Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness

After much planning and liaising, I, on behalf of the Year 11 Charity Committee, facilitated Fort Street’s inaugural Mental Health Awareness Day, on the 19th of November, 2019.

The day saw students come dressed in green, as it represents hope, strength and support, and bring in a gold coin for donation. As a result, a spectacular $480 was raised purely from gold coin donations, with the proceeds going to the Black Dog Institute. The aim of the day was to raise awareness about and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. I am glad that this day allowed the creation of a safe environment in which seeking support was advocated. Hence, I organised for Koray Kuroz, from the Black Dog Institute, to present a talk on mental health during SRE for Years 10 and 11. He talked about his personal experience dealing with his own mental health, framing his advice through his own life story. The insights generated allowed the beginning of a larger, mature conversation surrounding mental health issues to take place.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who donated money and dressed in green. I would like to thank Ms Arcamone for her support, as well as Ms Triolo and Ms Sloss for counting the money collected. Kudos to Cheylon Devine (Year 11), Isha Baldeo (Year 11) and Cassidy Newman (Year 8) for helping collect gold coin donations on the day. The day could not have been a success without their help and, above all, Fort Street’s spirit!

The many hours spent organising and emailing was worth it, as the day was ultimately a success as it sparked a deeper discussion, in turn reducing the stigma in seeking help.

Aidan Limnios