Throughout the Melbourne trip, I loved when we visited agencies that discussed their work in the schools in Australia. As a future school counselor, it is so important that I gain this insight and learn about new ideas that I could implement in the school that I will work in someday. During our last week, two of these agencies we visited were Batyr and Family Life.
At Batyr, we learned all about the organization and the work that they do for youth across the continent. Their motto is “Giving a voice to the elephant in the room,” accompanied with their elephant Batyr logo. The main goal of Batyr is to break the stigma surrounding mental health, and the way that they send this message is by having speakers go out and tell their stories during assemblies at schools. We learned about the shocking statistic that out of every 30 students in Australia, 7 are having mental health issues but only 2 reach out for any kind of help.
Those who wish to become speakers or just want to practice sharing their story attend a Being Herd workshop where they are encouraged to tell their story with a few others who have also experienced struggles with mental health. Then if they choose, they can go through training to speak at the schools. As a school counselor, I would love to invite young people to come speak at my school. I think that it is so beneficial for students to hear about others who have seen victories with their mental health. It shows them that there is hope for them and they do not need to suffer alone.
At Family Life, we heard a presentation from two women who work in the schools of Bayside and Frankston. Their job is to initiate different school-focused youth services. For instance, we learned about one program that has to do with removing gender stereotypes among young men. This program is designed for boys who may not fit the typical mold of what a man is “supposed” to be like. It seems like a great way to teach the next generation that there is nothing wrong with them if they do not fit that mold that they see expressed in the world. In addition, the facilitators of these school programs conduct trauma workshops for faculty. This workshop is 2 hours long and explains the basic science behind trauma and how best to help students in schools who have experienced trauma in their lives. Another program discussed had to do with recruiting parents to develop a community-based initiative with the school. This idea is a great way to help get parents more involved in the schools.
Through these visits specifically and along with the other agency visits, I have learned so much about ways that I could incorporate different programs as a school counselor. Also, I have learned a lot about mental health and child welfare, in general. The trip to Melbourne was incredible and I am very grateful!
Megan Caldwell