12-14 Ernest St, PO Box 365 Tewantin Q 4565Phone (07) 5442 4277 Fax (07) 5442 4846

www.uni tedsynerg ies .com.au

NEWSIN BRIEFSPRING 2013

UNITEDSYNERGIES

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It’s been a particularly busy time at United Synergies as we continue to adapt and respond to the changing social and economic environment.

Recommendations from the Queensland Government’s Carmody Inquiry into children in Child Protection have been released, with an implementation due in the coming months. This, along

with changes as a result of the review of Youth Services, the Housing and Social Housing sectors and Homelessness Services are all likely to have an impact on the way we provide support. Similarly, the flat state of our economy has resulted in a need to step-up our service delivery, as more and more individuals and families begin to struggle as a result of unemployment. Last month we heard a disturbing increase in youth unemployment for the Sunshine Coast, one of the highest in the country. This creates not just financial strain, but flow on challenges in the areas of relationships, parenting, and even mental health concerns.

United Synergies has been working hard to ensure it is well-placed to continue to be responsive and relevant, and have the capacity to expand our services in this changing environment – both as a result of Government reform and economic pressures. We have reviewed the way we currently provide service and recently launched two new programs specifically to address the key societal issues we see people facing every day.

Connect2Parenting and Connect2Employment were launched in July – to assist people with the challenges of parenting and reduce the likelihood of becoming involved in the Child Protection system and to help young people who have disengaged from school to secure work. We know more is needed and will continue to do what we can to influence our community to respond more appropriately to address these changes. There is more on these programs (right and page 2).

And while the expansion of the StandBy Response Service continues, with 17 sites across Australia planned to be operational soon, we must congratulate our StandBy National Manager Jill Fisher, who was recently awarded the Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE Leadership and Innovation Award 2013. The award recognises Jill’s exceptional leadership and innovation in making suicide prevention a national priority. Jill is a true driver of progress and positive change in the sector and greatly respected by her peers.

I’d also like to welcome our new Director Scott Wallace. Scott is a long term collaborator with United Synergies, working with Sunshine Beach High School. The Board are delighted to have Scott contributing his wisdom, experience and passion for the work of United Synergies.

Finally we are delighted to have secured Professor Max Bennett from the Australian Brain and Mind Institute to be the guest speaker at our AGM this year. So mark the date in your diary now – Monday, November 18. More details are on page 3.

Message from our CEO

Parents to share challengesA new program to support people struggling with the challenges of being a parent or carer is being offered by United Synergies.

Connect2Parenting has been designed to address the need for a deeper community understanding of the early decline in parental coping and to provide skills to help parents and carers to better cope with the challenges they face caring for children aged 0 to 11.

Program Coordinator Amanda Bovingdon said the program provided people with positive parenting opportunities, experiences and skills to safely and better cope with the demands of parenting.

“Parents can often feel isolated, lonely or overwhelmed by their parental responsibilities, particularly if they are new to the area and lack family support.

“Connect2Parenting gives people an opportunity to connect with other parents and carers who understand what they are going through, without judgement and in a relaxed, social environment.

“We are using a mentor model to ensure people have someone to talk to and share their challenges and will have regular guest speakers and family get-togethers to help people feel less isolated.

“Parenting can be a really tough job, particularly if you don’t have a network of other parents or carers to share it with.

“Sometimes a problem shared can be a problem solved – when you know you are not alone and the challenges you face are not necessarily unique - losing the feeling of being overwhelmed can be extremely liberating and energising,” Amanda said.

Christopher John CEO

The group recently held its first ‘Me Time” coffee morning at Nibbles and Bites Gympie, joined by café owners Ben and Neville, mentor Margaret, Sean from Community Solutions and coordinator Amanda.

Community gets on board with the headspace cause headspace may be a new service on the Sunshine Coast, but it’s clear that the youth mental health cause has struck a chord with the local community.

Two separate fundraisers in June, one at gorgeous stationery store kikki.k and the other across Jetts gyms at Nambour and Mooloolaba, are estimated to have raised more than $4000 for headspace Maroochydore.

kikki.K opened their doors after hours for an evening of exclusive shopping, treats and nibblies, with 20 per cent of all sales going towards headspace. The night was a great success, and provided an excuse for staff to indulge in some shopping without feeling guilty!

‘Run for a healthy headspace’ was a double-fundraiser held across Jetts at Nambour and Mooloolaba. The challenge was issued to the community to keep nine treadmills running non-stop for 24 hours, with businesses sponsoring each treadmill per kilometre covered. Local celebrities Chris Raine, CEO of Hello Sunday Morning; Brad Vander Lugt of Michigan band La Dispute; Amanda Rootsey of Shine from Within; and NRL great, Chris Flannery loaned their support (and joggers!) to the cause. Young Olympian Tessa Wallace also provided her words of wisdom to runners, when she popped in to speak about overcoming obstacles to compete at the London Olympics.

Special mention also needs to be made of staff member Bernie Patterson, who ran non-stop for more than two hours! There was something for everyone at the event with organic cooking demonstrations from local duo the Organic Sisters, a DIY smoothie bike, Jetts’ first ‘strongman and strongwoman’ competition, as well as free gym classes for 24 hours to promote the healthy body-healthy mind connection.

The event was such a hit, Jetts are already planning how we can do it all over again next year!

The smoothie bike was a hit with Tom Wright.

Call for new mentorsWith the recent launch of two more mentoring-based programs, United Synergies is on the lookout for more community mentors. Connect2Parenting and Connect2Employment will join the existing school-based mentoring program currently operating in more than 10 high schools across the Coast.

Mentoring facilitator Renee McKenzie said mentors provided a positive role model and support, encouragement and guidance to help young people work towards creating their own optimistic future and required no set of skills or specific profile but rather were people from diverse backgrounds with a range of expertise and experience.

“The advice and support of people in the community who have met and survived the challenges that life may bring is invaluable to young people,” she said.

Mentors complete a free, short training course and gain skills which can be invaluable in all areas of life and work. Free mentor training will next be held in October. To register, or for more information call 5442 4277.

Graduates celebrate The final intake of Get Set for Work participants celebrated their graduation in June.

Get Set for Work created transition pathways for young people who had disengaged, or were at risk of disengaging from school. The program offered accredited training, work experience and personal support with skills such as resume writing, goal setting, interview techniques and social development.

Queensland Government funding for the program ended in June, however United Synergies was able to secure positive outcomes for many of the participants, with several moving into employment, further study and training or returning to school. Several of the participants continue to be supported through other United Synergies programs.

The Get Set for Work graduates, coordinators and mentors celebrated the end of the program.

Supporting people, strengthening communities

Day to rememberThe Sunshine & Cooloola Coasts/Caboolture Suicide Bereavement Remembrance Day will be held on Saturday, September 14.

Remembrance Day is an event to remember those who have been lost through suicide in our local communities and to acknowledge those bereaved family, friends and associates who have been left behind.

The ceremony will be held at Picnic Point, Maroochydore commencing at 10am until 12noon to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10).

The day will feature the words and thoughts of people bereaved by suicide, a presentation by the Caloundra Living Beyond Suicide Support Group and other guest speakers. Activities will include a brief Remembrance Ceremony, followed by the release of doves and the opportunity for individuals to place flowers of remembrance in the river, in acknowledgement of the significance of this day for our communities. Children’s activities with parental supervision will also be available.

Those attending are invited to bring photos of those they have lost and themselves, as well as a picnic lunch, tea and coffee etc for informal sharing after the event.

This Suicide Bereavement Remembrance Day is an opportunity for all members of the community to come together and acknowledge and support those who have lost a precious person from their lives.

Sunshine and Cooloola Coast StandBy Response Service Coordinator Lynda Neville said that over the past 10 years StandBy had assisted more than 1000 people bereaved by suicide, from Cooloola to Caboolture.

Any person bereaved by suicide wanting further information or support is encouraged to contact StandBy on 5409 4995 or 0407 766 961. People in crisis can also contact Lifeline on 131114.

Program prepares young people for workAs the rate of youth unemployment on the Sunshine Coast teeters at a staggering 50 per cent, United Synergies has launched a new program aimed at helping young unemployed people to secure work.

Connect2Employment focuses on assisting early school leavers aged 14-19 with transition pathways to employment in the local region by enhancing their employability through job-readiness initiatives.

As statistics released at the recent Youth Sector Change Drivers Group (YSCDG) Forum revealed 49.7% of Sunshine Coast youth aged 15-19 were unemployed, Program Coordinator Di Matthews said something had to be done to support this at-risk group – regardless of whether there was Government funding to support it or not.

“Un-skilled, unemployed young people find it more difficult to enter the employment market, particularly when the unemployment reality is that there is far more job seekers than jobs available leaving them vulnerable, disenfranchised and disengaged.

“Pre-employment support, job preparation or job readiness programs are a gap in support that simply must be addressed.

“As a community we need to address this issue for everyone’s benefit. Long-term unemployment has a social and economic impact on everyone – not just those who are unemployed.

“The Connect2Employment program, wholly funded by United Synergies, has the ability to prevent young people from falling into a cycle of long-term unemployment and disadvantage early in their life, which can contribute to other problems such as homelessness and relationship breakdown over time.

“We provide practical support to address personal barriers which are inhibiting people’s progression into employment, facilitate relevant work experience opportunities, and assist young people to complete training, obtain qualifications and secure meaningful employment.

We tailor-make a plan for each client to address their specific needs. This might be preparing a resume and a cover letter, interview skills, presentation, how to get and keep a job, or identifying referral pathways.

“We focus on work experience placements and offer a Certificate II in Workplace Practices/Readiness - a six-week program which includes 80 hours of work experience,” Christopher said.

For further information on the Program and to provide referrals contact Di Matthews on 5442 4277 or 0409 551 773.

Support for carersRespite and support for carers and families of people with mental illness is now available on the Sunshine Coast.

Mental Health Respite: Carer Support assists carers of people with mental illness to maintain their caring role and maintain connection with their communities by increasing access to flexible, innovative carer support services.

Program Coordinator Lyn Harris said the program responded to research that demonstrated the enormous role carers play in supporting people living with mental illness and the potential impact on families and carers when family members experienced mental illness.

“Carers need a range of flexible services that are targeted to meet their individual needs at different times.

“This can range from connecting with other carers in similar caring roles, to accessing additional services and information, or organising planned respite to allow carers to address needs in their own lives,” she said.

A Carer Reference Group will meet regularly to ensure the views and concerns of carers are considered in planning, implementation and delivery of the activities to support carers.

A lunch to celebrate the important role of carers in the community will be held as part of Carers Week in October.

The Program has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and is available to carers living on the Sunshine Coast and is prioritised based on carer and family needs and access to other services. For further information contact the Respite Care Service Coordinator Lyn Harris on 5442 4277.

Headspace goes to hinterlandheadspace hit the Sunshine Coast hinterland recently to spread the word about support available to 70 young people bereaved by, or diagnosed with cancer.

headspace were one of four community agencies approached by Canteen to run information workshops at their annual Mapleton camp. The travelling beach shack stall along with giant Jenga proved popular with young people – although we’re not sure that the heights this Jenga tower reached were achieved in a legitimate way!

Feedback from participants was extremely positive, and those from regional locations were particularly interested in accessing eheadspace online counselling.

In briefSOME OF UNITED SYNERGIES’ MOST TOUGH mudders showed what they were made of in August when they participated in the inaugural Sunshine Coast Tough Mudder event.

Tough Mudder is a hardcore 20 km-long obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. The Sunshine Coast event attracted more than 24,000 participants, six of whom were from United Synergies.

The dedicated group participated in the event as a fundraiser to purchase exercise equipment for the residential properties.

StandBy RECENTLY HELD TRAINING AND induction to welcome several new coordinators from new and existing sites around Australia.The joint training enabled coordinators to gain an understanding of the StandBy model and an opportunity to initiate communication and collaboration between sites.

From left to right: Hugh Rawlings,East Kimberley; Toni Woods– Darwin; Mandy Kliszewski, FNQ; Cheryl Staal, National StandBy Service Delivery Coordinator; Anna Tooth,Southern Tasmania; Jeanette O’Brien, Loddon Mallee; Michelle Hawkins, North / North West Tasmania.

AGM – mark the dateUnited Synergies will hold its Annual General Meeting on Monday, November 18.

Guest speaker will be Maxwell Bennett, Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney.

Professor Bennett holds the first University Chair for ‘research recognised internationally to be of exceptional distinction’ and will discuss his work in the area of stress and trauma research.

The AGM will be held from 5.30pm at the J, 60 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads. For more information visit our website: www.unitedsynergies.com.au

Mental Health Respite: Carer Support

Supporting carersof people with mental illness

Xanthe and Heath with the giant Jenga.