As I am back home and reflect back on my 21-day journey in Melbourne Australia I must say that I am extremely grateful for all the cherished moments and created memories. This was my first time ever being abroad and I must say that I had the time of my life. Aussie will always have such a special place in my heart. Weeks 1 through 3, I would call it a moment of finding myself and purpose. That was my goal and I totally feel like I have accomplished it.

     I arrived to Australia on Saturday May 7, 2016 and my birthday is on May 8^th so being able to start a new chapter of life in a new country was so profound for me. It was a dream come true. Talk about finding myself… That was something I got an opportunity to do. I am a wife and a mother of two who juggles both work and full time school so on my typical day to day schedule, there is rarely quiet “Me” moments to be quite honest. This study abroad gave me an opportunity to explore my inner self and dig deep inside of me. Gave me a chance to find the strong woman inside of me and truly get to know her which I would say was extremely important for both personally and professionally development. That was the most valuable gift I could receive for the start of year 24.

Out of all the time that I have been studying at The Ohio State University, I never took a Social Work course before this and honestly I have always thought of “Social Work” as negative based on my childhood of being in a lower social economic status and the challenges my mother was faced with in regards to social workers. However, this course has changed my thinking completely for the better.

After being able to talk with my cohorts who are in undergrad and graduate level social work programs and to learn their perspectives and see what they are doing in the field, I have grown a level of interest within the field of social work. Also, being able to explore different aspects of social work within Melbourne, Australia and getting an opportunity to learn new things people around the world are doing to make the difference in other people’s life was a fresh breath of new air.

All of the agencies that we were able to visit such as VACCA, Anglicare, Mind, BeyondBlue, and Lighthouse just to name a few showed me the importance of social work and how dedicated organizations with awesome visions and heart based workers can create such a positive movement of helping families better themselves.

The three-day camping trip to the Great Ocean Road was a time for personal development. Definitely something I would have never planned for myself but something that I am ever so grateful for having. Being able to see and embrace the true beauty of nature and letting go of my fears as I mediated on top of a hill in the wild where Kangaroos walked passed; was the moment that I found HER… Her meaning the REAL me!!  My cohorts pushed me to keep going even at times when I felt the walk was either too long or too hard. Those were moments that I seen the strength that I truly had inside. I felt so POWERFUL walking away from that. Standing looking at the 12 Apostles  and just seeing this HUGE body of water in front of me flowing so beautiful was when it totally hit me that my focus of life should be more on the journey instead of the destination in order to truly take in moments like these. Katie, our tour guide said something so profound. She asked if we could put our phones away for a second while we were standing on top of a mountain watching the sun set. She explained why. She stated “sometimes we get so caught in trying to capture the moments for everyone else through pictures and social media that you walk away from it and never got the chance to first capture and embrace the moment for yourself.” Wow… How profound is that.

So, as I conclude I must say that this study abroad opportunity gave me the chance to figure out my purpose in life in which I can say I have found that social worker inside of ME! I am ready to not let my past push me away from my purpose, but to let my purpose make a difference so that families won’t have to experience horrible social workers like my family once did in my past! I am ready… I am motivated… I thank OSU Study Abroad.

Studying Abroad was always a dream I had. And its within that dream that I found myself and my purpose. Australia has showed me awesome things that will be long life tools for my inner toolbox. So thank you Aussie!

I live for moments like this…

~ Taja Tolliver

Our third and final week was a bittersweet time for me (Mary). As much as I have enjoyed my time in Australia, I am excited for all that waits for me back home. This week flew by, however, and it is crazy that my month abroad is already coming to a close. This week we had a whopping four agency visits. We visited Lighthouse, Reachout.com, VICSEG, and Beyond Blue; all of which were impressive in their strides and missions. Each agency had an array of initiatives targeted at helping youth.

First, I’ll talk a little bit about my opinions on the agencies that we visited. Lighthouse is an organization that creates a safe living community for youth struggling with various issues. Their holistic view of treatment and community was solid and I thought they had the best treatment plan that we have seen while in Australia.

Reachout.com provides information and resources to youth facing everyday problems as well as mental health concerns. They provide a safe and open online community where youth can go to get information about things such as “how to have sex for the first time” or talk to others facing similar issues. I liked that they are reaching youth in the best way, as much of our young people around the world access the internet.

VICSEG was our third visit and they focused on refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. This organization provides education classes to young people/adults that will prepare them for work and living in the Australian culture. We were lucky enough to sit in on a few of these classes and it was great. You can tell that the teachers are passionate and caring about their students. One of the most important things you can give someone to succeed is education, and that’s what VICSEG is doing. The entire visit really changed my views and (limited) knowledge on the refugee situation in the world.

 Beyond Blue had a particularly awesome initiative: The Brain. Beyond Blue’s character, The Brain, is a zany character that is used to help normalize the everyday problems that youth face concerning mental health. Their tagline is “the brain can have a mind of it’s own,” which is at the end of all their funny commercials. The Brain has it’s own social media handles and has reached around 80% of Australian youth. I think the initiative is genius! My favorite commercial was this one. The brain initiative was a great way to reach youth in a way that they are familiar with and enjoy: social media. The Brain is also full of humor and is an unbiased character. You cannot go wrong with using a brain as a character because everybody has one. It seemed to be a very successful campaign and youth are still able to use the resource. Included in the campaign is a 10 question quizzes that loosely evaluates your mental wellbeing. Using this quiz, Beyond Blue can guide youth in the right direction to find appropriate resources.

Other than agency visits this week, I (Mary) have been chillin’. I took part in a good amount of retail therapy after finding some outlets by our apartments and visiting the Queen Victoria Market twice this week. It is safe to say that I am leaving Australia with a full mind, heart, and luggage. This was the first week that I felt adjusted and familiar with the city.  But, as usual, once I get comfortable somewhere it is time to go! So back to America I come

I would also agree with Mary that yes its week three and as soon as I am adjusted to navigate the city and know where things are; it is now time to get ready to head back to The United States of America. Yikes, I have never seen a month go by this fast! This last week has been awesome. Visiting the last few agencies and seeing yet again the awesomeness of what Australia is doing for our youth has been such a breath of fresh air and a push within my passion to continue in this line of work. (Taja).

Lighthouse was such a great organization that was aiming to helping late adolescents and emerging adults ages 17-25 years old. They have created houses all around Victoria for these youth to live to build a sense of order and self in their lives. The most amazing part of this organization to be is that they are self-funded and was started 25 years in the founder’s home… Wow to me that shows dedication, commitment, and determination to help the lives of what I would call our future which is young people. I love how one of the theories behind the Lighthouse model was “Psychological Wellness Theory,” which proves that wellness can only be achieved through the combined presence of personal, relational, and collective wellbeing. One way that Lighthouse accomplishes this is by creating a sense of community around each home within Victoria.

Reachout.com was so interesting to me as well because I love when organizations do well at embracing the new technology era that we are in. Reachout.com was the 1^st online mental health service started back in 1998. Their targeted goal is youth ages 14-25 years old in which they involve them in every aspect of their projects and research topics. This accomplishes the goal which is to speck with youth and not at them. One totally awesome fact about this organization which I believe needs to be shared with is the CEO of this company was the FIRST youth ambassador within reachout.com! Wow! That speaks volumes and I am pretty sure a sign to youth that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!

VICSEG was also a great organization and really helped me understand a lot more about the lives of refuges and the struggles they may face especially when they come to a new part of the world. This organization does an awesome job of being sure everyone’s culture is embraced and everyone also has a chance to expand their learning to create a better life for themselves and family. The moment that connection met my heart was when I was touring their education and learning facility and I am across the homework room with Rosa Parks on the door with a quote. That was totally beautiful to see how my history is being taught in another country across the world. #SimplyAmazing

Last but not least, Beyond Blue was totally remarkable! Beyond Blue is an online resource that helps and supports young people with depression and anxiety. Two goal that Beyond Blue has to offer in which I think is very key are prevention & early intervention as well as reducing stigma & discrimination. Because I am so dedicated to the education system especially secondary level, the program that really inspired me was the Mind Matters program. Mind Matters was a resource that helped the school system leaders (teachers, principals, etc.) understand and help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the student body. If the wellbeing of the students is properly addressed, then all other aspects that come along with secondary students can be worked out. One thing that the guest speaker of this organization stated that I found to be very profound is “Beyond Blue aims to help others understand that if you want to receive change within a system, we must look at the whole moving part.” As of now their action plans and resources are completely free to access which is so great for other places around the world to use to allow this movement to keep going.

Overall, this week has been awesome as well as mixed with so many feelings because I am excited to go back and share with others about the wonderful things Australia is doing within helping youth. I must admit that I am a bit curious if my conversations will push others in higher positions to have a deeper look and build off some strategies they are using. I know that my level of excitement and appreciation for all the organizations I have visited has definitely been very high and I am happy to get such a POSTIVE recharge to my passion. I have been able to add some things to my toolbox and for that I am grateful. So, USA here I come ready to create new energies and inspire others to do so as well. Ready, Set, Go!!

Mary & Taja (World Changers and Leaders) 

Taja’s Perspective

Week two has been totally amazing… To sum it up, I would call week two a week of awareness and rebuilding and refocus for yourself. This week was 6 days to feeling complete both professionally and personally.  This week has definitely pushed me pass my limits and gave me even more passion to follow my career of being more of a heart lead worker within the helping skills field. (Taja)

Day one at Berry Street was extremely exciting. The best part was because you were able to be hands on which was a great experience. Berry Street offered a play group for parents and their children to come to interact with others as well as provide a space for the parents and kids to have some social bonding through play. Being a mother of two little kids; I was quite impressed to see such an awesome service available especially being free. Play groups are important and such an empowering movement for children. (Taja)

Day two at Young and Well showed me so many different and unique strategies to get youth involved with research and being apart of such a positive movement. I was totally amazed. One thing that stood out to me the most was how much they involve young people in the research and process of developing apps for young people. One tool that I really thought was awesome was the movement of uplifting Aboriginal fathers through their website. That was a great thing to create for the mainstream to view because there are always fewer positive things viewed about fathers in today’s society; especially fathers that are men of color. (Taja) Another aspect to this day that really fit closely to my desired future career path was the visit to Reach. Reach was a safe space for youth to come and have a voice and be heard without judgment. Reach was an organization that our inner cities are in desperate need of. To know that these awesome group of people are dedicated to creating a place where youth from all walks of life to feel accepted and valued was definitely a moment that made my heart smile. That was the moment when my inner self decided to create a “Reach” for my at-risk inner city youth that I work with. Their energy definitely recharged mine to the fullest. (Taja).

Day three at Mind was a life changing moment for me. I really never fully understood what Mental Health all entailed and didn’t think I would ever. I have a childhood history of seeing my mother be a single parent struggling to make ends meet. With those struggles came some suicidal attempts. Sitting in the art room at Mind and just looking at the art and reading the quotes of the clients took me to another place. Once I read one piece that stated “When I say I’m good. I really want someone to look me deep in the eyes and say Tell me the TRUTH…” At that moment I was reminded to a time when my mother was checked into a mental health treatment facility due to a suicidal attempt. We were moving to Columbus, Ohio and I had to leave first because the school year was starting. I thought my mother was coming a few weeks later however the stress, worries, and concerns got the best of her. My god mother found her on the Ocean City, MD bridge about to take the jump to end her life. My mother knew it was that moment that she wanted her kids to see a better her and she reached out for help. I still to this day am not sure what kind of facility she was at however I remembered not too long ago coming across the art that did and used for a coping mechanism. So, to organizations such a Mind; I thank you SO MUCH because its strategies such as the art that is used that saved my mother’s life. Now I am able to see my mother in a much better state of mind, very successful, and enjoying her grand children. Mind allowed me to see things in my mother’s perceptive which makes my level of appreciation for organizations like Mind Even Higher!!! Dr. Cash really gave me tons of support during that process and I was so grateful for her words of encouragement to “Look at my hands and remind myself to stay in the present moment.” That was so profound. (Taja).

Day four through six was a moment for me! This was the first time that I have ever been given the opportunity to surround myself in Nature and becoming one with it and I can say that my whole self definitely was healed and created! I am not one that would normally walk a lot or even think about hiking a mountain, coming close to a wild Kangaroo, go through a rainforest, or embrace being out in nature.

However, with the motivation and push from my cohorts; I was able to break limits that I never thought I would break and that was the best feeling in the world. To experience what I felt inside after every step I took was absolutely liberating. I am so grateful for my new friends. They truly bring out the best me! Also, to Katie, our tour guide ~ she introduced a tool that will always be a necessity for my well being, which was mediation. It was so healing and created new visions, new aspirations, and a new me! So from now on because of the help from my cohorts I can now share with the world the beauty in nature and the movement to just inhale, exhale, and breathe…. One step at a time. (Taja).

Mary’s perspective:

This week we had a full schedule of agency visits and I feel that I was able to personally connect with one agency in particular: Young and Well. Young and Well is a research hub dedicated to making mental health services more accessible to youth through apps, partnerships, and outreach. This was the first agency that really related to my interest in mental health and psychology. My favorite thing about Young and Well was the way they made mental health resources available 24/7 to youth.

            When someone is struggling with mental health issues, they may only be able to get in-person help once a week, if that. However, Young and Well provides a plethora of services available at any given time through their partnership with headspace. This works through a series of self-report questions that pinpoint what services would work best for the issues faced by the client. Sometimes there is some bias or agenda in what services are recommended, but that did not seem to be the case with this tool.

Overall, Young and Well seemed like they were really at the forefront of mental health technology and research in Australia. They work hard to connect with youth, as seen in their annual youth summit. Every year, they bring together 20 diverse youth to find out what they need and what they find helpful. I would love to work with the tools that Young and Well implements in my future as a (hopeful) clinical psychologist.

Other agency visits this week included Berry Street, Reach, and Mind. I enjoyed all of them, as they all had a unique perspective on the current state of mental health and welfare services in Australia.

The other half of the week was spent doing my favorite thing: exploring the outdoors! We got the awesome opportunity to tour with our tour guide Katie for three days on the Great Ocean Road. So many great things happened over those three days so I’ll try to keep it concise and only talk about my favorite thing from each day.

Day 1: the rainforest. Personally, I have never been to a rainforest and was not sure what to expect but I was excited. When we finally stepped out of the bus, it was a completely new world. I do not think I have ever breathed such fresh air or smelled such vibrant plants. We climbed up what seemed to be a billion stairs to see a waterfall and also the biggest tree there, which, to our surprise, had fallen down about 7 years ago. I loved the feeling of being out of breath (which is weird, I know) in nature. While you sit there just breathing in and out, you notice the difference in the air: cleaner, crisper, and better. It is also a humbling experience to realize how much you rely on what nature gives us.

Day 2: The helicopter tour. Like what?!…..I can’t believe I got to do this. Not only did I get to sit next to the pilot, but I also got to take the tour over the beautiful 12 Apostles. What huge and beautiful formations they are. I was left speechless from the way everything looked. Then I got to see the same thing from the ground. It is amazing what perspective can do. The Apostles are completely different when viewed from above and the ground.

Day 3: McKenzie Falls, the Grampians. I am a sucker for a good waterfall and man was this a good one. You climb down a ton of stairs to come upon a huge and seemingly perfect waterfall. Being the person that I am, I had to keep following the trail to see what was beyond. I found more, smaller waterfalls. When I came back up, my whole group was meditating so I took some time to sit on a rock and meditate alone. I love being alone in the wild. You can look around and just peacefully sit around, quietly pondering everything and anything. I watched the water for a good 20 minutes. Water to me is so incredible, how it just keeps flowing – and if it stopped flowing, so would everything else. I thought about how nature works together so perfectly and without interference from us. Sitting on this rock, I had never felt so small.

Overall, this goes down as one of the best weekends of my l
ife so far. I am so #blessed to experience the natural world as much as I have. Being able to notice the simple things, the feel, smell, and sensations of nature is always a spiritual experience for me (I am one of those people).  I was honestly not looking forward to coming back to the city but I can assure everyone that I will make the most of it!

-Mary

First and foremost, we both would agree that the 16 hour plane ride and being completely exhausted upon arrival has definitely been worth it. Being the first time to ever step foot on another country brought so many mixed feelings and uncertainty for what to expect however the first bit of views has been simply amazing. The first couple of days was more of an adjustment period and the tour of Melbourne was very insightful. Katie, our tour guide showed us so much history in the city and gave us significant meanings behind the scenery. For example, the statue of Pastor Sir Douglass Nicholls who was an advocate for the Aboriginal people. That was awesome to see the city being able to accept having his statue in the park.StatueCity View

When Wednesday arrived, it was time for our first agency visit. We visited VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency). I (Mary) think that we all did not know what exactly to expect out of our first visit. However, our trainers, Robert and Cal, made us feel at home right away. They guided us through a cultural training to become more aware of the history and state of the Aboriginal population. It is incredible to draw parallels between the Aboriginal people of Australia and our Native Americans. Australia, as a country, has made great strides in apologizing and making right the wrongs they committed against the Aboriginal population. Although Aboriginal culture is not the same as before colonization, VACCA makes sure that Aboriginal children can learn their culture while also being able to adjust and flourish. I (Taja) felt so connected once I stepped foot in VACCA and learning how the Aboriginal people had a shared struggle history that my culture had; it was such a feeling and sense of connection that I felt that is beyond words.

Our next visit was to Anglicare, and it was AWESOME. We were able to use the tools that they use to encourage conversation and openness. Anglicare emphasizes and encourages those who are dedicated in the social work field to focus not so much on the problems but instead embrace solutions. So, we had 2 1/2 hours of play which meant using their thought provoking resources to engage in conversations. One game that I (Taja) enjoyed the most was called Deep Speak; which were cards that asked questions based on relationships, moral values, and other personal topics that you could either answer honestly or tell a big fat porky pie (white lie). I thought it was great that the trainer suggested you to tell the client that in the beginning because it allowed the client to feel comfortable. Also another key thing that the trainer stated was being creative was key because creativity is keeping us away from burnout. The main thing that I (Taja) took from this session was to find ways to add “play” when interacting with a client because it allows openness and invites conversations that could’ve been hidden.

Overall, our first week was eye opening, full of new experiences, and lots of learning. We are excited for the coming week and all that is in store for us. Stay tuned.

Taja and Mary