positive mentor can help one face adversity and build resilience in the mentee’s life. This hopefully will bring upon employment opportunities and school retention as some of the ultimate goals. It would be amazing to see more of these homes get funded in the coming years in Australia and America alike. I appreciated the fact that they started their own institute 3 years ago to perform evaluation and research to create an evidence and marketing base for their therapeutic model – which has drawn interest from countries like Germany and Japan. Pictured is a book they published about their model.
Here is a picture of us with the Young and Well CRC staff. On Thursday we were able to visit this progressive organization. They were so generous to us and hosted us 2 days in a row – as they provided space for a skype session with the organization we will talk about next. We learned about how they utilize technology to improve mental health for young people. I really appreciated the fact that they use input from young people all around Australia to drive their research and apps. It helps them create effective services to create better outcomes. Their office was modern and fun, while their staff was young and energetic. They took us through stations showing us their latest websites and apps. One app that intrigued me was a music app where it took your playlist and categorized it in groups it thought was appropriate. For example, if it was a song that does not really get your heart beat up, it would be categorized as chill. This app is to show you that certain songs evoke different emotions and physiological responses and sometimes you do not realize the effect different songs can have on your body and mental health. Additionally, I was surprised by the fact that they are funded largely by the Australian government, as I could not see the United States government funding such an organization. I believe that the websites and apps they are creating for young people have a great potential to provide resources to in a way that works for the newest generations of technology users – as children, even of less resource – are increasingly gaining access to technology.
At Young and Well CRC, we went through an exercise in which we developed an app. It was interesting to go through the way they develop products and solutions to problems. We learned sometimes the problem you think your solving is rooted in a different problem entirely once you break it down. We were dealing with the issue of lack of time for fitness and came up with an app to aid OSU students and faculty in locating the most convenient fitness options for their schedule — I think if we had a software developer in our midst, the app could be quite successful. 😉
ReachOut.com is a really interesting organization that is not too different from Young and Well when it comes to mission and philosophy – which is to enhance Australian adolescent mental health via technology. Their focus is on their websites and resources they provide via the site. We were really impressed with some of the content they provide for young people. For example, there was a “what to expect your first time having sex” fact sheet and it was so direct, progressive, and incorporated humor and teenage language — I could never see an organization in the U.S. getting away with producing such a product, particularly if it were government-funded the way they are. Their research and evaluation leader did a great job of explaining how they build an evidence base for their organization and advocate for mental health policy change via their research. I found it really interesting that they have been able to make the case to government that there is not capacity to handle an increase in demand for mental health services, which are only currently accessed by ~70% of young people struggling with the issue currently and that leveraging technology as a form of prevention and connection to resources is a viable and cost-effective strategy.
This was the most amazing weekend imaginable. We went on a 2-day trip on the Great Ocean Road, which is a memorial to the people who died fighting in WWI and was built by the servicemen who returned from the war. It is 83 years old and the longest war memorial. You will see in the following photos just how amazing this part of Australia is. Unfortunately, pictures do not do this beautiful place justice and this is an area which you have to experience yourself! We had opportunities to see kangaroos up close, watch koalas in the wild, see the 12 Apostles, taste delicious cheese and chocolate, and meditate in the rain forest. We were extremely lucky to have an energetic, spiritual, and down-to-earth tour guide who happens to be from the area.
We did a ton of mediating over the weekend! We “set our intentions” and we believe that led to an amazing weekend where almost everything worked out in our favor. This was sunrise and it was very cold, but the sky looked amazing and our session was a relaxing start to the day. Mediation at the Great Ocean Road was an exhilarating experience where I was in tune with my mind and body and it gave me a heightened awareness of myself and surroundings. Katie, our tour guide, helped us get in a positive mindset, feel the land of Australia, and truly be grateful for this amazing experience we have had the chance to take part of. It was immensely calming and helped me clear my mind of stress and push aside negative thoughts.
We visited a cheese factory/farm! That is a cowloch monster and the “mooternity ward”.
Some O-H-I-O action on the beach!
We hiked through a rainforest during the daytime and at night in the dark! The air smelled amazing. During the night, we had to be in tune with our senses to navigate our way through the windy path!
Australian parrots really seem to love us…
We saw a koala change trees, which they only do every few days and our tour guide hadn’t witnessed it in months. Another lucky aspect of the weekend! How cute is it??