September 20, 2023
Sometimes it only takes a conversation … a project that engages residents face-to-face in conversations about mental health and wellbeing has begun in the South Burnett.
The Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) project is going door-to-door in Kingaroy, Murgon and Cherbourg to check in with people, provide information and help them to connect to suitable supports if requested.
The initiative is a project by Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA) which has partnered with service provider EACH.
“Unfortunately for many reasons, people do not want to talk about or even think about their mental health and wellbeing,” CMHA CEO Bill Gye said.
“People may prefer to tough it out, hide it from others or avoid the stigma.
“The ACDC Project is going directly to households in Australia to engage them in conversation about these important issues.”
Contact is made via friendly “people connectors” who let householders know about free or low-cost services available in their area.
They also deliver an information pack with a fridge magnet and brochure.
The other aim of the ACDC project is to gather feedback and collect data on any service gaps, so that improvements can be made by local, State, and Federal governments.
EACH CEO Natalie Sullivan said ACDC had been a game changer in targeted neighbourhoods around Australia.
“We’ve been able to recruit community members to our team of ‘people connectors’, which is a big point of difference for this program and why we were so keen to be involved,” Natalie said.
“EACH’s vision is that everyone has the power to live well – and knowing when, where and how to find the right services is a big step towards taking that power.”
The ACDC Project will also gather information about the reasons why people do not access supports.
